HR Guide: How to Plan Christmas and New Year Celebrations in the Office

It’s that time of year when everyone has already started preparing for festivities. HR professionals are also planning ways to celebrate these festivities with their colleagues. Celebrating Christmas in an office builds a positive work environment and cultivates strong employee relationships. Christmas parties are a great time to appreciate your teams and help relieve some of their stress. Check out these tips to successfully plan Christmas and New Year celebrations to boost the morale of your employees.

Invite everyone, but don’t make the party mandatory

The first step is to send party invites to everyone and inform them about timings, themes, rules, and other party-related details. Every party planner wishes for the success of their event, but don’t force your employees to show up for the party. It could take the fun out of a festive occasion, so try to encourage your employees to attend the event.

Choose a theme for Christmas and New Year party

Select an exclusive theme for the Christmas celebrations as it will create an excellent environment for the event. You can arrange Santa hats, candy canes, Christmas trees and play festive music. Here are some top themes you could choose for your celebrations.

• Champagne Party Theme
• Glitter Party Theme
• Secret Santa Theme
• Disco Party Theme
• Pajama Party Theme

Set a time convenient for all the employees

The main purpose of such an event is that everyone comes together to celebrate these festivities. Choose a date and time convenient for most employees so that you can get the best turnout. Also, notify all the employees beforehand so they can save the dates for office events.

Remind your team that rules still apply at the party

When you send party invites to your employees, make sure to add details about workplace policies. Add a reminder that it’s an office party, so everyone should behave accordingly. While it’s essential to give such reminders, you should avoid being too strict with the rules, which could affect the mood. Trust your team members and treat them as adults who will act sensibly.

Inform your team about the food and drinks menu

‘I’m a vegan’ or ‘I don’t drink alcohol,’ these are some common reasons why people avoid going to most parties. Make sure that you offer some teasers of the activities to build excitement for the event. Christmas party is the perfect time to drink and eat all you want.

Organize vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, and non-vegetarian food so that it’s perfect for everyone. While alcohol is a must-have at parties, you should also keep a good collection of non-alcoholic drinks. It ensures that everyone will have a drink in their hand to celebrate this festive occasion.

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Organize transportation service for the party

Transportation won’t be an issue when you arrange parties in the office, but if you have alcoholic drinks, it could become risky to drive back home. Arrange taxi services so that the employees who are over the drink-drive limit will safely return to their homes.

Select fun team games and activities for the party

Office parties might get boring with only food and drinks. Plan some entertainment activities that will begin conversations and promote team-building activities. Here are some popular team games and activities for Christmas and New Year celebrations.

• Gift Exchange Game
• Name That Christmas Song
• Scavenger Hunt
• DJ party
• Murder mystery
• Trivia contest

Christmas and New Year Celebrations in the office are much more than just partying together. Such events foster stronger relationships and improve work performance. While bidding farewell to 2021, it’s a great opportunity to appreciate and reward your talented employees. It helps you end the year on a high note, and everyone can cheerfully welcome the New Year with only smiles and drinks.