5 work Christmas party ideas that don’t suck

1. The Big Blowout

You only get one chance each year to celebrate Christmas with your work colleagues, so why not make sure it’s a bash to remember? These gorgeous events are usually organised months in advance and allow your company to purchase a table or two where food, some wine and entertainment are usually included.

It’s a chance for everyone to let their hair down and really party the night away. Why not go the extra mile and pay for everyone to stay in a nearby hotel and get breakfast together the next morning? At the very least you can be hungover in good company

2. An adventure day

Whoever said that a work Christmas do can only take place at night? If you’ve had a particularly good year at your company and want to blow off an extra bit of steam and celebrate, why not make a full day of it?

Paintballing, white water rafting, trampolining… The possibilities really are endless. You might even be able to mix-and-match for different people – useful if someone really hates heights and doesn’t want to do abseiling, for example.

Do your research, get everyone involved with the decision making and make it a Christmas work do nobody will forget.

4. A masquerade ball

If your office attire tends to lean more towards the casual and informal side, then we guarantee that people will love an excuse to get dressed to the nines in a way they never have before. Masquerade balls for all occasions are often organised for large groups – hundreds of people, in fact – where companies buy a table or two and pay for their staff members to attend. If this suits you then go right ahead or, if you have the space available, you could organise a bash privately for your own staff.

Once you have the space sorted, think about the decorations. We’d recommend sticking to traditional with a wintery twist. Opt for harlequin patterns, theatre masks and anything gold and glittery, or silver if you’re looking to focus on the festive season.

Encourage your staff members to come with masks – the more decadent and glamorous, the better – or you could even set up a mask-making station with all sorts of crafty bits and bobs. Maybe even host a ‘best and worst mask’ competition?

And if there’s one thing a masquerade ball is made for, it’s the dancing. Make sure the music is pumping all night long – maybe hire a band if you can – and get everyone up on their feet and out on the dancefloor.

5. Santa’s workshop

Here us out on this one. It requires a little bit of forward planning but we think a bit of nostalgia will put a smile on everyone’s face and it gives you something completely out of the ordinary.

Set up your office to look like Santa’s workshop. Piles of presents can be in the corner (these could be secret Santa gifts), there could be different workstations throughout the room for your “elf” employees to try out and each of these workstation could test your staff’s team-building skills and creativity.

You could even get the MD or one of your senior managers to dress up like Santa and sit in the corner – not all night, of course. We guarantee everyone will love taking turns to get their picture taken with Santa – a few props will make things even funnier.

6. Movie marathon

Who doesn’t love a good Christmas movie? ‘The Santa Clause’, ‘Miracle on 34th Street’, ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’… The list goes on and on and on. The festive season is the perfect time to indulge in a few heartwarming and hilarious films. So if you’ve got a smaller budget, a smaller team or if you just want something a little more close-knit to bond everyone together, it’s inexpensive and still incredibly fun.

Rent or set up a projector, get tonnes of bean bags, blankets and comfy chairs scattered throughout the office – make sure the desks and chairs are cleared away – and splash out on popcorn, pizza and sweets. Go back to back with some beloved Christmas classics.