Five Holiday Office Party Themes

Tis' the holiday season -- and the season of holiday parties. Getting into the holiday spirit with your peers is a great way to skip the awkward small talk and celebrate the changing seasons – plus who doesn’t like free food?

Here are 5 holiday party themes to help you get outside the ho-hum holiday box.

Ugly Sweater

You know those horrid Christmas sweaters, featuring a felt Santa with a fluffy wool beard and reindeer with silver stitching around their antlers? Well, dig out those beastly sweaters, because this year’s Holiday party theme is “embrace the ugliness.”

All employees are instructed to find a Holiday sweater to wear to the party. Anyone who doesn’t show up with a sweater will be given one of your spare sweaters, and a pair of reindeer ears or some other embarrassing prop for good measure. Decorate the room with bright and fun decorations and offer a reward for the most impressive sweater.

 

 

Santa’s Workshop

What’s Santa making at the North Pole? Why don’t you and your crafty peers find out! Set up your party room to look like Santa’s workshop - a corner for Santa visits, piles of presents ready to stack on the sleigh, and different holiday craft-stations for busy elves to make some magic.

Make sure to invite Santa or Nathan from IT dressed as Santa – and everyone can take turns having their picture taken with the big guy. Pictures will no doubt get sillier and sillier. It can also be fun to supply a few props to make photos even more merry and bright.

12 Courses – Proteins of Christmas

A dieter's worst nightmare may very well be the holiday party. Why? With buffet lines filled with bite-sized morsels of calorie-laden treats, they are the easiest way to make you join a gym come January. Like the cookie swap, invite your guests to bring their favorite appetizer to share. If, however, the impending sodium counts really have you shaking in your winter boots, ask that people bring healthy options as well.

 

 

Caroling Karaoke

Holiday tunes are everywhere right now -- you can't turn on the radio or walk into a store without hearing some new cover of "Baby It's Cold Outside" -- and I won't even get into Justin Bieber's Christmas jams. So, as the old adage goes, "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em."  If nothing else, it'll be incredibly amusing to watch.

 

 

Charity Support

Charity parties have recently become one of the most popular company holiday party themes. Companies small and large are going with this theme idea. For example, Delta Airlines threw a party where they took under-privileged children who’d never been on a plane before to a hangar at JFK airport where they all celebrated the season, aviation-style.

You may not be Delta Airlines, but you can still throw a great charity-themed party. Pick a charity your employees would love to support and either charge for party entrance or run an auction during the festivities. Consider allowing your employees to give their holiday bonuses partially or fully to the charity of their choice.

The company holiday party is a great chance to build team spirit as well as celebrate a year well-done.  Deck the halls with laughter, fun, great food and the spirit of the season.  Oh and a few ugly sweaters helps too!