Theme Ideas for Office Christmas Parties & Office Christmas Party Games

Office parties can sometimes be boring and stuffy, but they do not always need to be, especially during the holidays. Turn your next Christmas party at the office into a blast with creative theme ideas. Themed parties during Christmas can actually give you tons of creative freedom when it comes to food, decorations and games, so do not be afraid to overdo things and make the whole event a memorable occasion.

One of the best theme ideas for office Christmas parties would be Feliz Navidad. Look for mariachi bands that can play for you all night - from when the guests arrive until you are sick of partying. Hang white stars and chili peppers all over the ceiling, as well as all around the party room. Set small cacti as each table's centerpiece, then add some Christmas ornaments in order to dress everything up.

Use margarita glasses with flashing lights and give them out as take-home gifts afterwards. Stick to colors of white, red and green when it comes to balloons and table linens, and hang streamers and look for a pinata in the shape of a Christmas tree or other holiday-related shape.

For something more classic, throw a Winter Wonderland party. Line the entrance and walkway with snowflake luminaries or white lights, and hang some twinkling lights around the door frames and on the chandeliers. Make some snowflake cutouts out of paper, tissue paper and foil and hang them on the ceiling as well. You can also use your office projector to project images of snowflakes projected onto the walls and ceilings. As centerpieces, you can use ice sculptures for the buffet or banquet tables and as favors, give out personalized mint tins or something else cold and winter related.

If you would rather steer clear from traditional theme ideas for office Christmas parties, host a big magic show. Get a magician and have him do a show while you have dinner. Give out chocolate pretzel wands with thank-you Christmas tags and make balloon arrangements or bouquets as favors. You can even hand out jewelry and necklaces that glow for extra fun in the party attire.

Some of the best Christmas office party games are the simplest to organize and play - which is a big help to the office party organizer and participants alike. Especially if dubious amounts of alcohol are to be added to the mix! Here are a couple of ideas to help spice up the traditional Christmas office party this year. They are great ice-breakers for any office party and will guarantee a great addition to the night.

A variation on this office Christmas party game is called 'Who Am I?' and always results in gales of laughter from everyone involved. Basically, a blindfolded employee has to identify one of their colleagues by feeling their faces. It is surprising to see how many guess correctly!

An example that has stood the test of time, is the 'Mystery Object' game. This is where a large bowl or a box is filled with a variety of odd shaped and, even better, oddly textured objects. The box is then covered up with a towel or something similar, leaving just enough room for a hole to poke a hand into and remove one of the objects lying within. The kicker is that the person is blindfolded when removing the object, and the idea of the game is to try to guess what it is. This is not as easy as it sounds! And the squeals from someone who has just removed a raw sausage from the box will make break the toughest ice at your party!

You may have heard of the classic 'pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey'; this is more of a 'pinch-the-tail-from-the-cute-guy-from-accounting' type of game. The idea of this Christmas office party game is to separate people into groups of 4 and have them link arms. In the back pocket of one of the people on the end of the line, hang a scarf or napkin. The object of this game is to steal the scarves from the opposing teams until there is just one team remaining. To make it more interesting, all of the players must remain linked throughout the game, or they will be disqualified. A few glasses of eggnog beforehand will really add a new dimension to this game...

Another Christmas office party game that even the boss should approve of as it surely demonstrates the importance of teamwork, is the 'Double Wrapper' game. Simply, groups of two people are given a package, wrapping paper, scissors and sticky tape. To be fair, the packages should all be the same size and shape. The pairs then put an arm around one another's shoulders. The aim of the game is to wrap the package, working together to cut the paper and tape and co-ordinate their movements in order to successfully wrap the present. The first one to do so successfully is hailed as the winning team.

Due to the festive mood, it is easy to get distracted while you are at work. While some people celebrate the festive season and plan a lot of activities, there might be those that prefer to have a quiet Christmas. Since all of us have co-workers at the workplace, it is important to follow some basic workplace holiday etiquette during this time.

It is important to know what is appropriate and what isn’t. You must know if it necessary to put up Christmas decorations at your workplace or not. Should you give Christmas presents to your co-workers? If you must, then what are the presents that you could give someone? Is it necessary to offer holiday greetings? Should you give return gifts to someone if you receive a gift? All this is very individual as different people follow different practices.

There are a number of companies that throw parties and have luncheons and dinners during this season. Regardless of whether or not you celebrate Christmas, it is proper workplace holiday etiquette to join in the celebrations. The celebrations are not really centered round Christmas. It is basically recognition of the efforts of the workforce and the results achieved. Since it centers round the entire workplace community, it is important to be part of these good times.

Workplace holiday etiquette also demands that you are aware of the rules and regulations of the workplace. Ensure that you don’t go overboard with the Christmas decorations and don’t use adornments that will cause a disturbance at the workplace. If you are hard pressed for time, you could always excuse yourself, but don’t refrain from attending the Christmas celebrations.

Obviously many workplace Christmas parties may include the serving of alcohol. While it is fun to get a little more loose and friendly, be careful not to drink too much. Remember, these are not your everyday friends that you normally enjoy a few drinks with—these are co-workers, supervisors and company owners. Your behavior, if out of line, will not be forgotten, and may not be excused, even if it was a party.