Ideas for Holiday & Christmas Celebrations at Work
The holiday season approaches, and with it comes opportunities for joyous celebrations and customer and employee appreciation. We’ve put together some fun and festive suggestions to help you plan your holiday celebrations at work.
The Office Christmas Party
Are you planning to wind down the year with a holiday gathering with your colleagues? We can help! Office parties can come together in so many different ways. A small, family-owned business will have far different requirements (and budget constraints) than a large corporation. Perhaps you just want to invite your small team to a potluck lunch at the office where you exchange Secret Santa gifts, give each other a hug, and take a few days off over the holidays. Sounds wonderful! If you’re looking for something more formal, here are a few considerations:
- Set a budget for your work Christmas party. Is your celebration going to be a big-budget blowout, or a small, informal affair? Establishing a budget early in the planning process will help you to plan an appropriate celebration for your invitees.
- Who is the party for? Determining the guest list will go a long way to helping you plan the event. Are you celebrating with only your team members? Will you be inviting the family (and children) of your staff? Will you open the party up to include your clients or suppliers?
- Will you host a gift exchange? Making a gift exchange like a Secret Santa or White Elephant part of the party can also be an excellent source of entertainment. You can send suggested gift guides to the team in advance to help them find appropriate gifts to bring to the big event!
- Will your party have entertainment? Deciding who to invite may also help you choose a party theme, and that leads you to the question of what entertainment you’ll need to arrange. Do you need to hire Santa Claus to come and entertain the children? Will you have a theme - like a Casino or Carnival - where you need to hire an equipment provider? Do you need a DJ or band? Getting those agreements sorted out well in advance will help things run smoothly on event day.
- Where will your party take place? From a fun and festive catered event in your office, to a formal banquet at a hotel and conference center, the location that you choose for your office Christmas party can bring additional considerations. You may need to arrange transportation to and from the venue (particularly if alcohol is being served). You’ll need to ensure that it is accessible for your guests. And you need to ensure that there’s enough room for all of your guests in the space that you select.
- What’s on the menu? From a fun, catered theme party with food stations in various rooms at the office to a formal banquet at a rented hall, your menu is just as important as your venue. Do you need to arrange a barbecue for a Hawaiian or luau-themed holiday party? Do any of your guests have severe allergies to nuts or seafood? When arranging a menu, it's best to avoid any allergenic foods and offer flexible dietary options for the greatest satisfaction.
Office Holiday Party Invitations
When you’ve got all of the planning in place and you’re ready to invite your guests to the party, you have a couple of options:
- Personal Invitations - Do you have a small team? Speak to each person, individually, and tell them about the holiday party plans. If you’ve decided for something outside of work hours, give each guest a couple of days to check with their spouse, child care provider, etc. before committing to the event.
- Online Invitations - Browse and customize one of our Christmas Invitations. Our collection includes everything from Ugly Sweater Party Invites to Christmas Cocktail Parties. You can even add a photo that represents your organization. The best part is that you can deliver your invitations immediately by text message or email address, verify that they were delivered, and manage RSVPs online.
Holiday Recognition for Employees
Christmas is a wonderful time to recognize your employees, volunteers, and even customers with special messages of thanks or a heartfelt gift. Here are some ways that you can recognize the people that make a difference to your business:
- Holiday eCards - In our Business Holiday Collection, we have a huge variety of cards with traditional Christmas themes as well as inclusive holiday designs and messaging. We even offer many designs where you can include your company logo. There are Christmas Thank You eCards - perfect for employees and volunteers. Plus, you may choose to enclose a digital Gift Card to thank your team for their time and commitment throughout the year!
- Group Video Gifts - One of the most heartwarming gifts that you can give (or receive) in the workplace is a Group Video from colleagues, peers, or even your staff. Here are some of the most memorable group video ideas that we’ve seen at work:
- A beloved colleague closed out the year by retiring after 40 years on the job. Many of her coworkers, managers, and even previous retirees submitted a video clip sharing memories of their time together and played it for her during their holiday gathering.
- A workplace with team members in offices all over the country got representatives from their location to don their Ugly Christmas Sweaters and prepare a holiday group video to share with each and every employee, sharing their appreciation for one another and their efforts throughout the year.
However you plan to celebrate the holidays with your employees and coworkers, it’s a wonderful and festive time to look back on the accomplishments of the year and to enjoy a brief break to connect with one another before moving forward with the challenges of the year ahead.
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