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Amidst the busy holiday season, it’s important to take the time to appreciate the hard work your office has done during the year. A holiday party gives you the chance to all kick back and enjoy some good food and drinks as you celebrate the end of the year and the cozy holiday season. As you plan what to serve at an office Christmas party, think through the details to come up with food and drinks that everyone will enjoy.

Start with an array of appetizers so people can begin munching on delicious snacks as soon as they arrive. Some traditional Christmas favorites are:

• Baked brie: Serve with cranberry sauce, crackers and bread!
• Hot spinach and artichoke dip: Serve with crackers, bread or raw vegetables.
• Bacon-wrapped Dates
• Meatballs
• Stuffed Mushroom Caps
• Candied Nuts

You’ll also need to have drinks, but you probably won’t want to bring in a whole bar. Instead, choose just a few specialty beverages to serve. Consider having mulled wine, a fizzy punch, and an array of craft beers. List the drinks on a festive sign at the drink station so people know what they can choose from. And of course, don’t forget the water and soda! If you have time before the party, consider taking a poll of favorite office drinks. That way, everyone will be happy.

You don’t have to serve a full meal at the office Christmas party. If you do, it’s probably worth getting a caterer to handle it. Instead, just finish up the evening with a spread of desserts. You have plenty of festive sweet treats to choose from. Some delicious options include:

• Eggnog Bread Pudding
• Peanut Brittle
• Chocolate Fudge with Peppermint
• Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing
• Truffles

As you plan the office Christmas party menu, select items that will give guests plenty of options. Dietary restrictions are common, and chances are that you have people who eat low sugar, low carb, gluten free, dairy free, or vegetarian diets. After you determine your menu, shop for festive Christmas border paper so you can print a list of the items on each table and help people select things they can eat and will enjoy!

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Are you looking for a way to personally recognize your staff this Christmas, and let them know you value their contributions? Along with the usual holiday round of cookies, parties and small workplace gift exchanges, Christmas cards will provide you with a straightforward method of offering business holiday wishes to each member of your staff in memorable words.

Personalize your Christmas cards

Christmas Note Cards from PaperDirect give you the perfect opportunity to completely customize your message for each recipient. These note cards are essentially blank Christmas cards, allowing you to print out or handwrite an individual greeting to each of your employees. Since they feature holiday images, but no pre-printed words, these cards are totally versatile: they can be thank-you notes or invitations as well as Christmas cards. Each notecard is one 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of card-stock folded in half, so they are easily printable on your office equipment.

Include family members’ names

Too many Christmas cards sent out from places of employment have boring standardized messages printed inside. In order not to sound generic, you have to add some individual element to each card you send. At the very least, you should include your employee’s family or household members in your standard good wishes: “Dear Tom, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and Alison, Emma and Jaden.

Use the card as an invitation

You’ll delight your employees if they open the Christmas card envelope expecting something generic from the boss — and find an invitation there to a special festive lunch at a nearby restaurant, or a weekend Christmas skating party for the whole family. Even if you’re issuing the same invitation to everyone on your staff, be sure to personalize it with each person’s name, and sign it by hand instead of on the word processor.

Plan ahead

The holiday season gets extra-busy, with extended hours of business and staff people taking time off. If you let the task of writing Christmas notes pile up, you’ll feel overwhelmed and end up resorting to something generic just because you don’t have time to be personal. By taking a few minutes in the weeks before Christmas to jot down some achievement that you specifically want to thank each person for, you’ll be able to relax and enjoy writing out your notes.

The art of communicating warm holiday wishes is based on human connections. To offer your employees a Christmas greeting that’s authentic, you just need to write something on each note that wouldn’t apply to anyone else. By taking just a few minutes to personalize your message, you will create an atmosphere of acceptance and positivity that will extend well into the coming year!

Bedecking your office for Christmas can be fun, festive and dazzlingly simple. Check out 9 easy office Christmas decorating ideas that can add instant oomph to the workplace.

• A Tree (or Several): A larger Christmas tree in the lobby, or small, pre-decorated desktop trees strategically placed around the office can add several doses of Christmas cheer. Keep it easy with artificial trees that can be boxed up and stored.
• Perked-up Plants: If your office is already blessed with several plants, deck their boughs with ornaments, tinsel, stars and holiday-oriented figurines.
• Christmas Card Displays: Use pushpins or tape to display your incoming Christmas cards around doorways, on bulletin boards or centered on the wall in the shape of a wreath.Christmas Signs: Invest in vinyl, re-usable Christmas signs you can easily roll up to store and then bring out year after year. They’re ideal as a welcome sign for the lobby or as holiday color in the hallways or break room.
• Christmas Wrapping Paper: Go for a magnificent Christmas makeover by wrapping up your office doors, your interior front doors, bathroom doors, cubicle walls or other large, flat surfaces.
• Bows: Bows peppered around the office add dashes and splashes of colorful cheer. Go for the big, fat velvet bows, the smaller Christmas gift bows or a combination of both. Try them on the doors, around windows, on the coat rack and cabinets.
• Stuffed Santa: Prop a happy, stuffed Santa in your lobby, break room or on his own special chair somewhere around the office. Perhaps your receptionist would like a pal?
• Office Snowman: A stuffed snowman can be just as fun as Santa, and your crew can make him themselves. Simply stuff three white pillowcases with shredded or crumpled paper, secure them with twist ties in a three-tiered pile, and use a marker to draw on a face and buttons. Add a hat and scarf for extra festivity.
• Screensavers and Desktop Images: Offices with loads of computers can add loads of Christmas color by going for holiday screensavers and desktop imagery. You can download sleigh loads of screensaver options online and encourage employees to post their favorite winter scene or Christmas photo as their desktop image.

While these office Christmas decorating ideas may be simple and economical, their impact can be huge. You may notice a few extra smiles around the workplace, which often merrily leads to the gift of increased productivity.

The office Christmas party gives people from different departments a chance to mingle. But, since people from one department might not get to see people from another department on a regular basis, throwing them all together at the office party might be a bit awkward. Once the Christmas party invitations have been sent, start thinking of Christmas party icebreakers for large groups so that everyone who attends has a great time and gets to know their co-workers.

Christmas Party Icebreakers:

Who Am I?

Write the names of famous characters or real famous people on a collection of Post-It notes. You can pick names that are relevant to Christmas, such as Santa Claus, the Grinch, or Clark Griswold (from “Christmas Vacation), or choose everyday famous people. Place a Post-It on each employee’s forehead, so that they can’t see the name on it. Employees can ask each other yes or no questions to help them figure out whose name they have on their head.

Shoe Game

Ask each employee to remove their left shoe when they enter the party. Place the shoes in a pile in the center of the room. Tell the employees to take a shoe that isn’t theirs from the pile and put it on. The employees then have to track down the person who has their other shoe and stand next to that person. By the end of the game, employees should be standing next to each other in groups.

Charades

Charades is a classic icebreaker for a big group. Divide the employees into teams, making sure to put employees from one department with employees from different departments. Go with a Christmas theme and give your employees Christmas movies or songs to act out or mime for their teammates. The team that guesses the most correctly should win a small prize.

What I Want for Christmas

Split employees up into groups. Ask each person in the group to list one or two things they want for Christmas. The group should then discuss the items while one person takes notes. After a few minutes, bring the groups back together and have the note-taker from each share what was talked about.

Giving employees a chance to get to know each other at the company Christmas party can mean that they’ll have a better working relationship with each other as they move into the new year. Hopefully one of these icebreakers will help your office party be the best it can be.

Stepping into a festive office makes the fact that you have to work during December a lot more enticing. However, it’s unlikely that any one person in the office has the time to decorate the whole space. Plan a Christmas cubicle decorating contest and let everyone do their own part to create a fun and festive office for the holidays.

1. Set the ground rules: The office is still a workplace, so you probably don’t want employees blaring Christmas carols around the clock as part of their decorations or creating an array of talking Santas. You may also want to set space limitations, particularly to maintain a safe work environment. For example, inflatable reindeer filling the space between cubicles may be a fire code violation. If you have any other restrictions, put them in writing beforehand so participants don’t plan decorations that won’t be allowed.

2. Promote the contest: Announce the contest to employees through a variety of channels to ensure everyone knows about it. Mention the contest at the office meeting and post signs in the lobby, elevator, and break room. In addition, promote it online by sending an email and posting about it through your social media channels. All of your announcements should include the rules of the contest and the deadline when participants need to complete their decorations for judging.

3. Provide basic materials: Not all employees will be willing to spend their money to participate, so if you want fuller participation, offer basic materials everyone can use. These may include red and green streamers, tinsel, and plenty of white card stock to cut into snowflakes. Another idea is to set up a donation center where participants can leave extra decorations for others to take and use.

4. Judge and present awards: You can’t have a contest without issuing awards, so plan how you’re going to determine who wins. One idea is to take the whole office on a cubicle tour one day and have all the employees vote afterwards on their favorite. Alternately, you could assemble a panel of judges from the management. Whatever your method, make sure to have a snazzy winner certificate. You can present one grand winner or create several unique awards, like “Most Creative,” “Most Colorful,” “Best Christmas Theme,” etc. In addition to your certificates, you could also offer a perk like going home a few hours early before the Christmas holiday!

Feeling inspired by the above ideas? Shop our site now for Christmas Border Papers, red and green Certificates, and more. It’s never too early to shop for Christmas!

Holiday parties at work can be a great way to help your hard-working employees relax as well as building relationships that can carry over into the regular workday. Almost any change of pace is likely to be appreciated, but a great party with a fun theme can be an event your employees will remember for a long, long time. Try one of the following work holiday party themes at your next holiday gathering and see if the Grinch’s heart grows a few sizes as a result.

• Winter Wonderland: Decorate the party room with all kinds of wintery items, like snowflakes, life-sized snowmen and other “cool” items. Print invitations or greetings on a themed Christmas border paper such as our “Winter Snow” or “Snowy Splendor” papers. Other fun touches are stuffed reindeer, penguins, and tiny snowballs instead of ice cubes for beverages. Add an ice sculpture as a centerpiece for a touch of class.
• Achievements and Awards: Use the office Christmas party as a chance to recognize employees that have done an outstanding job over the past year. Let the employees nominate each other for awards and give them a chance to tell how they’ve been impacted by others. Add spotlights and an inexpensive red carpet to enhance the awards effect. Provide fun gifts for each employee, along with special gifts for those being recognized.
• Santa’s Coming to Town: Make Santa Claus a part of your office Christmas party and find a great Santa-themed Christmas border paper to complement his presence. Santa doesn’t need to work in a vacuum, so add a small band or orchestra that can play holiday music to accompany your event. Be sure to have a tree in the room, too, to give it a genuine Christmas feeling.
• A Taste of Christmas: Instead of a big meal, set up buffet-style tables with small samples of all kinds of holiday foods. Encourage everyone to try as many as they can. Give each table a theme, such as Candyland, Cookie Town, or the Gingerbread House. Don’t forget to offer non-sugary foods like tiny sandwiches, squares of ham, and chunks of turkey.

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If you’ve been left holding the reigns over this year’s office Christmas party, each of those last 12 days of Christmas really count! Here’s our Official Office Christmas Countdown Checklist to keep things on track in this already stressful time of year.

Day 12: Double Check Invitation List – You’ve likely already sent Christmas invitations to the entire staff, but double-check by cross referencing your list with RSVPs. Consider contacting non-respondents to ensure they received their holiday invite.

Day 11: Confirm your RSVP Numbers – Any vendors such as caterers, decorators, and party suppliers need an up-to-date guest count sooner rather than later to guarantee they can meet your needs during this busy season.

Day 10: Confirm Gift Exchanges – If your office is planning a Secret Santa or gift exchange of sorts during your company Christmas party, you may include these details in your Christmas invitations. If not, it’s not too late to plan one. An internal memo or email to guests can get the ball rolling! However, you’ll want to follow up with the plan in these last few days to ensure it’s a success!

Day 9: Venue Confirmation – Those taking the office party off-site will need to confirm the venue booking, make certain all deposits are paid, and that any outside vendors can rely on the cooperation of the site hosts. In-office party arrangements are much simpler, but you’ll still need to arrange for the room’s extensive cleaning and decorating before the event.

Day 8: Budget Confirmation – Now is a great time to visit the boss or whoever will be footing the bill to confirm that you are within budget. There may be extra funds available that you have seven days left to find uses for!

Day 7: Get Yourself Together – As the party’s lead planner, it’s important that you take some time for yourself in this last week. After all, you likely still have Christmas gifts and your own party attire to plan.

Day 6/Day 5: Confirm the Numbers – It’s wise to add a ten percent cushion to your expected attendance numbers when you give a final count to vendors. It can take a couple of days to finalize everything.

Day 4: Seating Chart – If your Christmas office party consists of a formal sit down meal, make sure that you have seating arrangements handled. Free seating is ideal, but if your boss wants a seating plan cement that detail and prepare table place cards if necessary.

Day 3: Guest Reminder – Post a note up around the office or send out an email to remind everyone of the big event.

Day 2: Last Minute Vendor Calls – You’d be surprised how often caterers or supply companies fail to live up to their end, so making those last minute attempts to ensure things are on schedule can save you some last minute grief.

Day 1: It’s Party Time – You’ve planned these last 11 days wisely, so it’s time to enjoy and have fun with your coworkers. However, plan to arrive about four hours early to oversee the final touches.

Simplify the organization of this year’s office party with our Christmas countdown checklist, and let PaperDirect simplify things even more by delivering your Christmas stationery, note cards, and office gifts right to your desk or home.

Beyond food and music, entertainment is a vital component of any holiday gathering, making it a fantastic opportunity to have a little “in-office” fun. Prepare to capture guests’ attention by printing some elegantly designed blank certificates with silly superlatives to present to employees. Superlatives can be borderline complements or play on subtle shortcomings, but attempt to be “delightfully tacky” to avoid any hard feelings. Here are some of our favorite superlatives to present at your company Christmas party:

12 Company Christmas Party Superlatives that Delight

1. The Human Garbage Disposal Award – He or she is constantly the first one at the food table, and maybe even the last one claiming crumbs. Perhaps they are always snagging food from other’s plates; hence, earning them this prestigious award.

2. Bubbly Bubbly Award– Try pairing this award with a gift of champagne. This award obviously goes to the spunky fun-loving person in the office.

3. Loch Ness or Bigfoot Award – Ideal for the coworker who’s as hard to find as “Nessie” or Bigfoot, especially when the workload gets heavy or the big boss is around. The honoree will score big laughs while accepting either of these company Christmas party superlatives as an award.

4. Most Likely to Be Hanging Ten – Turn your blank certificates into a recognition of those employees who are more likely to be surfing the web than working!

5. Duct Tape Award – Have a coworker who serves as the office handyman – so long as it can be repaired with duct tape? This one’s for them!

6. Head in the Sand Award – Give a clue to that clueless peer and honor them for seeming to have absolutely no idea what’s going on around the office. Hey, not everyone gets the inside scoop or even wants to!

7. It’s 5 o’clock Somewhere Award – For the good-timer in the group who spends the better part of the workday making ater-work plans. They’re likely the first out the door each day at 4:59 p.m.!

8. Bermuda Triangle Award – This individual has a hard time keeping up with – well, just about everything! Pens, paperwork, staplers, car keys, and other items mysteriously disappear as if their office lies within the Bermuda Triangle.

9. Most Likely or Least Likely to “Whatever” – Here is where you can get creative with your blank certificates to honor just about any trait you can hone in on. Some favorites include Most/Least Likely to:

• Show up early
• Put their foot in their mouth
• Get on the boss’ nerves
• Get a raise

10. Best Dressed – This honor goes to the one who always looks sharp for client calls, team meetings, and everything else!

11. Social Queen/King – Every office has at least one co-worker that is all over social media. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram- they’ve got it all and love to update them constantly.

12. Tiny Dancer Award– This award can be given to the person who can’t sit still or is always talking with their hands- quite the performer!

There’s no better way to get the good times and laughter rolling than by picking up some blank certificates and imprinting them with all-too-appropriate company Christmas party superlatives to “honor” your coworkers! Shop PaperDirect’s range of eye-catching awards today!

The holidays are a time of year for connecting with those we care about, and this includes your clients. Without clients, your business wouldn’t exist, and the holidays are a splendid time of year to take the time to celebrate them and show your appreciation.

If you’re tired of the cookie-cutter, traditional Christmas card message, try breaking from the norm; get a little edgy and add some humor to your business Christmas card.

10 Funny Christmas Card Messages:

1. Holiday shopping tip: Siri is not a reliable source for asking what to get co-workers for Christmas.

2. A little known fact about holiday fruitcakes: there are actually only five in existence, and people just keep re-gifting them to each other.

3. The holidays are all about balance: have fun at your company’s holiday party this year, but not SO much fun that you’re seeking new employment the next day.

4. We wish you a very healthy Christmas free from Ebola and overindulgence in Eggnog.

5. Holiday tip: As a courtesy to the U.S. Post Office, mail your packages early this year; they’ll appreciate the extra time to lose them for you by for Christmas! 😉

6. What do you think kids would do if Santa brought them sets of batteries for Christmas labeled: ‘toys not included’?

7. Is it us, or does Christmas seem more and more like a Disney production each year?

8. So Santa never shaves, flies around late at night, enters homes without permission, gives presents but has no clear source of income… should we really be letting this guy in our homes?

9. Question: What do you call a person who is afraid of Santa Claus?

Answer: CLAUS-trophobic!

10. Pretending to believe in the Mayan apocalypse might have worked in [year] as anexcuse not to buy Christmas presents… this year, we have you covered! Shop our Holiday gift baskets and discounted gift certificates.

The Christmas season is all about spreading Holiday cheer, and what better way to do so than with funny Christmas card messages? Break the mold of the traditional Christmas card message this year and add some humor to your business Christmas card. Feel free to riff off of one of these ten funny Christmas card messages, or create an original one that’s customized to your company and brand.