6 Holiday Party Ideas for Startups

Who says the office cannot be merry and bright during the holiday season too? A happy and uplifting work environment makes for happier employees and yields higher production. So, take a look at some of these ideas to keep your work place a good place that everyone wants to be as the holidays approach. You can do anything from a grand, formal office party, to something as simple as theme days and prizes. Have fun with this!  It could be a big or small celebration. You could go with the standard formal or cocktail party, where everyone gets together after hours to unwind outside of the work environment. Or, keep it small and during office hours.  

·Christmas Games

Everyone loves a good White Elephant or Secret Santa for some gift giving fun, but try incorporating some of these into your office Holiday Party. Try the ornament guessing game, and take your best guess at figuring out how many ornaments decorate the office tree.  Or find Santa’s friends with an office scavenger hunt.  Another fun one is People Bingo.  This one is great in a cocktail setting as well as the office, and a great way to get to know colleagues. Play some card games, like “Cards Against Humanity”. That is sure to get everyone laughing!

·Food

Everyone loves good food, and it is a great way to gather people together. Food trucks are all the rage, and a fun unique idea for a party. Have a breakfast or brunch. You could even make it an office potluck and lay out the spread in the office lounge. Be sure not to forget the booze. Free drinks are sure to convince colleagues to attend. Have fun with some Craft Cocktails.  Take it a step further and create some office themed drinks that reflect your business. Include a cookie baking contest.  It’s just not the holidays without cookies, the classic holiday food.

·Costumes

Try incorporating theme days at the office and have people dress in their best 12 days of Christmas Costumes. Canadian Style is another unique theme idea- think moose, hockey and Mounties for inspiration. A Santa Costume Contest is another fun idea. Encourage participation with some enticing prizes.

·Photo Booth and Professional Photography

Bring in a Holiday Themed Photo Booth for some fun.  Be sure to document the office memories along the way, no matter what type of Holiday Party you decide to give. Hiring a professional photographer such as Eli Zaturanski is a great way to be sure to get the best images, while allowing you and your employees to just be guests, and enjoy the festivities. This is also a great opportunity to capture images  of your employees to update the website and show how much fun it is to work for your company.  

·Sing Along

No holiday gathering is complete without the holiday classics.  Make it a traditional carol sing along, or jazz it up with some holiday karaoke. Be sure to have documentation of these fun office opportunities by bringing in an event photographer.  They can capture the fun environment and get flattering candid images of the fun in action.

·Local Festivities

You could also attend local Holiday Festivities, such as Santa Con, as an office! Have everyone dress up in their best Santa Outfit or other holiday gear and participate in this holiday themed Pub Crawl. Check your local happenings for fun Holiday festivities your office could participate in.

• 

• 

•