Holiday Party

HireFire01 · November 2002

Does anyone out there have creative ideas for a holiday luncheon? Due to budget restraints we had to cancel our formal holiday party, which is always paid for by the company. At this point we plan on having a potluck luncheon. Any ideas on how to spice it up, w/out getting too costly? Thanks!

-RJS

njjel · November 2002

I suggest having the company purchase the meat and papergoods (if they can) and then plan what we call a gift go round. We all buy a gift at the dollar store and bring it in for an exchange at the party. If you want details on how we do the 'go round' part justlet me know. It's always a fun time and at virtually no cost to speak of.

ConfusedHRinTN · November 2002

We also do a potluck luncheon with a "Chineese Auction." (My apologies to anyone who might think that is politically incorrect.)Someone makes a sign-up sheet with different dishes, like four vegetable dishes, two salads/appetizers, three desserts, etc. That way we can make sure to have a variety.

Everyone brings a gift. Everyone draws a number out of the hat. Person one picks any gift and opens it. Person two can take person one's gift or pick another from the table. If two takes one's gift, one picks another from the table. We put a limit on taking a gift from someone more than three times. It is really a lot of fun and we are still talking about the gifts from last year and looking forward to this year. We are a small company (12 employees) so this system works well for us.

I am re-reading this and it seems a little confusing. Sorry!

Christine M · November 2002

We call it a Yankee Swap, but I can see why you wouldn't necessarily want to do that in Tennesee!

Happy Holidays!

ritaanz · November 2002

Around here it's called White Elephant Auction. I suppose that's politically correct?

Roberta · November 2002

My suggestion (although a little late in the season) would be to suggest a "budget" then ask employees for suggestions on how to best plan the party. For example, if your budget is $100, what could you do? With a little thought, I could come up with a variety of ideas on how to make that go pretty far. Your employees could too--especially those with creative juices flowing. (There will always be someone who will suggest the ridiculous as well as the great ideas.) Ask around for ideas, compile a list of the best ones and go from there. Without knowing anything about your company, employees, location, etc. it's hard to know what direction you could go.

Holiday Party

Comments