The holidays are all about kicking back and having a great time with friends and family. We raise a glass to a good year past and really enjoy ourselves after putting in all that hard work this year. A holiday party, is all about fun, so you want to make it an enjoyable experience for your guests.
To do this, however, is easier said than done. Great holiday parties really go beyond a catered dinner, drinks, and a great event venue. To make yours a successful and memorable event for your guests, consider these four unique holiday party ideas this year:
1. Gift Games
Pass the parcel, lefty righty, Secret Santa, white elephant… there are many gift games out there that can be played at your holiday party. Gifts aren’t all the holiday season is about, but in reality, they’re a big part of it, so why not embrace it by playing a gift game at your holiday party?
There are many ways to make this work for your event; if it’s in the budget, your company could purchase gifts for all the employees and have a game to see who gets to open what. If you’re a smaller company, a good old-fashioned Secret Santa is a fun way for people to get to know each other a little more. Set a budget and rules, and enjoy the creativity of your guests. However you choose to work it, gift- giving always puts people in a good mood.
2. Think Outside the Box
Not all holiday parties have to follow the cookie cutter format of dinner and dancing at a venue. There are plenty of other options that can work well for an alternative-style holiday party. Plan a group activity for the party, for example. Bowling, ping pong, curling,escape parties, and even ax-throwing are all fun activities that will make sure your guests have a good time and interact with one another.
Another way to think outside the box is to consider mixing up the standard food choices with creative catering ideas. Maybe instead of choosing a chicken or beef entrée, you go with something a little more fun like tacos, food stations, or a mini slider bar. This can also be a fun surprise for your guests who will likely be expecting more typical catered dinner cuisine.
3. Add Sparkle
Sparkle always gets everyone’s attention, and there are plenty of holiday party ideas that will make your event a sparkling success. Decor is the most obvious way to add sparkle to your holiday party, so consider making use of twinkling white lights, sparkly icicle-themed decorations, metallic accents, iridescent snow, and whatever other sparkling accessories you come across. Request that guests wear their glam accessories.
Another holiday party idea to add sparkle is to serve some tasty but also pretty signature cocktails. Your guests will be walking around your event with glasses of simmering red, green and white cocktails that will not only taste great but catch the attention of all your guests. If you’re unsure of theme or decor ideas, you can always bring in a decor specialistto help ensure that your party sparkles brightly this holiday season.
4. Live Entertainment
Live entertainment may not be the most unique choice for holiday party ideas but it can be when you couple it with the philosophy we discussed in #2. Rather than hiring a standard live band for your big bash, think outside the box when it comes to entertainment! We’ve seen large corporate parties hire stilt-walkers and magicians, and even use karaoke setups. Maybe bring in a speaker to talk about food/wine/whiskey pairings.
The sky really is the limit when it comes to entertainment options for your holiday party so have fun and put some research into this area before making a decision.
