How to Throw a Holiday Party Your Coworkers Will Love

Holiday parties can be a blast, or they can be stressful. Want to make yours one for the scrapbooks?

Here are easy ways to make it memorable:

1. Get out of the office. Nothing says “work” like, well, the place where you work. When you

hold your holiday party in the office, it can easily end up feeling like a sort of afterthought, no

matter how much planning and care went into it. Plus, the conversation tends to end up being all

about work stuff: projects, deadlines, office politics and gossip. You can break up that vibe by

holding the office party somewhere off-campus but nearby.

2. Mingling, not sitting. When you have a sit-down meal it means that most people are going to

stay very close to the people they already know and there will be less socializing and mingling.

Consider instead having a more open space with treats or hors d’oeuvres so that coworkers will

be on their feet and drifting from conversation to conversation.

3. An early start means better turnout. Lunch parties can be a fizzle because people have to

return to work afterward, but that doesn’t mean you need to wait till end of business to get the

party started. If management approves, it’s a great idea to have the work day end a little early—

say 3 p.m.—and the party start right after. This gets people more excited about the party, builds

anticipation all day, and a lot of people who wouldn’t give up a whole evening for a work event

will take the time to come along.

4. Unusual venues are more fun. Why rent a room at a restaurant when there are so many other

options for party venues? Take the team out for a holiday bowling party, or book the event room

at the local art museum and do a guided tour followed by wine and cheese. Anything that breaks

out of the “cookies – coffee – leave” mold is a step in the right direction.

5. Do you need a theme? There are different schools of thought on whether a themed office party

makes it more fun, or simply adds an extra layer of planning work. If you’re going to use a

theme, the trick is to make it something that people can easily participate in: having a Nerd

Prom where everyone dresses a little geeky (great for a tech company), for example, or Vintage

Christmas where guests are encouraged to wear old-fashioned clothing.

6. Have fun, easy activities. If you’re going to plan activities they should be silly, easy, and

infectious. A treasure hunt is an easy activity to plan and it encourages people to work together

and explore the venue.

And of course, excellent food is a deal breaker! If you need a corporate caterer for your party in

Virginia, Maryland or Washington D.C., choose Saint Germain Catering. There is no more experienced

or attentive business caterer than Saint Germain Catering.