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The holiday season is the season for sharing and everyone loves a good excuse to bring something yummy to the office. But what if you don’t know what to bring?

Yes, we’ve all been there. It’s the night before you’re supposed to bring in a holiday treat into the office, but you’re stuck. What do you bring? Sweet? Savory? Both? Finger foods? Maybe a dip? There are so many options that you find yourself caught in a whirlwind of Pinterest ideas and thoughts of just buying something on your way into the office the next morning.

But, fear not! There’s no need to settle for pre-packaged snacks or Pinterest fails that you’re too embarrassed to serve. Instead, because we love our PaperDirect loyal customers, we’ve created a list of fail-proof, delicious holiday snacks that the whole office will love. In fact, be warned that you might be asked to bring these yummy snacks to events all year long!

If you’re ready for comments like “Who made this?” and “It’s delicious!” – check out these recipes and be the star of the show at your office Holiday party.

Cookie Dough Dip

INGREDIENTS

• ⅓ cup light brown sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• ¾ cup semisweet mini chocolate chips
• Graham crackers or Nilla wafers, to serve
• ½ cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small saucepan, melt the butter, brown sugar and salt over medium-low heat, stirring continuously, until the brown sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat, whisk in the vanilla extract, and set aside to cool to room temperature.
2. With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar for 1 minute, until smooth and fluffy.
3. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly beat in the cooled butter mixture. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 1 minute. Stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Transfer the dip to a serving bowl and refrigerate if not serving immediately. Remove from the refrigerator 15 to 30 minutes before serving. Serve with graham crackers or Nilla wafers. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Peppermint Bark

INGREDIENTS

• 30 crushed peppermint hard candies, divided
• 1 1/2 pounds milk chocolate candy, coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon oil-based peppermint flavoring, or to taste
• 1 1/2 pounds white chocolate, chopped

DIRECTIONS

1. Spread 1/3 of the peppermint candy over a 9×13-inch baking pan lined with wax paper.
2. Melt the milk chocolate in the top of a double boiler over just-barely simmering water, stirring frequently and scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching, just until melted. Pour the melted chocolate over peppermint candy in the prepared pan. Sprinkle another 1/3 of the candy on top of the milk chocolate. Refrigerate until the chocolate hardens, about 30 minutes.
3. Melt the white chocolate in the top of a double boiler over just-barely simmering water, stirring frequently and scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching. Stir in the oil-based peppermint flavoring. Pour the white chocolate over the milk chocolate, then spread the remaining 1/3 peppermint candy on top.
4. Refrigerate until the white chocolate hardens, about 30 minutes. Cut or break into pieces to serve.

Christmas Muddy Buddies

INGREDIENTS

• 8 cups Chex cereal, divided
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, divided
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil, divided
• 1 cup red candy melts
• 1 cup green candy melts
• 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar, divided
• 2 (gallon-sized) Ziplock bags

DIRECTIONS

1. Place 4 cups of Chex cereal in a large bowl. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine 1 cup Red Candy Melts, 1/4 cup peanut butter and 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil. Microwave on HIGH for 30 seconds, stir and cook in 15-second intervals until smooth.
2. Pour melted peanut butter mixture over cereal, toss to coat.
3. Pour coated cereal into gallon ziplock bag. Add half of the powdered sugar (3/4 cup) into ziplock bag and seal. Shake to coat cereal.
4. Pour coated cereal onto parchment or wax paper and allow to set.
5. Repeat process with remaining ingredients and Green Candy Melts.
6. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Last Minute Tips
If you’re still thinking to yourself that you just can’t do it… keep these tips in mind.

• Simple works best.The more you try to do, the more stressful it’s going to be. Not to mention, if things don’t quite work out the way you planned, you’re going to be even more bummed.
• Quality over quantity.Focus on making something that’s great and people won’t mind if it’s in a limited quantity.
• No perfection needed.If your treat doesn’t look like the picture, that’s okay. Calm your inner perfectionist and trust that it tastes delicious.
• It doesn’t have to be themed.Don’t worry about making things green and red, or holiday themed. If the dish is delicious, it doesn’t really matter what color it is.
• Bring your treat in a disposable container.Cleanup will be a breeze and you won’t freak out when you forget it at the office.

Enjoy these delicious treats and remember that PaperDirect has got you covered. Happy holidays!!

With the holidays fast approaching, you’re likely looking at a growing number of holiday parties on your calendar. From the office to your living room, the holidays are the perfect opportunity for friends, coworkers, or family to come together.

Of course, once you’ve caught up on current events and filled your plate with yummy holiday food, how will you fill the time? There’s nothing like a few group party games to get everyone laughing and having fun. Here are some awesome Christmas party game ideas to get you started!

Fun Games to Play at the Office

Hold an Ornament Raffle: Have everyone at the party guesses the number of ornaments on the tree. Closest wins a small gift!

Christmas Movie Trivia: Print out some trivia questions that are focused on Christmas movies and have your office mates divide up into teams to see who knows the most.

Charades: An oldie, but a goodie. For a holiday edition, make all the acting prompts Christmas themed.

Two Truths and a Lie: Have everyone tell two really awful Christmas gifts they’ve gotten as well as one fake one.

Office Gift Exchange: Set a price limit of $20 and then have the people in your office engage in a gift exchange. You can go white elephant, or you can have people pick names leading up to the party itself.

A Variety of Home-Based Party Games

Family Trivia: Test your family’s knowledge of each other’s favorite activities and hobbies with a round of trivia. You can even have the family participate by writing their own trivia questions.

Christmas Mad Libs: It’s easy enough to manufacture your own holiday-themed mad libs, or you can print them out for free. They’re a great time-filler, and there’s the added benefit of teaching the kids the parts of speech.

Name that Carol: Got some musical flair in your family? Try a round of “Name that Carol” in which someone sings a few bars of a popular carol and everyone else guesses the title as quickly as possible.

Pin the Nose on Rudolph: Print out a picture of everyone’s favorite reindeer and then have blindfolded people try to tack on his signature red nose.

The Penguin Waddle Game: Put balloons between your legs and have two teams race each other in a penguin waddle relay race. First one to the finish line without dropping the balloon wins!

No matter who is gathered at your holiday party, everyone will love to laugh and bond with these awesome holiday games. If you need invitations to your holiday party or a thank you note to express your gratitude for a fun, game-filled time, shop the hundreds of options at PaperDirect.

It’s likely that you’ve attended a holiday office party that doesn’t fill you with the holiday spirit – in fact, it may have been so dull that most employees wished they could just sit back down at their desks and resume their workday. Fortunately, your office doesn’t need to suffer the same fate.

If you’ve been tasked with planning a holiday party for work, look to this helpful list of tips and tricks to help you create a fun and memorable event that people will be talking about for years to come.

Send Out Invitations

Get your staff excited for the office holiday party by sending out invitations well in advance. Early invites mean that employees can block time on their calendars and begin looking forward to the impending festivities.

Pick a Theme

Nothing help set the mood of the party (and direct your efforts) like picking a theme. And don’t make the theme “holidays” – get creative with it! Plan an ugly sweater party, complete with costumes or games, or turn your office into a winter wonderland with fake snow and wintery decorations.

Don’t Make Your Employees Bring Anything

More than anything, your holiday office party should be about celebrating your employees’ hard work. So make it about them: get a catering company or restaurant to handle the food and drinks so that your team can sit back and enjoy themselves.

Commemorative Photos

Set up a small area of the office — complete with silly props and clothing — where your employees can take a photo of the occasion. The snaps will look great on your social media or recruitment pages.

Make It Interesting With Door Prizes

If your budget allows for it, get a few great door prizes that you can hand out over the course of the party. You could also have a few thematic games with prizes for the winners.

Give Your Employees a Keepsake

Prepare a small gift for each employee, as well as a custom greeting card. Fill the card with compliments, thanks, and a few words of encouragement – your employees will love feeling appreciated for all their hard work.

Remember That It’s a Holiday Party

Do your best to make the holiday party inclusive – don’t make it Christmas themed if you have employees who practice other religions. Keep it broad by branding it as a holiday party, and sticking to a nondenominational theme.

Make It a Puppy Party

Yes, this is a real thing. Check your local listings for a company that will rent a swarm of adorable puppies for a few hours. Your employees will love to destress by playing with the special guests all evening.

No matter what you’ve got in mind for your upcoming holiday party, you can count on PaperDirect to help you plan a winning holiday party for work. Our entire line of paper products can help you spread good cheer to every corner of the office.

It’s never too early to get the ball rolling on planning a company holiday party, especially if you host it off-site and incorporate vendors like catering and entertainment. Planning early means you’ll have less stress as the holidays roll around. Here’s our guide to planning the perfect holiday bash for your office!

When to Start Planning

Large companies that host parties for hundreds, or thousands, of employees work on some aspects of planning all year long if they have well-known entertainers on their wish list or are creating catering menus complete with signature drinks.

If you fit into this category and haven’t lifted a finger yet, it’s OK. You have options! Start calling venues you hope to reserve and ask if they’ve had any winter-season cancellations.

Remember, it’s not uncommon for retail-focused businesses to host their annual company holiday party in January or February so they can get through their busiest season efficiently, then unwind with a party! Use that date flexibility to your advantage.

When to Host the Party

Company parties are as unique as your business. Some are small dinner get-togethers on a Friday night to wrap up the work week on a festive note, while other parties are celebrated on a weekend so children and significant others can join in on the fun.

If your business operates 24/7, with various locations, be mindful of your staffing and plan to shut down operations for a day (or host two parties) so everyone has a chance to attend. The last thing you want to do is make anyone feel excluded from an office event.

Time of day is also important! If you plan to keep the celebration at your work location and only for staff, scheduling the party during business hours (and pausing work duties) is common. However, if you’re planning something more along the lines of a pizza and bowling party that encourages family members to attend, a Saturday afternoon or evening is best!

What You Need to Do

So, now you’re in full-on party mode! Before you can hit the dance floor or belt out your version of Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer on karaoke, you have to do a little bit of planning. We’ve put together a comprehensive road map of exactly what should happen next, including creating a budget and buying gifts for the attendees. Use our holiday party checklist to make sure you cover everything in your planning!

As you work through each step, don’t forget to order your party invitations and annual awards certificates! PaperDirect can ship your stationery directly to the office so you can check yet another thing off the party planning to-do list.

More and more, companies are shifting their traditional holiday parties into January. For an incredible variety of reasons, a January party is the perfect capper to a bustling holiday season. If you’re not planning a party this year, you absolutely should consider it, and if you are planning a party, consider postponing it a few weeks to start the New Year off right.

If it’s done correctly, a January company party can set a positive tone for the coming year.

Just Have the Party

Any self-aware boss knows that a night of partying can be an awesome opportunity. A rocking January company party will give you an opportunity as a manager to go a step beyond a simple thank you for a job well done. It will also give you an opportunity to interact with people you might not otherwise get a chance to talk to. Finally, a great holiday party is a good excuse for your people to let their hair down, get to know each other, and just have a little bit of fun.

You Should Absolutely Be Having Your Parties in January

It’s probably pretty tempting to schedule your company holiday party smack dab in the middle of the holiday season. Before you do, though, consider the following:

It’s Cheaper: In January, venues will likely be less expensive, which means you can save money, or double down on your food and beverages.

People Can Actually Come: People are far more likely to be able to attend a January party. After all, December tends to get pretty busy.

It’s For Everybody: A January company party is a bit more inclusive for those of your employees who might not celebrate Christmas.

It’s a Party in January: A company party held at the tail end of the holiday festivities can be a nice way to break up the January doldrums, as well. It can be a really nice way to bridge the gap between New Year’s and Valentine’s Day.

Kick Your January Celebration Off Right

Now, there are a lot of directions you can go with a January company party, because you’re not hamstrung by the holidays. That said, don’t go “generic party” as your theme. Do something to commemorate the New Year or the Winter, something that focuses the party a little bit.

Be sure to really do things up right for your employees, too. Book it somewhere outside the office and have it on a Friday afternoon or early evening. A late afternoon party will provide even more incentive for your employees to show up, plus it’ll seem like an extra treat since they’ll get a few hours off from work.

If there’s alcohol at the party, consider letting everyone know that taxi receipts can be sent to you for reimbursement. It’s an extra touch that might cost you a little bit of money, but it’ll still go a long way in terms of morale.

Finally, be sure to include a small gift for your employees. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy (think: gift certificates or movie tickets), but something tangible to take home is never a bad idea.

If you’re in charge of overseeing your company’s corporate party, the task can seem like a daunting one. Sometimes, expectations are low: employees haven’t been wowed in the past, and don’t expect to be wowed this year. Other times, though, someone truly rocked it the year before, and you’ve got some seriously large boots to fill.

Whatever scenario you’re facing, being solely responsible for your company’s holiday party success can be intimidating, to say the least!

Even if you’ve got hundreds of guests showing up, a little foresight can go a long way in making the planning process easier and less stressful on you. Here’s our ultimate checklist for creating a rocking corporate party all your teammates will love.

Start early

Know when you should start planning your big corporate holiday party? Yesterday. That should give you an idea of how important early planning is to ensuring a great celebration. It’s never too early — there’s a reason event planners start planning next year’s event the day after that year’s event is over!

Here at PaperDirect, we’ve already started to reach out to venues and it’s only October 25th. We also use Evernote to capture ideas as they pop into our minds.

Create a team

No one should tackle such a massive undertaking alone, so connect with your colleagues about who can handle what. If you know them well, allocate the most sensitive or challenging tasks to those teammates who you know will come through. If you aren’t as familiar with your team’s work ethic, err on the side of caution by only assigning one or two manageable tasks to teach person.

Get clear about your financial freedom

Knowing what your budget is can have a huge impact on how big and bold you can go. It can also help inform what top-dollar items are important, and which ones can get put on the backburner. You’ll need to work with your HR department or whoever handles budgets. Typically, you’ll take a budget to them and they’ll modify or approve. To get a clear budget, factor in things like:

• Venue
• Food
• Alcohol
• Activity
• Taxi vouchers
• Decor
• Cleanup

Send Invites

Whether you’re sending a simple Evite or stepping up your game with heavy cardstock invitations, you’ll need to amplify the who, what, when, and where to your attendees.

Settle on a theme

Your theme should reflect the time and atmosphere of your event — ie, a party that is expected to be a swag, fancy gala probably shouldn’t have an “ugly sweater contest” theme. Make sure you know what leadership’s expectations are for the classiness (or casualness) of this affair.

Decide what you can do in-house, and what should be outsourced

This can be dependent on budget, but in general, it’s extremely helpful to outsource things like entertainment, food and drink, printing/invitation sending, and other high-volume, high-touch tasks.

Leave enough time to do a “dry run.”

A dry run can illuminate issues early, from traffic jams in the loading and unloading areas to technology snags with the microphone. Run through your party itinerary multiple times before the big day to ensure a smooth operation.

Technology can help keep your seemingly endless to-do list under control, so check out apps such as Pro Party Planner— even Evernote for note and list making — to keep all your plans and thoughts in one central place.

Shop PaperDirect for Christmas invitations, table tents, and more paper products to make your corporate party pop. 

‘Tis the season to mix and mingle! If you’re organizing a holiday networking event, make it a memorable occasion by adding a few personalized touches. After all, you don’t want bored employees burying their attention in their smartphones or ducking out early.

Set up a raffle. As each person arrives for the party, hand them a raffle ticket. Show them a few door prizes they could win, and let them put the stub in a fishbowl in front of the item they’d love to take home. A few gift ideas include an e-reader, weekend getaway package or a wine and cheese gift basket.

Offer free drink coupons. Liven up the party with a few libations. Print festive drink tickets for guests to redeem at the bar for a beer, wine, cocktails or a signature mocktail of their choice. Limit this perk to two vouchers per guest to discourage too much holiday cheer.

Coordinate icebreaker games. After everyone arrives, and are welcomed to the event, play a quick game or two to make it easy for people to meet one another. The host can ask each person to introduce themselves to the person to their right. Then, play a game of musical chairs where everyone mills around, then sits in a new place to meet even more people.

Hire background entertainment. A live band playing festive holiday music or a strolling magician is just what a networking event needs to keep the pace upbeat and lively. Or, consider hiring a photo booth so groups of new friends can snap pictures to remember the occasion. Earn bonus points by creating a custom hashtag for the event and posting the images to the company’s social media feeds during the party.

Create a business card challenge. Tell each guest to take out 10 of their own cards. In the next hour, they have to replace them with 10 business cards from new people they’ll meet in a speed-dating type set up where guests move from table to table to chat with others at the party.

Play an interactive group game. Bring back a blast from the past by playing a version of Win, Lose or Draw or Jeopardy in front of the group. A game show activity encourages communication between guests and chatter among audience members. Just be sure the topics for the games focus on the common thread or industry being celebrated at the networking event.

So, are you ready to let everyone know about the amazing event you’re planning? Print the party details on some festive Christmas stationery from Paper Direct. Browse their online catalog now!

Have an embarrassing Christmas story? We want to hear it!

Whether its an drunken office party foul, family dinner gone awry, or a childhood memory that evokes fear and humiliation, we want it.

Go ahead, don’t be shy! Submit and we’ll publish and choose a winner right before Christmas.

Come on, you know you want to.

[gravityform id=”2″ name=”Embarrassing Christmas Stories “]

To get the creative juices flowing, here are some funny examples:

• I showed up to our annual Christmas party wearing the same tie as another guy. (I’m a girl). So much for fashion forwardness.

• I thought I was going to an ugly sweater party but it ended up being a formal party. I was too far to go home  and change , spent the whole night explaining what I was wearing. Very embarrassing.

• We were having a little work gathering at a bar/restaurant for Christmas.  As I was getting up to leave, I put my hand on the corner of the small table to push myself up as I stood.  The table wasn’t that secure, and down we went!

• I was young and went to a Christmas party with coworkers, and never have drank hard alcohol before.  I got tipsy and told a male coworker I had a crush on him.  He told me he was involved with someone, and he was not.

• Years ago I was at a Christmas Party and I was talking to one of the most handsome guys that I had ever seen. We were talking and he said something funny and I laughed and when I laughed I farted out loud by mistake.

• I got so drunk at my Husband’s Christmas Party that I invited everyone to meet at my house after the party… I got in bed throwing up sick and the doorbell starts ringing…My Husband says, “Who is that, did you invite people over here”?  I said, “Maybe I did”…I was so embarrassed and my Husband was so mad… they just kept ringing the door bell, saying “Hey let us in, lets party!”

Now Submit!

Time for a party!

Are you looking for a different twist on the traditional office holiday party? Maybe something with a bit more zing than the tried-and-true Christmas music and cocktails? Then consider an ugly sweater party! Wearing something really wacky — or downright tacky — can put everyone in a goofy, festive mood. It’s easy to find outrageous holiday sweaters at the mall, or, for the truly adventurous, the Salvation Army. Like this theme? Great! Now you need to put some thought into your invitations.

Ugly Sweater Party Invitation Ideas:

The invitations for your ugly sweater party need to be as wacky as the party itself. No quiet and staid invitations for this soiree. No way! Below are a few cute ideas for your ugly sweater party invitations.

1. Go with vintage glam – Find copyright free vintage photos to upload. Look for people from yesteryear sporting outrageous sweaters. You know the kind, the ones with giant Charlie Brown stripes across the chest or a hokey reindeer with a red pompom nose.
2. Try puttin’ on the dog – Start with printable Christmas invitations, then add a picture of your own adorable pooch. Put him in a big, floppy sweater and, voila! Your party has a mascot! Make sure he looks sad in the photo, then add a silly caption like, “I wouldn’t wear this sweater for just anyone.”
3. Ask your staff to strut their stuff – Show everyone just how ugly a sweater can be. Snap a shot of your most holiday-minded employees previewing the ugly sweaters they plan to wear. For a touch more style, let them portray a bit of old Hollywood. Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney in “White Christmas,” for example.
4. Get a little crafty – Round up a few old sweaters and get out the scissors! Use a tiny sweater template and cut out a “real” sweater to glue on the front of each invitation.

Whichever idea you use, make sure your invitations are clear. Add when, where and who can come, of course, but don’t forget to emphasis your theme. The last thing you want is for a customer or a favorite contractor to show up in their most beloved winter sweater without realizing that sweaters — at this party — are the joke. And, for more great party invitation ideas, visit PaperDirect. Shop around a bit then check out using the easy online order form!

Make this year’s office Christmas party one to remember. Before sending out those Paper Direct invitations to ask everyone to the party, plan some super Christmas party games and activities:

1. Who Am I? All you need are sticky notes, pens and an imagination. Write down names and place them on players’ foreheads. They have to ask questions to guess who they are.
2. White Elephant Gift Exchange Set a price limit for gifts and draw names for a fun exchange.
3. Fill the Wagon Pick a charity and fill a wagon with toys and gifts for those in need. Local social services agencies can suggest programs to support.
4. Two Truths and a Lie Everyone must reveal three secrets; other players must guess which is true and which is a lie. The one who fools the most people with their real and fake facts wins.
5. Sticker Stalkers Players have sheets of 10 stickers that they must surreptitiously stick on others. The first to tag 10 players wins.
6. Photo Booth Set up a corner with a camera, remote and props for funny pictures.
7. Funny Employee Awards Make silly awards for things like Best Baker and Funniest Monday Morning Stories. For the ultimate effect, print the awards on official-looking certificate paper.
8. Holiday Gift Hot Potato Like musical chairs, but the presents move. Turn on music and pass a gift around. Whoever is holding it when the music stops is out and keeps the gift.
9. How Did We Meet? Draw names, then make up crazy stories about how you met the person you are paired with. Funniest story wins.
10. Christmas Carol Charades Act out your favorite Christmas carols. Everyone will love the hilarious results.

Games and activities like those above help you and your office mates bond, which makes you an even more effective team. Create some great memories together that will make for warmer relationships throughout the year.