Q4 is a notoriously stressful and busy time of the year for most businesses. Many team members are left feeling stretched thin and burnt out. The office holiday party is the perfect excuse to let the whole team know how appreciated and valued they are! Let them kick back and celebrate the magic of the season by planning a corporate holiday party they’ll look forward to throughout the busy season and talk about for months to come!
1. Get out of the Office
No matter what you opt to do for your holiday gathering, step one is getting out of the office, whether that’s your company’s headquarters or your home office! Besides just creating a more festive atmosphere for your team, there are many benefits of hosting meetings and events off-site, from improving company morale (which reduces health issues and increases productivity) to additional space and amenities. Plus, if your team works remotely, you can use this party as an excuse to get together. If you plan to go all out for your holiday gathering and have a large guest list, booking a corporate event space or banquet hall with additional audio/visual equipment, parking, and room to move around is necessary.
At Anaheim Majestic Garden Hotel, we have various Corporate Event Facilities & Meeting Room Floor Plans for you to choose from and an accommodating team of event planners to help you pull off the best holiday party ever!
2. Organize a Fun Gift Exchange
Everyone knows how to plan a Secret Santa gift exchange, and it can be a fun way for the team to get to know each other a little better! If you’re looking to change up the gift swap portion of this year’s holiday party, consider some of these fun alternatives:
- Guess the Gift: Have everyone wrap the gift they bring, sit in a circle, and each person gets to hold up their gift to show it off. They can give little clues about what’s inside, and the rest of the group has to guess what’s inside. The first one to get it right gets to keep that gift!
- Favorite Things Exchange: Everyone gets to play Oprah with this team gift exchange option! Choose a theme, and everyone has to bring in their favorite version of it. Put all the gifts (unwrapped) on a table, and everyone gets to choose which version of their favorite thing they want to go home with!
- Book Swap: If your team likes to read, have everyone bring in a book they love for the gift exchange! You can make things personal and have each person gift the book to another team member they think will love it, or just let everyone who brought a book choose one as their gift!
- Donation Drop Off: As a team, select a charity or non-profit organization you’d like to support, and gather donations. Drop off the funds or gifts as a team to share in the spirit of giving!
3. Plan a Holiday Scavenger Hunt at Disneyland® Park
A holiday scavenger hunt is always a good idea! As a Disneyland® Resort Good Neighbor Hotel, we’re right next to Disneyland® Resort and have a free shuttle with direct access to the park – making it easy for you and your team to split up, find the items on your list, and get back fast to win the competition!
Disneyland® Resort is extra magical during the holiday season, with festive lights, food, attractions, and more from mid-November through early January. One of the benefits of working with a hotel near Disneyland® Resort is that you’re close to all the holiday magic, so go ahead and take advantage of it! A scavenger hunt through “the Happiest Place on Earth” can be a fun and memorable way to celebrate the season and spark friendly competition with your team.
4. Hold Your Holiday Party During Office Hours
Your team is busy this time of year, and many have probably worked overtime to help the business through Q4. Make this year’s holiday party extra convenient by booking it during work hours! It will make your employees’ lives easier by not adding to their already packed social calendars or cutting into their personal time. Make it extra special by giving them the rest of the day off!
5. Cheers with a Holiday Happy Hour
Sip, sip, hooray! Ring in the New Year and toast your company’s accomplishments with a festive holiday Happy Hour. Alcohol (in moderation) is a great way to help employees celebrate and kick back. Spiked eggnog or apple cider, hot buttered rum, and anything peppermint is always appreciated, and Christmas parties and other holiday gatherings this time of year. Some bartenders, like the ones at Anaheim Majestic, will also craft a delicious custom cocktail just for your party or host a tasting party to allow attendees to indulge in various flavors.
6. Plan a Festive Holiday Competition
Whether your team wants to rock vintage throwbacks from the thrift store, handmade masterpieces with all the bells and tinsel, or brand new and extra tacky sweaters from the store, challenge your group to an ugly sweater competition! Are you looking for something more interactive? How about a gingerbread house-building challenge or a cookie-decorating competition? Who can wrap a gift the quickest or knows the most holiday trivia? Consider your team’s interests and strengths, and let them showcase their skills in a fun holiday team-building competition! You can have judges on-site to help determine the winner or take photos and post them to your business’s social accounts and let your customers, partners, and fans choose the winner!
7. Get the Family Involved
Embrace the season’s sentiment and bring together your employees and families! You can meet each other and get to know the people your coworkers have been telling you about! Depending on the age range, you’ll want to personalize the night for guests. At Anaheim Majestic Garden Hotel, we can help!
- Booking a corporate event and inviting young families? Plan games, invite Princess Corinne, and tell stories in the castle to create a magical holiday experience!
- Inviting a quieter, more laid-back crowd? Host a holiday movie night with classic movie treats and comfy seating. Our corporate event venues have full A/V capabilities and onsite support to help make this happen!
- Is your team young and adventurous? We can set up an in-house sushi-making class or wine-tasting event.
No matter who you invite, make sure to your holiday party, and remind them that we have a free shuttle to and from Disneyland® Resort! Encourage them to make a weekend of it with their family or friends and explore the park’s magic as an extension of your trip!
8. Host a Non-Traditional Tree Decorating Contest
Who says Christmas trees have to be evergreen? Let employees have some fun and get in the holiday spirit with a nontraditional tree contest. Trees can be made from anything, from books to cups to hubcaps — the more creative and wacky, the better. Bonus points if someone can create a tree out of your company’s products or one that highlights your company culture. Like trivia, it’s a great way to spark conversations and competition among the team. Since the trees are festive and fun, you won’t have to do much in the form of decor for the event, plus you’ll have lots of festive photos to share on social media.
9. Have a Gift Wrapping Party
Gift wrapping is one of those holiday tasks that many would prefer to avoid. However, many hands make light work, so why not turn your holiday gathering into a gift-wrapping party? The company can provide the wrapping paper, bows, and ribbon, or everyone can bring in some of their own supplies to share. Once the supplies are ready, turn on some holiday tunes and work together to get all the presents wrapped and ready to go (like Santa’s little elves).
While this may not seem like a fun party idea, you may be surprised how it captures the giving spirit of the season and allows employees to bond. Local charities and shelters can always use a helping hand wrapping gifts and donations this time of year, so it’s a great way to give back and spread holiday joy to others who may be less fortunate. If employees are wrapping gifts for their own loved ones, they’ll appreciate the extra help. Plus, crossing another item off their holiday to-do list means they’ll be able to spend more time with loved ones outside of work hours throughout the season. It’s a win-win for everyone.
10. Get Creative
Homemade gifts are often the best gifts, which makes a holiday painting or craft party an excellent idea for your team. This type of holiday celebration will definitely appeal to the DIY lovers and crafters at your company. From ornaments to canvas to glass, plenty of painting and craft ideas are available online that allow your team members to showcase their creativity and holiday spirit. Not only will they have fun creating their masterpieces, but you’ll have some great photos for social media and some holiday decor to display around the office until the season is over. Thanks to the lovely weather in Anaheim, California, we frequently host painting parties on our beautiful patio, lawn, and gardens here at Anaheim Majestic. We love seeing all the smiles and joy it brings! No skill is required, just fun!
11. Give Your Party a Theme
Throw it back old school and host a decade-themed party, embrace the magic of the season and throw a winter wonderland event, or let everyone get comfy and host a pajama party! Don’t be afraid to go all out and choose a theme that your team will have fun with! Who knows, maybe mixing it up with new themes will become your new corporate holiday tradition!
12. Schedule a Guest Speaker or Entertainer
Entertainment is crucial to a party and often serves as the event’s anchor. The holidays are extra special, so they call for extra special entertainment, right? Is there a motivational speaker or a thought leader in your industry that your colleagues could benefit from hearing from? A corporate party is a great time to book that presentation since everyone is looking toward improvements and new beginnings. They’re sure to get everyone fired up and talking about all the changes, progress, and new ideas to come in the new year.
If that’s not quite your style, then musical entertainment from carolers, a band, or a DJ can also help set the mood and create a festive ambiance for the gathering. Comedians and magicians can also provide excitement, laughs, and a one-of-a-kind experience for attendees. Our hotel guests have continuously been awed by magician David Minkin’s award-winning Evening of Enchantment here at Anaheim Majestic.
13. Host a Fun Dining Experience
If your team loves good food and entertainment, hosting a fun dining experience is the perfect way to enjoy your corporate holiday event! Anaheim Majestic Garden Hotel’s Hanagi Japanese Restaurant is the ideal fit for traditional Japanese cuisine with hibachi-style entertainment. You’ll savor each bite as each meal showcases Chef Hiro’s years of experience and culinary creativity. Bring your team to dine in; they’ll feel like you’ve flown them around the world! The traditional architecture and decor are second to none. You can also cater delicious Hanagi specials to your meeting space inside Anaheim Majestic Garden Hotel!
Photo Credit: Hanagi Japanese Restaurant
Plan the Perfect Corporate Holiday Event
Are you looking for an event venue to host your company’s Christmas or holiday party in Anaheim, California? Look no further! Anaheim Majestic Garden Hotel goes all out for the holiday season and loves spreading Christmas cheer. We’re in a prime location close to Disneyland® Resort and other attractions, and we have all the amenities you need to throw a magical holiday shindig, including:
- 20,000 square feet of flexible event space
- State-of-the-art A/V capabilities and support
- Delicious banquet and catering options
- Parking for guests
- Comfortable (and affordable) rooms
- And so much more!
Our event planners would love to hear from you. Request a proposal to get started!
Happy Holidays from the team at Anaheim Majestic Garden Hotel!
