Christmas parties conjure up a certain imagine: party hats, lots of tinsel, plenty of booze, someone in a Santa outfit, Slade’s ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’ blaring out of a set of speakers… It’s a tried and tested formula, and there’s nothing wrong with it per se, but if you’re looking to make your Christmas party one to remember, then you’ll need to think outside the box.
With Christmas party season on the way, there’s no better time to start thinking about how to push your event on to the next level, so to help you get started, today we’re offering up four tips to help you create a Christmas party with a twist.
UNLEASH YOUR INNER CHILD
As a kid, Christmas is by far the most exciting time of the year, but somewhere along the way it just becomes another holiday for most adults. Christmas parties are a great opportunity to recapture that childhood enthusiasm for even the most grown up of grownups. For inspiration, we’d suggest raiding the toy chest for entertainment ideas based on your favourite childhood gifts. Giant versions of wishlist fixtures like Scalextric, Operation and Battleships make for great visual showpieces, whilst also being a lot of fun for guests. There also are plenty of performers that make use of toys and games in their act too; from acts that incorporate Rubik’s Cubes and fidget spinners, to bands who perform with toy instruments. Ask yourself, what would eight year-old you want at a Christmas party?
GO TO THE MOVIES
As the days get shorter and the temperature drops, many of us find ourselves curled up indoors with a good movie or two. Thankfully in our line of work, we can write that off as ‘research’, particularly when it comes to Christmas party ideas. Try taking inspiration from one of your favourite films (whether it’s a Christmas movie or not) to give your event a theme. You might want to create a Frozen-inspired singalong party, a campy James Bond-style villain’s lair, or turn your venue into Hogwarts for the night, and with the help of our costumes characters, themed musical acts and a fantastic array of props, the only limit is your imagination.
TAKE A TRIP THROUGH TIME
It’s no accident that Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol features Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future; Christmas is a time to take stock of where you are, look back at years gone by, and imagine what coming Christmases might hold. Christmas events also give us a chance to look back, albeit with less ghosts and soul searching. Christmas can be a great time to take guests back through the years, with nostalgic themes that recall Christmases of decades gone by – particularly if you have guests of a similar age range. ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s tribute acts can give guests a much needed hit of nostalgia at the end of the year, and if you want to go back further, why not send your guests to the Victorian era, the roaring Jazz age or to the rock n’ roll era of the ‘50s?
HEAD OVERSEAS
If you’re looking to mix up the usual Christmas formula, it often helps to look outside the UK for inspiration. Sure, we do Christmas pretty well, but after a few years of groan-worthy christmas cracker jokes and flimsy paper hats, it’s hard not to wonder what might lie further afield. Christmas parties give us a chance to transport guests to another place entirely; it could be the cosy ski lodges of the Swiss Alps, the snug beer halls of Germany or even the sun kissed beaches of Australia. This is a great option for corporate events with companies who have a base in another country, giving guests a chance to experience Christmas as their colleagues overseas do.