Memorable Holiday Office Party Ideas

There have been a few office parties I do not remember, or would not remember except for the negatives and the bail receipts in my scrapbook. But, these three great ideas from parties I do remember can be used in even the most sedate offices.

Food is always a great idea: If you have a diverse office population, a potluck lunch or dinner is the only way to go. Ask everyone to bring one or more traditional holiday or celebration foods. Any party that can have hamantaschen, potato samosas, chicken molé, moon cakes, lamb pilaf, those Greek grape leaf things, and pinapple in custard sauce is a party worth having. You could make this a family picnic in many parts of the country, or a "meet my kids" occasion for the office.

Pass It on Parties: For long-time cube rats, having a holiday gift exchange usually means getting more junk for the cubicle. One year the company I was working for had a "pass on your cube toys and convention swag" gift exchamge. After drawing names, we had a day or two to select which of the priceless mugs, corporate logo shirts, or other promotional items we had accumulated over the years best suited the victim recipient.

The rules are simple: You can't just hand over a badly wrapped logo-bearing yo-yo from a previous employer ... you have to make a brief speech explaining where the item came from, how you acquired it, and why it was especially suited for the recipient. Then you hand over the badly wrapped mug that you found when you were cleaning out your new office, with the logo of a company neither of you worked for, but it's purple and and the recipient likes purple.

Public Service Parties: Call some local charities and ask them if they have any project that needs a group of people for a few hours, with work that doesn't require special skills or that your group has the skills to do. The whole office shows up, tackles the job, orders some pizza or packs a lunch, and goes home feeling really good about themselves.

I've done "office parties" while taking inventory for food banks, fixing and setting up donated computers, renovating houses, and dishing up food at hoity-toity charity events.