Business Christmas Party Ideas For Any Budget
There is nothing quite like the Office Christmas Party. Not only is it a chance to see people dressed in something other than work wear, but it’s also a brilliant opportunity to get to know your colleagues beyond how they operate at work.
Office parties live or die by how well they’re organised and it can be tricky to decide which Christmas Party venue would be the best fit for your workforce. With that in mind, we have created the ultimate list of office Christmas Party ideas to make this already hectic time of year that little bit easier.
Option 1: The Sophisticated Meal
Everything comes down to budget and numbers of course but there’s something rather special about being able to have a proper conversation with your colleagues over a nice multi-course meal, especially when you’re used to a meal deal at your desk and frantic slack talks about a change in strategy.
Offer two or three party venues to the floor so that everyone feels part of the decision and if you can it’s always nice to add a perk like paid drinks or a dessert.
The beauty of this option is that the décor (including Christmas trees), music and catering are all dealt with for you, leaving you to be able to enjoy the evening. The downside of course is it can be much more expensive (if you are looking for small business Christmas Party ideas or have a large team especially) so you need to weigh up the pros and cons.
Organising a shared Christmas Party for your employees and another businesses staff may help make this easier. Sharing party costs with another business may mean you are able to consider some of the better holiday party venues. Perhaps if you haven’t done much in the way of big team building events throughout the year (Paintball, Go Karting) then splashing out at the end of year big party night might be just the thing your team needs.
Option 2: The Brilliant Budget Bash
When numbers are high and the budget is not it can feel quite overwhelming to give everyone a good time. Cliché as it sounds, it really is the people who make these things memorable, not the venue or food quality (though we admit those things help!).
Why not go old school? Host a party in the office, each bringing some food and drink, add some décor, some music and bam! You have yourself a classic Office Christmas Party night to remember.
If you’d rather have the festivities away from all the delicate paperwork and not-at-one-with-liquid technology, then why not simply go for drinks? There is still plenty of opportunities to chat and it is especially good if you have a very small team who wouldn’t be able to fill a larger venue.
Option 3: Themed Work Xmas Party Ideas
Dressing up is fun and anyone who tells you different certainly hasn’t been doing it correctly. This is a great way to take the normal stress away from having to find an outfit you deem ‘suitable’ without being boring because everyone gets to look ridiculous together.
Why not make it a competition? A few themes we recommend:
- Superheroes
- Harry Potter (Additionally stress that 100 Harry's is not that exciting)
- Sea Creatures
- Types of biscuit
- Items of furniture (Everyone likes a challenge after all...)
Option 4: The Weird & Wonderful
The options above are pretty standard and with some tweaking here and there you can make either work for any size and on any budget. However, if you really want to make your mark as the best Christmas Party organiser ever then you could go very much outside the box.
Why not a comedy evening? Or a ‘Locked In’ puzzle room session? Why not create a murder mystery evening with the staff as the suspects?
Or how about a group art class? An obstacle course?
Really, you’re only limited by your own imagination and how daring your team are. Brainstorm and see whether people would prefer a more classic celebration or whether a sea fishing excursion or party nights afloat cruises will “float their boat”.
Just Have Fun
Christmas, both domestically and corporately, all too often gets bogged down with people becoming stressed about the organisation and whether their efforts will be worth it. Keep in mind that the whole point of this is to enjoy yourselves and with the right people who have the right attitude, your Christmas Party this year will take no effort at all.
