How to Celebrate the Holidays in the Office
You’ve just been tasked with planning company's holiday party and want to know how to organize the perfect one. Don't fret! If you're looking for a way to spice up your company's holiday party, we're here to help. A company holiday party is a great way to brighten up the dreary winter months, give employees a break from stress, and bring coworkers together. Make it a blast by planning games, decorations, and more!
Feast on Something Festive - Christmas/Holiday Catering
The winter solstice, which typically occurs on December 21st, is the shortest day and longest night of the year. For many cultures, the winter solstice has been a significant event because it marked the point at which the days began to get longer and the nights shorter. This shift was seen as a symbol of new life and renewal, and many cultures celebrated the solstice as a way to mark the end of the dark, cold winter and the start of a new year. Because of this, many holidays and festivals, such as Christmas and Hanukkah, are celebrated around the time of the winter solstice. At the office, the holidays (Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc.) are some of the best times of the year. Not only is everyone looking forward to a nice, extended holiday break, but there are festivities every few days. Team celebrations, office breakfasts, holiday parties, happy hours and treats, etc. — what's there not to love about the holidays?
Winter Holidays at the Office
All holiday celebrations take some planning but the sheer amount that happen in the winter months can make coordination seem like an uphill battle. Here are some things to keep in mind.
Create clear policies - Before encouraging adults from many different backgrounds to participate in any office celebration, it is important to establish some ground rules
Keep it non-denominational - Inclusivity is important but trying to include everyone's unique celebrations can be overwhelming. It's best to keep the celebration simple and straightforward.
Optional participation - Don't force everyone to participate. Some people might prefer to spend time with their close friends and family instead of their co-workers. But you can probably get more people to participate by offering a great perk - keep reading for more on that.
Order Some Holly Jolly Catering Meals
CaterCow is the perfect place to find delicious food and treats for your holiday celebration. We have a wide variety of breakfast items, hot lunches, and festive treats like cupcakes and cake pops that will make your event special. And with our COVID-safe catering options, you can choose buffet style or individually-packaged meals. So whether you're planning a big party or just want to avoid the company potluck, CaterCow is the perfect solution for your holiday catering needs.
You can filter orders by food type, minority-owned businesses and more. Whether your office celebration is a massive ordeal, or a small get together - CaterCow makes it easy for everyone to share a meal together.
Host an Ugly Sweater Day
Wearing an ugly Christmas sweater is seen as a light-hearted and playful way to celebrate the holidays, and it has become a popular tradition in many parts of the world. These sweaters often feature bright colors, garish patterns, and over-the-top holiday themes, such as Santa Claus, snowmen, and reindeer.
You can even have your team vote on the most outrageous sweaters and give away prizes! (Everyone loves an Amazon giftcard!)
Tree Decorating Contest (or Desk/Door)
If you have some extra room in your budget, you can spread some Christmas cheer by getting small desktop Christmas trees for your team to decorate themselves.
Remember to keep things interesting by offering awards in creative ways - avoid a blanket “best costume” award. Create a first-place prize for Most Creative, Funniest, Most Clever, etc.
Also don’t forget to add desk and door decorating to the mix. This gives people the opportunity to participate if they don’t take part in trimming a tree at this time of year at home.
Background Movie Marathon
If there’s a TV, screen or projector around the office it’s a great excuse to cycle through Christmas movies. Play some classics on mute with subtitles to keep people entertained throughout the day.
Bonus: If you decide to host a trivia competition, create questions based on the movies shown during the day.
Let Employees Go Home Early (Especially Parents)
As much fun as it is to party in the office, no one will turn down the opportunity to go home early. Parents will be happy to be able to accommodate the inevitably abnormal school schedule that the holiday season has thrust upon them. And everyone else in the office will be happy to get started with their holiday rest and relaxation a little bit quicker than usual.
Happy Holidays!
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Activities
White Elephant Gift Exchange Ahh - the good ole White Elephant, where people bring in gifts they don’t want anymore and put them all in a pile. If you pick a gift, you have to take it home.
Ugly Sweater Party An Ugly Sweater Party is a great way to celebrate the holidays in the office, and break the ice with new people. EVERYONE looks silly!
Themed Scavenger Hunt Send out clues to the teams in the office and have them reach checkpoints throughout the office. When they reach each checkpoint, they can collect a stamp. When they collect all the stamps, they win a prize.
Playlist
Fun facts about the holidays
- In the 1930s, Coca-Cola hired illustrator Haddon Sundblom to create a series of holiday-themed advertisements featuring Santa Claus. Sundblom's Santa was based on traditional images of St. Nicholas, but he added his own touches, such as a warm and friendly demeanor and a red suit with white trim. Sundblom's Santa became so popular that he appeared in Coke ads for more than three decades, and his image of Santa has become the standard in many parts of the world.
- Hanukkah is also known as the Festival of Lights. This name comes from the tradition of lighting the menorah, a nine-branched candelabra, during the holiday. Each night of Hanukkah, an additional candle is added to the menorah, until all eight candles are lit on the final night of the holiday.
- Kwanzaa is based on traditional African harvest festivals, and it is celebrated from December 26th to January 1st. Kwanzaa is a time for families and communities to come together to reflect on the past year and to focus on the principles of unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith. These principles are represented by the seven candles that are lit on the kinara, a seven-branched candelabra, during the holiday.
- The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is traditionally lit with about 30,000 lights. The first Rockefeller Center Christmas tree was erected in 1931, and the tradition has continued every year since then, with the exception of the years during World War II when the lights were dimmed as a conservation measure.