Planning Holiday Activities: The Guidelines

Plan ahead. You’ll thank yourself later.

(Getty Images)

(Getty Images)

Organizing holiday activities for groups of people can be a huge undertaking, be it small intimate family gatherings or sizeable work parties with colleagues. Being that there are so many ideas around what is considered a “good time” based on personal preference and personality types, coupled with the days, weeks and sometimes months of time that it can take to carefully consider all elements of a solid holiday party, pulling off a successful holiday event filled with engaging activities can seem virtually impossible. (Did I mention the wrench that COVID-19 restrictions throw in our planning?!)

Don’t fret. Here are some tips for planning and implementing the perfect set of activities for your get-together this holiday season, as well as some options for you to choose from if it’s time to call in a professional for their expertise and creative ideation.


1. Be Clear On Our Your Starting Point

Know the resources you have available and your limitations before you start the conceptualizing process.

Take into consideration:

  • What date are the activities taking place?

  • What is your planning lead time? How many days/weeks do you have until the event?

  • How much time do you have to allocate to working on the event?

  • What's your budget?

  • How many guests do you need to accommodate?

  • Will you be hosting your activities virtually? If so, what platform will you be using?

Ask yourself the following questions to help you carve out your team’s objectives and get your creative juices flowing:

  1. What are we prioritizing here? Are we hoping to make sales? Introduce new members of the team to each other? What’s our goal?

  2. What feedback did we get on last year’s holiday activities?

  3. What was missing from last year’s event?

  4. How do we want our guests to feel when they arrive/leave at the party?

  5. How will we know if the party is a success?

  6. How will my guests determine if the event was successful?


2. Do Your Research Do Diligence!

Gather information from event attendees about their needs.

This goes beyond asking “will you be able to make it?” and dives into the specifics:

  • “Do you have any dietary restrictions that we should know of?”

  • If you’re hosting a virtual event and sending a physical event package, you’ll need to gather everyone’s delivery information.

  • For in-person events consider barriers to access for attendees. Ask: “How will you be getting to the event? Do you need parking? Over-night accommodation? Child-care?”

  • If you are hosting an in-person event, you’ll need to determine a COVID-19 strategy of how you will gather proof of vaccination. Do you know what percentage of your team has been vaccinated? What is the venue like? How will you ensure social distancing? How will you ensure people are wearing masks where necessary? For more info, check out the CDC’s resource of COVID-19 guidelines for event planners here.


3. Build Out Your List of Activities!

Research doesn’t start and end on your attendees. Now it’s time to start brainstorming themes and concept ideas for your event! This is the fun part.

Be sure to take a look online and gain inspiration on the plethora of engaging and interactive activities for entertaining groups of any size. As you’re brainstorming ideas, take into account the goals and objectives you’ve prioritized during your brainstorming session.

TIP: The key to entertaining is teamwork and inclusion, so choose activities that support and encourage collaboration amongst one another and ensure everyone can participate.


4. Know When To Call A Pro

It's totally normal to, in the planning stages, realize that you may have bitten off more than you can chew and come to the realization that organizing a fully functioning holiday event is out of your wheelhouse. Maybe your workload is too heavy, and accomodating an event with time-consuming logistics just isn't doable. Or perhaps the needs of your team are complicated, and you're not sure how to make all the details work. That's when we'd suggest seeking out a professional whose job and passion is to craft experiences for teams that create conversations, collaboration and connection.

Care/Of has launched our Holiday Programming, built to help remote and hybrid workforces stay connected this holiday season.

Featured Programs:

  • Virtual Holiday Party: Celebrate the season virtually with an online experience to reward your team with a night of immersive adventure through food, cocktails and culture, from the comfort of their own homes. Holiday celebration combines food, drink and performing arts for an unforgettable, virtual holiday experience. Guests will begin by crafting a festive holiday cocktail with a celebrated mixologist. The group will then learn to make a special recipe with an emerging, top chef with drinks in hand. The night will finish with a short performance by a local artist - choose between a comedy, music, or spoken word performance - while you enjoy artisan chocolates made by a local small business and mingling time with colleagues.

  • Clay Sculpting and Candle Making: Reward your team with a relaxing clay experience led by artist Amanda Wyman of Mud Makers Studio to celebrate the holidays. While tapping into the benefits of working with clay, participants will learn how to make their own custom candlesticks to add to their holiday table. Providing a natural way to connect with body and breath, working with clay has been proven to reduce feelings of negativity and lessen anxiety. This a fantastic experience for hard-working teams who need to relieve stress, combat burnout, and celebrate the holidays

  • DIY Holiday Cards: Get festive and learn how to paint your own holiday cards! Guided by professional visual artist Hemangi Jasnani this workshop will explore the basic techniques of watercolour painting while discovering the unique properties of the medium. You’ll learn basic techniques and then work towards the creation of several festive card designs. You’ll leave the workshop with a set of holiday cards to send to family and friends. Bring on the holiday cheer!

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Congrats! You’re now equipped to throw a fantastic holiday event filled with engaging activities your guests will thoroughly enjoy while skipping those last-minute holiday preparation woes.

Happy festive season from our team to yours!

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