If you’ve found out you’re hosting this year’s Christmas party, you’ll need to read this blog.
Although hosting the annual Christmas event can be a daunting task, we’re here to help! In this blog, we provide a complete rundown on how to throw a Christmas party for the ages, so you host the best Christmas party… ever! Just think of us as your little helpers… your little elves even!
Without further ado, let’s get into the holiday spirit and start preparing for the best Christmas party.
Where to start
Everyone looks forward to the end-of-year Christmas party. Whether it’s a Christmas bash for your workplace, for your family, for your friends, or a combination of all of the above (if the latter… goodluck to you ;))—the Christmas party is where everyone eats, drinks and has fun!
The best place to start with your Christmas party planning, is to make a list… and check it twice. By having a list, you can work through each step in an organised fashion and feel confident knowing what’s next on the agenda.
Although some steps might need to be done relatively close together, this list provides a good template to get your Christmas party organised!
The guestlist: naughty or nice?
Writing up a guestlist can be trickier than it sounds. There are the must-have friends, the mandatory guests, the wildcards and those close family guests you can’t trim.
The trickiest part to writing up the guestlist is sticking to the head count whilst ensuring no one’s getting left out and everyone invited is going to have a good time. Here’s a few tips and tricks…
- For workplaces, the guestlist is relatively simple. All you need to do is send out an invite to your entire workplace/department!
- For family shin-digs, it’s always good to chat to other family members and sus-out who should be included on the list.
- For friend gatherings, we always like to think ‘more the merrier’ however, if you have a headcount you need to stick to, it’s always best to focus on your close inner circle and work outwards.
- If you’re tackling the task of organising a Christmas party involving a little bit of everyone, we recommend compiling a list of absolutely everyone you would like to invite and then start trimming down.
Once you’ve figured out who’s made it to your guestlist, it’s then time to send out the invites! You can do this by email, through an online platform or, old school by post.
Make sure to include on the invitation an option for guests to mention any dietary restrictions and/or special requests.
The best Christmas catering
Christmas food is simultaneously the best and most stressful part of the holiday season. On the one hand, there’s great excitement choosing, cooking and serving the Christmas-themed dishes. And, on the other, there’s the overwhelming amount of options, organisation and dietary requirements. There’s a lot to take in!
From our decades (and decades) of experience organising Christmas catering, we’re sharing with you our secrets to mastering your Christmas spread…
- Order Christmas catering early. Christmas sneaks up quickly. It surprises us every year how quickly the end of the year disappears! You want to order your catering early to avoid the last minute rush. If you order too late, you could miss out on your favourite picks! Avoid disappointment and order your Christmas catering sooner rather than later.
- Choose variety. There’s lots of different tastes and preferences, when choosing your Christmas catering, ensure you choose a wide selection of goodies everyone will enjoy.
- Consider dietary restrictions of the guestlist and their plus ones. Ideally, all of your guests will send through any allergies to you prior to you placing the catering order. However, this is often not the case. You want to make sure you’re prepared by placing an order for vegetarians, vegans and gluten intolerant individuals.
- Don’t forget dessert. Everyone loves desserts, especially during the holiday season. Always make sure you have delicious dessert finger food ordered. Serve up once the savories have been polished off alongside self-serve ice cream and pots of tea and coffee.
Christmas catering might sound like a lot to organise however, it’s easier than it sounds. In fact, all you need to do is give us a call at Pinjarra Bakery and we’ll sort it out for you! We’ll run you through the delicious and popular savoury options as well as the sweet and mouth-watering desserts. Your Christmas catering will be a success with the help of Pinjarra Bakery.
Christmas games!
Everyone knows that the best kind of parties are the ones with games. Even better, make it themed games! You can get creative by creating your own fun themed games or, take one of these tried and trusted ideas:
- Secret Santa. No matter how old you are, Secret Santa is always exciting. Make sure you compile a list of guests a few weeks before the party to ensure people have enough time to purchase a present. Have your guests bring their present to the party for exchange.
- Pin the red nose on Rudolf! Exactly the same as childhood game of pin the tail on the donkey except replace donkey with a reindeer and the tail with a red nose.
- Santa treasure hunt. Before guests arrive, hide Santa toys (or chocolates) around the room. Let your guests go on a hunt to find the Santas. Player to find the most wins a prize.
- Musical chairs, with Christmas carols!
- Christmas Bingo! Prepare a Christmas bingo, themed around the most popular Christmas films, foods and traditions.
- Gift Wrap Game. Get together some boxes and wrapping paper and see which of your guests can wrap the fastest and, the best!
- Spoons card game… except with candy canes! Play the much-loved Spoons card game except with delicious candy canes. Just make sure you have some extra incase some get eaten.
Every game can be made Christmas-themed. Put your thinking cap (or Christmas hat) on and you turn all of your favourite games into Christmas fun. Some games might need a bit of preparation so make sure you decide on the games prior incase some organisation is needed.
The finishing touches
Depending on the size and style of your event, you might want to create a runsheet of the day, organise extra decorations to spruce up the location or, organise those last little details to ensure everything is ready.
Organising the Christmas party is no easy feat. Although on the day, when it all comes together, it seems smooth and seamless, we understand the great amount of work party planners put into organising the special day. Not to mention, organising the Christmas party is usually done alongside the busiest work period of the year!
If you find you need help at any step of the way, we recommend asking for help. Whether it is asking your Christmas food caterers to provide more savoury nibbles, asking the venue whether they can include drinks in your package or, asking colleagues to grab ice on the way to the event. Organising the Christmas party takes a lot of work, you deserve some help.
Christmas catering made easy
When you choose Christmas catering with Pinjarra Bakery, we guarantee we’ll make the process easy as pie. Simply browse through our delicious catering menu, choose your savoury finger foods, pick out your desserts and make mention of any dietary requirements you need to cater for.
Here at Pinjarra Bakery, we know how to impress a crowd. Chat to our event catering experts and we’ll make sure your Christmas catering will keep your guest’s spirits cheerful and jolly.