Yes, we know it’s only September! But believe it or not, 16th September marks 100 days until Christmas… That special time of the year is fast approaching, and you’ll find yourself sat around the table with your Christmas hats and crackers before you know it.
If you haven’t already begun planning your office Christmas party then our best advice would be to start sooner rather than later. Countless other businesses will already be in full swing of organising their Christmas parties, with lots of venues quickly getting booked up for the festive season.
Over the years, we’ve been involved in planning many office Christmas parties. It’s no surprise that one of the biggest obstacles is finding a date which suits the whole team. However, using an app like Doodle can make it really easy to see when everybody is available – it’s been a lifesaver for us on many occasions!
One of the other things we’ve learnt is that it’s always fun to try something a little different. With this in mind, we’ve come up with seven fun alternative ideas for your office Christmas party.
1. An appearance from Santa
What better way to give back to your team than turning up to your office Christmas party dressed as Santa or a Christmas Angel, with a sack full of presents? Why not show how much you value your employees with personalised gifts for each of them? This could be a great way to reinforce your company culture. We’ve seen this work best with company CEOs, but you could even get the rest of your management team to dress up as elves too!
2. Masquerade ball
Made for dancing, a masquerade ball-themed office Christmas party certainly makes for an interesting night! This more extravagant style of party is sure to leave an impression on your employees too – we suggest going the extra mile with the venue and also arranging for a waiting team to walk around with some champagne and canapés. You could even organise a dance-off between your different departments, with a prize for the winning team.
3. Create your own festive menu
Tired of the same generic Christmas party menu with limited options? Who better to design the menu than the people who will be eating from it? Odds are that you’ll end up with a more out-of-the-box Christmas menu, with tastes and flavours representative of the different cultures and personalities from your team. You could even incorporate this idea with ‘Office Come Dine With Me’ for extra fun.
4. Christmas photo booth...
…And who could forget the festive props?! A Christmas photo booth can be a great way to capture all of the fun at your office party, and the photos also serve as a nice keepsake for your employees. On top of this, you’ll end up with a whole load of weird and wonderful images to use for marketing purposes! You can find a variety of fun Christmas-themed props for a fair price online, to accompany your photo booth too.
5. Charity fundraiser
A charity fundraiser can be an excellent way to combine fun activities and team-building, as well as most importantly supporting a fantastic charity of your choice. And after all, Christmas is supposed to be the time to give back! Working with charities supporting care homes and homeless people at this time of the year can have such a positive impact on the wider-community. This could be in the form of hosting a fundraising event, volunteering for a local charity, or getting sponsored to try an extreme sport like skydiving. Some offices even put together festive hampers for the homeless, including essentials such as a blanket, fresh water and food.
6. Awards ceremony
Hosting a light-hearted awards ceremony at your office Christmas party can really help brighten your team spirits, and can be a great way to reflect your company’s personality. Including a mix of general awards such as ‘Best Dressed’ or ‘Best DJ’ and then some more unique awards such as ‘It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere’ or ‘The Eternally Late Award’ can serve for a hilarious evening!
7. Christmas movie marathon
This can be a fantastic way to spread the festive cheer around your office. And the best thing about it? You can do it all without leaving your workplace! Why not bring out the blankets, Quality Streets and Buck’s Fizz to host the ultimate Christmas movie marathon for your team? If you really want an all-round movie marathon experience, then you need to check out this pocket-size laser projector that we mentioned in our previous blog.
Of course, we understand that hosting a movie marathon may not be possible for industries where the office tends to be busier during the festive period. But even just playing Christmas films in the background for your last day in the office before the festive break can make a real difference to your team spirit.
On the other hand, if your office tends to be quieter during the festive period then you could give your team the full day off to relax, watching the likes of Elf and Home Alone…
Christmas is an excellent opportunity to thank your staff for their hard work all year round, and putting on an incredible office Christmas party can be a great way to do this. Christmas parties can also be an ideal opportunity to bring your team closer together, which certainly pays off in employee productivity levels.
Are you looking for a high-quality office that encourages a positive company culture? Why not get in touch with us at Carrwood Park to find out more about our serviced offices and other business growth solutions?
