Celebrating the holidays really can be all fun and games as long as you plan ahead, and plan smart—and you don’t have to break the bank, either. One of the best ways we’ve found to throw a party is by simply choosing a theme: winter wonderland, Christmas trees, Santa’s workshop, etc. With a theme in mind, it’s incredibly easy to decorate, select the snacks or main course, and decide on entertainment.

For example, if you’re theme is winter wonderland, decorate with lots of paper snowflakes (make or buy), snowman motifs, and tinsel, and feed your guests traditional food like meat and potatoes while they listen to Christmas music played in the background by a DJ. For Santa’s workshop, decorate with lots of boxes in gift wrapping and ribbons (i.e. presents of various sizes stacked here and there) with candy cane and reindeer motifs, and provide lots of goodies and finger foods for guests to eat while they listen to a reading of The Night Before Christmas by one of the managerial staff (or you could hire a professional reader). Feel free to get creative, and remember, choosing a theme makes it simple to nail down the details.

You’ll undoubtedly have a company annual review, and the key here is to take no more than fifteen minutes presenting an overview of the year’s highlights and no more than ten minutes awarding employees. By keeping your program to just under half an hour, you facilitate the social aspect of the company party. Present just enough to keep people informed, but don’t overwhelm. The point of the party is fun and goodwill.

Just to get you started, here are several ideas for gifts to use during your program:

"A" Gifts – for employee awards (i.e. "Employee of the Year," "Most Dedicated to Widget Development," etc.):

A treat basket with gourmet breads and cookies, or with meats, cheeses and crackers

Giftcards to restaurants with amounts varying from $75 to $100

Giftcards to local retail stores with amounts varying from $75 to $100

Gas station giftcards with amounts varying from $75 to $100

A coupon for one-time maid service in their home

"B" Gifts – these are what you use for door prizes and other small favors (to be distributed randomly among all employee attendees; plan on about 1 gift per 20 people to keep it interesting):

Giftcards to restaurants with amounts varying from $40 to $50

Giftcards to local retail stores with amounts varying from $40 to $50

Gas station giftcards with amounts varying from $40 to $50

A set of movie passes/coupons to a local theater

A basket of gourmet cookie or cake mixes

Hopefully you’re on your way to budgeting and picking out a theme for your company party—look for the second installment of our two-part series in a couple days to learn about scheduling your party-planning efforts.