Whether your company goes all out at Christmas and hires a venue for your annual office party, or if it’s a little more low-key, we’ve put together 12 festive ideas you can incorporate to your December festivities at the office!
1. Photobooth
Everyone loves a keepsake, and a photobooth not only provides entertainment in the moment, but your colleagues can pin their photos up on the office wall for many Christmases to come.
Photobooths these days are electronic, and print instantly, plus your colleagues will love dressing up with the fun props and choosing a backdrop for their poses.
2. Cocktail-Making
If you’re looking for a fun activity then cocktail making could be the answer, especially if you are making a Christmas-themed cocktail. Learning to make the cocktail is one thing, but getting to drink your creation afterwards is another. If cocktails aren’t your preference, you could always look to book wine tasting instead.
3. Gingerbread House Decorating
This may seem like an activity more appropriate for children, but if you split the office into teams and give them 10 minutes to decorate, it may seem more like a competition.
This activity is easy enough to do with plenty of kits available to buy that includes all the icing and decorations. Go one step further, and ask the teams to build the gingerbread house from scratch! Easier said than done…
4. Secret Santa
An office staple at Christmas has to be Secret Santa. If old-school is your style, ask everyone to write their name on a piece of paper and drop it into a hat. Each colleague must then draw out a name and not tell anyone who they have. This is the person that they will be buying for. There are also ways to do this digitally, just google “secret Santa name generator”.
Once you’ve each drawn out the hat, you need to agree a budget, and in some cases whether you are buying a “nice” present or something a little funnier! The fun comes when you all exchange gifts and guess who had who.
5. Advent Gifts
This works for a smaller group of colleagues, as it’s basically like a large advent calendar. You’ll need 25 gifts in total.
You ask your colleagues to each bring in a wrapped gift up to the value of £2 and put them all in a sack. Then put everyone’s name in a hat, and for each day of December up to 25th, pull out a name. Whoever gets pulled out, gets to choose a gift from the sack. Don’t forget if your office shuts early for Christmas, you’ll need to plan ahead and give out the gifts before everyone goes on their holidays.
6. Gift Wrapping Relay Race
Another competitive game that gives your colleagues a well deserved break from daily work. Split the office into teams and then race against the clock to wrap a pile of presents as neatly as possible!
The team that wraps all their presents first, is the winner! Be prepared to see your co-workers competitive streak!
7. Dress Code
If you’re hosting a Christmas party, be sure to let your colleagues know what the dress code is. Most companies will choose black tie if they are attending a party with a sit-down meal. But, if your company is doing something different, why not go for a theme and announce a “Best Dressed”?
8. Live Music
Let’s be honest, your colleagues are most looking forward to the entertainment of the evening, so let’s make sure it’s something good.
Live music is always a hit, whether you choose a band, DJ, or even a tribute artist. Ensure you’ve watched and listened to your chosen source of entertainment prior to booking them to ensure they are suitable for your company. Once booked, make sure your venue has an inviting dancefloor, appropriate lighting and sound system (if your entertainment isn’t bringing their own). As long as everyone is having a good time, the night will be remembered regardless.
9. Themed Food
It’s true, a lot of people are ruled by their stomachs and Christmas is certainly not an exception. Christmas is the time where people have a good time and enjoy themselves, so ensure your food is living up to the expectation.
Whether it’s a traditional three-course meal, or a buffet, ensure the food is high quality and delicious – everyone deserves a little decadence at Christmas time. Typically, food will be festive, however if you are hosting a themed party make sure your food fits in too, whether that’s a different cuisine or style, like a hog roast for example.
10. Interactive Acts
In addition to a live music element, also consider interactive entertainment that will ensure your colleagues have a good time.
This could be a magician who does mind-bending tricks throughout dinner, or a comedian who warms up the crowd before company speeches. If your company likes to push boundaries consider fire acts or even a drag queen for that added element of surprise and fun.
11. Christmas Decorations
Work is probably one of the places you spend most, so why should the office not feel like Santa’s grotto?
If budgets allow, why not task your employees with choosing, buying and decorating the office for December? It doesn’t have to be expensive, but a couple of strands of fairy lights and some mini Christmas trees, might just make your colleagues day that bit brighter this festive season.
12. Themed Party Venues
Companies looking to either book space on a party night or hire a venue exclusively, could look into venues that purposefully theme their function spaces for their parties.
Not only does this mean the theming and decorating has all been taken care of, but it also means that your guests can feel like they’ve been transported to somewhere completely different rather than a hotel function space for example. Themes could include Winter Wonderland, Narnia, Roaring 20’s and Cirque Du Soleil.
