The ‘ber months are upon us, and you know very well what that means – Christmas is coming! We know we are no longer children and see the season differently, but the little kid inside us is still excited about the prospect of the season. After all, it’s a time for giving (and receiving), and one of the best things about Christmas is the parties. Even now, people are already planning their Christmas get-togethers. So before the holiday rush bears down upon us (and fills our diaries!), it’s best to plan and organise our gatherings – beginning with the ubiquitous office Christmas party. Now, if you have to plan it and you want to do a good job, it’s essential that you divide it into different categories and tackle it step by step. So without further ado, here’s your step-by-step guide to planning and organising the best office Christmas party ever.
Know your budget
Before you can begin planning, you have to know your budget first. Whether looking at an intimate Christmas party with a few employees or working out an all-out grand Christmas affair, you must know what budget you have to work with. Do you have a party or event fund? Is everyone willing to contribute? Know where your budget is coming from and decide which expenditures are worth it – for instance, would you rather spend more on the food and drinks than the décor? Set up a meeting and find out what everyone wants – you could even have a Christmas committee and choose those who will be in charge of the menu, the venue, the entertainment, and the like. This way, you can divide the responsibilities, and not everything will fall on your shoulders. Besides, it’s better to have a team so you can have an influx of ideas.
Choose your venue/location
Of course, you must choose a venue – remember, you can always hold your Christmas party outside the office! This makes the event more exciting. You have plenty of options – you can hold your party at a bowling alley, a house, or a pub. Why not rent a garden or restaurant if you have the money? Of course, you can still hold it in your office and transform it so it looks like a winter wonderland.
Pick a theme
Picking a theme is brilliant because it will be easier to decide on the food and drinks, the entertainment, and so on. For example, you can go for a funfair theme, and it’s easy enough to find a funfair hire specialist with a few novel suggestions for the games and rides. Once the theme of your event is chosen, customizing event decorations becomes much easier. Pre-made decorations could save time; however, custom made blow ups allow you to choose images and words that would best reflect the festivities. Additionally, custom blowups can come in any color to match your theme. With custom decorations, the sky is the limit in terms of what you can create for your special event! Remind everyone to dress in costume, which will make the event much more exciting and thrilling. Here’s a tip: have everyone dress up as a Christmas character – be it as elves, reindeer, snowmen, or even Santa and Mrs Santa herself.
Get it going with the booze and food
Admit it – no Christmas event would be the same without booze, so make sure there’s plenty of it! You can partner it with traditional Christmas fares such as mince pies, eggnog, mulled wine, fruitcake, and gingerbread cookies. It would be good to offer a lot of non-alcoholic drinks, too. You could even set up a bar where everyone can mix their own poison for the night!