Honestly, what better time of year than Christmas, where you get to spend your days absolutely freezing, with blue fingers and cold ears, and festive tunes playing from inside every single building in the vicinity, non-stop?

As one of the most anticipated events of the year (following St. David’s Day, obviously), Christmas is a great season for hosting an iconic event. And from selecting the most epic Christmas themes to curating a spread of festive Christmas party food ideas to truly get your guests salivating, there are many ways to run an unforgettable xmas office party.

If you’re the lucky one in charge of planning this year’s corporate Christmas event, don’t worry—we’ve got you sorted with a whole plethora of office Christmas party ideas.

Without further ado, let’s dive in the same way I dive into bed after a heavy night of oolong and pu’erh tasting.

Choose a Unique Christmas Holiday Theme

The first thing you’re going to need to do when in the initial stages of event planning is settle upon the perfect Christmas theme to really bring the festivities, intrigue, and magic touch to a office Christmas party.

Not only will your theme set the tone for the event but it will also give attendees the perfect opportunity to let their creativity shine with some of the sickest outfits ever seen. Some Christmas holiday themes that will leave guests completely chuffed are as follows:

• Winter Wonderland: Okay, my first idea may be a tad cliché— but honestly, the best things always are. Imagine, fake snow, white lights, frosty blues, and life-size models of that famous ghost snowman with the creepy voice of a cursed child (ngl, I never saw the movie). You could really set the mood with a snowy entrance followed by icicle decorations, and have attendees dress in shimmering silver or white. Very mindful, very demure.
• Santa’s Workshop: I may or may not be taking inspiration from my favourite childhood memories, but how bloody cute would a Santa’s workshop be? You could decorate with oversized candy canes and stockings filled with little gifts for lucky guests, and perhaps dot an elf or two around. You could even hire a fake Santa if you can’t get the real guy to make an appearance.
• Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest: This one takes inspiration from my university days—some of my best memories include throwing on an ugly sweater, getting given the ‘best dressed Welsh person’ or ‘most dazzling with charm’ award (totally happened), and chugging back some celebratory eggnog. What more could you want?
• Christmas Around the World: Honestly, this one is my favourite in the list, where you could decorate different parts of the venue to reflect the holiday traditions of various countries; for example, the defecating log of Catalonia or the enormous Christmas goats of Sweden. You could then serve foods from different cultures and encourage attendees to dress in traditional outfits from either their own or other nations, all celebrating together. How cute is that?

Interactive Games and Entertainment Like Never Seen Before (or okay, maybe seen before once or twice)

Another super fun part of hosting an xmas office party is keeping guests on their toes and building some good ol’ camaraderie, perhaps through running engaging interactive games and entertainment.

You might consider incorporating a secret Santa gift exchange where you throw a bunch of names into a hat and have each attendee choose a gifting recipient (extra hilarity points if you throw in the name of a guest who doesn’t exist, like Angharad or Heledd or Ceri, which just so happen to be the names of my future children).

Alternatively, you might consider a Christmas trivia, where you could divide the group into two and throw questions at them centred around holiday films, music, history, and general reindeer knowledge. To heighten the stakes, offer prizes for the team with the biggest brains, and send those with the smallest brains to the gulag.

Another idea you might want to think about is hosting—wait for it—a gingerbread house contest! This way, you get to learn which one of your guests has the most wholesome heart (like, if they add little birds and flowers) and which ones will decorate with decapitated reindeer (I’ve met monsters like that and believe me, it’s not pretty).

Then, kick off your event with some super Instagram-worthy moments. You might bring in a photo booth (iconic), a DJ (I imagine some English trap is always appreciated), live music (the banger Myfanwy is necessary, no compromising), or even an auction where guests could win dream experiences such as monkey handling and oolong sampling in Tainan.

The (Arguably) Most Important Part: Sustenance

Obviously, food is going to be the highlight of your corporate Christmas event, and putting together an iconic menu is one way to make sure that guests adore you for eternity.

Some super cute food ideas include:

• Holiday-Themed Appetisers: I’m thinking mini reindeer sliders, cranberry and brie bites (ugh, how good would that be right about now?), stuffed mushrooms, and caprese skewers shaped like Christmas trees. Get jiggy with it and let your creativity shine!
• Christmas Buffet: For a more traditional Christmas party food idea, you might consider going for a buffet. Traditional dishes like roast turkey, ham, cranberry sauce, and mashed potatoes are pretty much always enjoyed (unless you’re the literal grinch). You could also add some international flair by featuring traditional Christmas dishes from other cultures, such as Italian panettone or German stollen. And don’t forget that people always love a good Welsh cake or two.
• Dessert Table: And finally we get to the absolute best part! Personally, my favourite thing about Christmas—aside from the gift receiving and eggnog drinking— is the dessert table. This is simply un-negotiable, as guests (namely myself – I assume I’m invited?) always love a good dessert table dotted with gingerbread biscuits and bara brith to scoff whenever nobody is looking.

Al Fin

To conclude, I’m sure that my expert guide has solved all of your Christmas-related worries, and yes, I can be paid in cake. Now that you’re well on your way to throwing the coolest event that the city has ever seen, make sure to start planning in advance to secure the best venue to match your vibe. We have a helluva lot of good ones at Canvas Events, that’s for sure.