Planning a Holiday Party: How to Organize an Unforgettable Company Celebration in 2026

It's never too early to start planning your holiday party. After all, the end of the year should be celebrated properly, with an unforgettable event for every employee. To pull off the perfect holiday party, you'll want to choose varied activities alongside the delicious holiday meal, decorations, and the right music. Here's a checklist for planning your holiday party, plus what absolutely shouldn't be missing from the festive atmosphere.

Holiday party planning - the key facts at a glance:

• Holiday party checklist: The best way to plan your holiday party is to follow a checklist, so nothing gets forgotten.
• Assign someone to organize it: As a first step, decide who will plan the holiday party.
• What makes a holiday party a success: Unique activities, delicious holiday food, festive decorations, and a fitting venue.
• Send holiday party invitations early: Invitations should ideally go out about six weeks before the event.
• The most important thing about the holiday party is that everyone spends a wonderful time together and enjoys the celebration.

How do you organize a holiday party?

Organizing a holiday party comes with real responsibility and requires skilled planning and coordination. For the perfect holiday party, follow the nine steps in our holiday party checklist.

Holiday party checklist: nine steps to plan your holiday party

Step 1: Who's organizing the holiday party?

First, decide who will take responsibility for organizing and planning this year's holiday party. That person should work through this checklist step by step. Planning can be handled internally by a single person or a committee that splits up the tasks. What matters most is giving them enough time. Alternatively, the holiday party can be organized externally or supported by experts.

Step 2: Estimate the number of attendees

In the second step, decide who will be attending the holiday party, or how many attendees to expect. Answer the following questions to estimate the headcount:

• Is the holiday party planned for the whole company, or does each team or department organize its own?
• Will employees' partners or families also be attending the holiday party?
• Should customers or partner companies also be invited to the holiday party?

Tip: If the date for the holiday party is set early, you can run an employee survey to estimate how many people will attend.

Step 3: Plan a budget for the holiday party

First, set a budget for the holiday party. The following factors should be considered for costs:

• Holiday party activities
• Holiday party decor
• Holiday party venue
• Holiday meal and drinks
• Additional programming for the holiday party
• Gifts for employees as a thank you

Costs can vary depending on the activities and venue for the holiday party. Here's an overview of costs for a few holiday party ideas:

Step 4: Find a date for the holiday party

When should the holiday party take place? The date for the holiday party should be set early so as many employees as possible can attend and enjoy the celebration. There tend to be a lot of commitments during the holiday season especially, so it helps if the date is locked in early and attendees can keep the day free.

• Choose a month: If you want to avoid a holiday party right in the middle of the holiday rush, you could plan the party for the pre-holiday season (October to November) or after the holidays (January to February) instead. Most companies hold their holiday party in December.
• Choose a day of the week: Should the holiday party take place on a weekday (Monday through Thursday), a Friday, a Saturday, or a Sunday?
• Choose a time: Should the holiday party start at midday, in the early evening, or later in the evening? This can also depend on the planned activity.

Step 5: Plan holiday party activities

Want to make this year's holiday party extra special? The activities you plan for the celebration are key to that. Whether it's a cooking class, a tasting, a painting class, or a delicious holiday meal, the activity should ideally be fun for all employees and include team-building elements.

Note: With our experience, we're experts when it comes to planning corporate events and team events. We're happy to help you organize your holiday party and find activities that are the perfect fit for your team. Just send us a request for your holiday party and we'll get back to you.

A few ideas for your holiday party:

• Festive baking class: Head to the holiday bakery and bake delicious holiday cookies, fragrant gingerbread, Springerle cookies, stollen, or even gingerbread houses.
• Tasting for the holiday party: At a tasting, you'll sample your way through a specialty of your choice and learn a lot along the way. Chocolate, gin, cheese, or maybe beer?
• Cooking class for a holiday menu: Under professional guidance, you'll prepare a delicious holiday meal that you can then enjoy together at a beautifully set table.
• Festive wine tasting: A real sommelier will guide you through the wine list. Learn more about fine wines and sample different varieties.
• Wreath-making: If your holiday party falls during the pre-holiday season, making wreaths could be just the thing for you. Whether a classic wreath made of fragrant evergreen or a dried-flower holiday wreath, it's up to you.
• Outdoor holiday party: A holiday party outdoors can be so much fun! How about a snowshoe hike, a biathlon workshop, or a wintery cookout this year?
• Painting class with holiday themes: If you want to get creative together and your office could use another piece of wall art, a painting class is worth checking out.
• Origami folding: At an origami workshop, you'll fold holiday-themed designs. It's not just relaxing, but also a great gift idea.
• Escape room: Love a good thrill? Visit an escape room and solve puzzles together to make your way out of the room.
• Craft workshop: If you want to make something with your own hands, consider a woodworking class or a blacksmithing class.

Of course, these activities can also be combined. For example, at a larger company celebration, you could set up multiple stations so employees can choose which activity they'd like to join. Or you could book a creative activity first, followed by a holiday meal.

Step 6: Find the right venue for the holiday party

Should the holiday party take place at your company, or would you rather plan a separate venue for the celebration? Headcount and budget matter here too. Keep these factors in mind when choosing a venue:

• Layout: Is there enough space for the planned activities?
• Accessibility: Is the venue easy for attendees to reach?
• Customization options: Does the venue offer enough options to create a festive atmosphere and help everyone forget the workday?
• Facilities: Are there enough tables, lighting, speakers, and restrooms?

Step 7: Plan the holiday meal

If food is already included in your chosen activity, this step can be skipped. Otherwise, you can order festive catering for the occasion. Be sure to consider whether any attendees are vegetarian, vegan, or have allergies. Alongside the food, make sure there are enough drinks too.

Step 8: Invitation to the holiday party

Ideally, employees should be invited to the planned celebration early enough to keep the day free. A rule of thumb is to send holiday party invitations about six weeks in advance. More detailed information can follow later, or even stay a surprise.

There are various ways to invite people to the holiday party:

• Invitation by card
• Invitation by email
• Personal invitation
• Invitation via posted notice

A holiday party invitation should include:

• Occasion
• Date and time of the holiday party
• Venue where the holiday party will take place
• RSVP date (if needed)
• A short teaser to build anticipation
• Approximate duration of the celebration, for guests' planning
• Travel information
• Dress code, if there is one

Step 9: Decorate for a festive mood

Mood-setting decoration is key to a festive atmosphere.

Here's how to create a holiday ambiance:

• Festive table decor
• A Christmas tree or holiday arrangements
• Mood lighting
• A decorated entrance area

What shouldn't be missing at a holiday party?

To make sure the holiday party is a full success, there are a few elements you shouldn't skip. Here are some tips for what to keep in mind while planning your company holiday party:

• Festive holiday decor: Festive decorations put everyone in the holiday spirit. Christmas trees, sparkling string lights, wreaths, and poinsettias all add to the celebration.
• Holiday music: The right music also contributes to a festive atmosphere.
• Holiday food and warm drinks: A delicious holiday menu and matching drinks are an important part of any holiday party.
• Small tokens of appreciation for employees: You might want to thank employees for the year with a small gift. A gift card is always well received.
• Time together: The most important thing about the holiday party is that everyone has a wonderful time together and remembers the celebration fondly.
• Photos to remember the day: Offer ways to take photos so everyone has a nice memory of the day. If you'd like, you can also hire a professional photographer.