Theme: An office party can be fun and to avoid upsetting anyone, a theme should actually be avoided.

Food: In the case of a formal office party, traditional foods can be avoided. The main course doesn’t have to be traditional in line with Christmas but should stay inline with a formal dinner with a choice of meats, vegetables and desserts.

If the party isn’t formal then attendees can bring a dish, often referred to as “pot luck” and employees can either choose what to bring or opt on their own what to include.

Décor: Because the average office party has no theme, it’s usually filled with an elegant table setting with plates and a basic centerpiece of rich colored candles coupled with mistletoe or ivy inline with traditional aspects for the formal event however, the informal party may consist of more generic holiday paper plates and table cloths that match with a few added table toppers around the food like snowmen or symbolic holiday bells.

This article first appeared in Celebrating Christmas PDF Magazine 2005