When it comes to planning a Christmas party at the office, there are two camps of organisers: those who are completely looking forward to planning the event, and others who simply go through the motion of putting together a party for the sake of doing one! But the party doesn’t have to be an obligation; it can be fun when you can plan something that will be special for everyone involved by throwing a party that is unexpected and unique.

#1: The Ugly Sweater Party

Break out of tradition and get everyone to “dress up” in the ugliest sweater they can either get their hands on, or create from scratch. “What are you wearing?” will even be a compliment at this party. Having something in common puts everyone on the same level regardless of their position in the company, and creates a more relaxed atmosphere. This serves as a natural ice breaker at your office party, when different departments will have to hang out together.

#2: Christmas Karaoke Party

Karaoke has become a national obsession. Just check out how many KTVs have popped up in the last few years alone. If you do not have the budget to rent out an entire KTV for your company to celebrate, fret not, you can now recreate your very own karaoke session in your office with a few simple logistics. All you need are two microphones, a speaker system, a playlist of Christmas Carols (a spotify list of songs can be grabbed here), a screen to project the lyrics, and free flow of alcohol or eggnog are all you need to get this party going.

#3: Re-gifting party

We have all received gifts that we personally wouldn’t use, but felt bad about returning them or giving them away, so we keep them stashed away in a dark corner of our homes. This christmas, why not organise a re-gifting party where everyone is encouraged to bring along a gift that they would like to exchange! One man’s waste is another man’s treasure, after all.

You can organise it to be a white label party: everyone deposits their gift (labelless) on a table, and then later takes turn to choose a present randomly from the table. Make a whole game of opening the presents one at a time, so that everyone can have a laugh from seeing some of the more curious presents.

#4: Masquerade

The Masquerade theme need not be used just for Halloween celebrations. Masquerades allows each individual to cater to their own individual style; the divas of your office can go full out on their glam and those who want to keep it casual, and still be part of the theme can do so easily with the help of a simple mask.

You can make it more communal by providing plain masks at the registration counter, and get your attendees to decorate their own masks at designated decoration tables.

#5: Auction-for-a-cause party

Christmas is the season for giving. What better way to celebrate the success of your office than by giving back to the very people who needs it? For a fun twist to raising money, conduct it in a style of an auction involving your own employees. For inspiration, you may choose from the following:

• Personal 1-to-1 coaching from the senior management in the company
• A date with the cutest single guy or lady in the office
• A trip to Bangkok for three days

The most important aspect of this party would be the host, who should have the ability to rile up the crowd and get them to part with their money. If your office is feeling really generous, then have the company match every dollar for dollar that was raised during the auction. At the end of the evening, announce how much was raised that night. Everyone can go home knowing that they have made a difference to someone else.

Have a great time planning your office Christmas party! If you have more ideas, share them with us on the comments section.

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