Have you been asked to organize your office Christmas party in Ottawa this year? Or have you been kind enough to volunteer for the task? Either way, we are here to help.
We know from first hand experience that it can be quite difficult keeping everyone happy. Not everyone wants to participate and everyone’s likes, dislikes and budget are all different.
Here are some ideas for your work Christmas party in Ottawa this year:
- My personal favorite is a potluck. Everyone brings in a dish, there is variety of foods and everyone can mingle with co-workers without having to go outside, so the participation tends to be greater. In my office (with almost 100 employees) we usually come up with some contests to get the creative and festive juices flowing. Here are a few great examples of themes we’ve tried over the years:
- Best holiday hat
- Karaoke by division (we had a home-made trophy for best solo, best duet and best group song)
- Most festive Holiday sweater
- Cranium Divisional Competition (charades, Pictionary and trivia and sculpting)
- This year we are doing gingerbread houses – the only rule is it has to fit through the door!
- choose from any of the Ottawa restaurants for lunch or dinner – some have private rooms for your group, make sure to double check if it is a group menu or if you can order off the regular menu;
- catered lunch in a meeting room at your office building;
- comedy clubs – dinner and a show;
- Murder Mystery Dinners;
- get the group together at one of the Ottawa bowling lanes;
- indoor sports (i.e. glow in the dark mini golf or bowling);
- scavenger hunts (yes, it is a bit cold but you could make up one in a local mall if the weather outside is frightful);
- laser tag;
- sleigh ride and dinner
Of course if you are looking to plan a holiday extravaganza, you can go all out and rent a meeting space or hall and hire a DJ, have the event catered and dance up a storm! All the Ottawa area hotels offer this option, as well as many golf courses, convention centres and restaurants.
Some helpful tips on planning your workplace Christmas party:
- determine in advance if significant others are invited;
- remind your guests to be prepared, and to have money for drinks and cab fares;
- the venue will determine the dress code, so dress appropriately and make the right impression;
- mingle, and don’t gossip
There really are a lot of activities that you can do with your colleagues.
Make sure to ask the people in your office for their suggestions. You can give them ideas to choose from and take a vote. This way, the majority rules and hopefully no one will be disappointed.
Good luck planning your office Christmas party in Ottawa. We hope you have a great time with your colleagues.
