It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas: How to Decorate the Office for the Holidays

Some offices go crazy during the holidays. One company even gave away over 1 million dollars in gifts to their employees for their holiday party. Whether you work for a go-nuts kind of company, a large multi-cultural office, or a small family business, office Christmas decorations can be a fun way to brighten up the office during the holidays.

You want to decorate and kick up the cheer in your office, but where do you start? Keep reading, because our gift to you is some tips for bringing the holidays into your workplace.

Office Christmas Decorations

Before you start plugging lights in and throwing tinsel everywhere, there are a few things you should do. Since your office may contain people of many faiths, you should check your company guidelines to make sure you are allowed to put up decorations. Even if you are, discuss with your supervisor your ideas so you don’t spend a lot of time perfecting your decorations just to be told to take them down. You can still liven up your cubicle or office within the limitations.

Also, no blocking fire exits. That will definitely ruin anyone’s holiday spirit.

With that being said, here are some tips for your holiday or Christmas decor for the office.

Wrapping Desks

This is a classic. Whether you do it to your own desk or to an unexpected coworker, wrapped desks just scream holiday season. You can even make this an elegant affair with color-coordinated wrapping in silver and gold. A tip to consider when doing this: Don’t wrap the drawers shut, that isn’t a very fun present to open.

Decorating Doorways

This is something you can do around the whole office. If your workplace has several offices instead of cubicles, everyone can have fun decorating their own doorways. Use craft paper, glitter, or anything else your creative mind can come up with to turn your boring office door into a magical holiday gateway. Fun office competitions can even be had with an office door decorating contest.

Snowy Office

The iconic white Christmas is something that brings a lot of people holiday cheer. Even if you live in a hot climate, you can bring this magic to your office with fake snow. There are several options for this including white felt, foam flakes, and even spray-snow. This has the bonus effect of creating a pleasing environment for your holiday office party.

Hung with Care

Garland hanging from the ceiling tiles that exist in most offices are a great way to add some festivity to normally drab office decor. With so many winter holidays, you can even include multiple types of garland. Garlands can be made of paper snowflakes, dreidels, or a classic Kwanzaa unity garland. The options are almost endless.

Celebrate the Holidays with Your Office

Making office Christmas decorations can be fun as an individual or as a group. It makes a great office bonding event and everyone can participate. Making the office more fun and more relaxing is great to get people excited to come to work during the chilly weather. If your office could use some decorating or furnishing, during the holidays or not, check out some great solutions for your office.

 

 

Stress-Free Office Party Ideas for the Holidays

office christmas party ideas

Are you looking for a fun holiday party idea for you and your employees? Are you looking for something that doesn’t involve extra stress? If so you’ve come to the right place. The holidays are supposed to be a time of celebration and fun but they can also be very stressful. You can take some of the pressure off your employees by having a low-key holiday office party.

This article will break down the top office party ideas for a stress-free season.

1) Escape Room Party

Escape rooms are fantastic for a team building holiday activity. Escape rooms are a fun way to bond with your employees. During an escape room experience, you discover new skills you didn’t even know your employees had. You’re locked in a room for one hour and must solve puzzles and word games in order to “escape”.

This is great fun and a chance to get out of the office. Your employees won’t have to worry about bringing food or showing up to a lengthy office party.

2) White Elephant Gift Exchange

Host a white elephant gift exchange immediately after work. Put a price limit on the gifts so that your employees don’t feel obligated to spend lots of money. Have everyone bring in one gift and put it in the middle of the circle. Each employee takes turns either taking a new gift or “stealing” a gift that has already been taken. Eventually, each person will go home with a gift.

This is a chance for your employees to show off their gift-giving creativity and is less pressure than a traditional Secret Santa exchange.

In a Secret Santa gift exchange, everyone has to pick a gift for a specific person and there is fear that their assigned person won’t like the gift. In white elephant, everyone buys a neutral gift and the playing field is open.

3) Potluck Dinner

Instead of spending a fortune on catering or going out to a fancy dinner, have a potluck dinner. Ask each of your employees to bring in their favorite dinner dish or dessert. Assure them that store bought is fine if they aren’t the finest chefs. Potlucks are minimal stress and they allow everyone to enjoy a variety of delicious foods.

You can host the potluck at lunch or right after work so as to not take up too much of your employee’s time. Most people will be grateful for the extra time they could spend with their families during the holidays.

Follow This Guide for Stress-Free Office Party Ideas

We hope you utilize one of these office party ideas this holiday season.

We are confident that each of these three ideas will bring happiness and levity to your office celebration. The holidays can be celebrated simply, there doesn’t always need to be a giant holiday office party.

Have employees who are distracted during the holidays? Check out this article on how to keep your employees focused through all the excitement.

How to Keep Focus on Work During the Holiday Season

keep focus

We get it. It can be hard to keep focus when there are presents to be unwrapped and food to be eaten.The holidays are a wonderful time. But they can also be downright distracting! If you’re with the vast majority of us, you’d much rather be hanging around your friends and families celebrating than be stuck in the office.

However, there’s work to be done and it’s essential to keep focus in order to keep your job.

Don’t Ignore the Holidays

Your first inclination might be to ignore the holidays completely in order to hone in your mental focus. This is a big mistake. The holidays are like an itch you refuse to scratch. The more you ignore them, the more they’ll demand your attention. The trick is to acknowledge the holidays, but not let them rule you.

Give in to being just a little bit festive. Get yourself something decorative for your workspace that reminds you that good times are right around the corner.

If you have a shared workspace, and your coworker is agreeable, you can work together with your partner to liven up your cubicle in a festive way. Make it something that you can both enjoy.

Outwardly acknowledging the holiday season helps take it out of your head and into the real world — leaving room in your brain to focus on work matters instead.

Prioritize Your Tasks

Don’t take on any new projects, if you can help it. In order to have time off for the holidays, you’ll need to accomplish all the tasks you already have set. To do this, you’ll need to become hyper-organized and prioritize each of your tasks according to their level of importance. Then, take them on, one step at a time.

Feel free to use holiday-themed paper for your To-Do Lists for added fun, and as a reminder what you’re working towards.

Keep Focus By Putting YOU First

Just because you have a few days off coming up is no reason to neglect your health. Drink plenty of water, don’t skip gym days, and remember to eat your breakfast. Your mother was right: it’s the most important meal of the day.

It’s all-too-easy to get sucked into the trap of eating holiday treats before the holidays have even begun. Offices almost always have those tempting little chocolate kisses in their red, gold, and green wrappers sitting around.

The truth is: eating well leads to thinking well. By staying away from sugary treats and sticking to healthy worktime snacks, your brain will function at a much higher level.

Keep Comfortable

Last but not least, you’ll focus better if you’re comfortable. Never underestimate the power of good office furniture. Having an ergonomic desk chair and a desk that’s suitable for your height are key to workplace comfort.

Not only will having appropriate furniture help you zero in on your work during the holiday season, it will keep you at the top of your game for all the months to come.

Check out our full line of Workplace Solutions new and used office furniture to find exactly what suits your needs.

Happy holidays!

Workplace Stress: Holiday Edition

ways to reduce workplace stress during the holidays

Stress at the workplace can occur all through the year, of course. But the holidays can really intensify any existing work-related stress — and create new stressful situations if we aren’t careful. The overall busyness, long work hours, over-spending, over-indulging of the holidays — not to mention dealing with traffic, end of year deadlines, and cranky customers — can wear anyone down. Add to that the rush to get work done before taking time off for the Holidays.

All hope for happy holidays at the workplace is not lost, however. Here are some simple suggestions to help lighten stress and improve moods around the office this time of year:

  • offer yoga sessions — many yoga instructors offer office-specific programs that don’t require mats or yoga clothes
  • bring in a massage therapist to give lunchtime neck and back massages
  • designate one day a week as a late start (or early closing) day; or allow other increased flexibility to staff’s schedule
  • institute a less-formal dress code, or even have a contest for tackiest Christmas sweater
  • reconsider deadlines, if possible, in light of the holidays
  • provide fruit trays or veggies and hummus in break rooms to give options besides the cookies and candies that will be swamping the office
  • encourage everyone to drink water (which keeps all of us healthier and cuts down on holiday weight gain) and donate to charity the money they would have spent on soda or coffees
  • show appreciation of how hard everyone is working – whether you are a boss, a colleague, or an employee — genuine compliments can be the best Christmas gift of all

A little fun, a little relaxation, a little kindness — all will help everyone at the office be happy, healthy, and enjoy the holidays (and work) a little bit more

Secret Santa Gifts Your Co-Workers Will Love

secret santa gifts for co-workers

Gift Ideas for Your Office Secret Santa

Looking for the perfect gift for your office Secret Santa exchange? Shopping for co-workers is not always easy, but don’t let the stress of finding a great gift your ruin the fun. If you’re unsure what to get your co-workers, don’t worry. Check out these gifts for every budget that your co-workers will love.

Personalized Sock Monkey Plush Treat Jar

This sock monkey treat jar will bring joy to your co-worker’s office. Personalize it with their name and fill it with their favorite candies. Starting at only $19.99

Personalized Business Card Holder

Personalized Business Card Holder, Custom Business Card Holder, Engraved Business Card Holder, Business Card holder --BCH-MR-HANNAHRAE

This custom business card holder engraved with your co-workers name will bring joy to your co-worker year ’round. Only $12 at Etsy

Cookie Cottage Cookies

Full Image

Your co-worker will thank you when they open this box of delicious cookies from one of Fort Wayne’s favorite cookie makers. Fill a box of cookies with a dozen assorted cookies from only 20.25 at Cookie Cottage.

Toastabag: Toaster Grilled Cheese Maker

The Toastabag is a reusable bag that works in the office toaster which will allow your co-worker to grill up the perfect grilled cheese sandwich at lunchtime. Buy a pack of 2 from Amazon for only $9.99.

Smartphone Stand

iPhone Stand, Spinido® Titop Series Magnesium-aluminium Alloy phone Stand for Desk Compatible With All iPhone (iPhone 5 iPhone5S iPhone 6 & iPhone 6 Plus) and Samsung Galaxy Tab S5 S6 Edge Note 2/3/4 (Space Grey)

The Titop Smartphone Stand for a desk will allow your co-worker to keep their phone from becoming buried in the pile of papers on their desk (if it’s anything like mine!). On sale now at Amazon starting at only $19.99.

Bluetooth Speaker

 

affordable bluetooth speaker

Give your co-worker the gift of sound with the Oontz Bluetooth Speaker. The Oontz speaker is an affordable bluetooth speaker with great sound starting at only $24.99.

USB Coffee Warmer

Mug Warmer, Black, MWBlack

Your co-worker’s coffee will never get cold again with this USB coffee warmer. Only $7.99 at Target.

USB Slippers

S’mores USB Heated Plush Slippers

Your co-workers feet will be happy and warm with these USB Slippers. Only $24.99 from Think Geek.

Desk Calendar

animal desk calendar

The Critter Bit of Help desk calendar will bring a bit of whimsy to your co-worker’s office. $24.99 from ModCloth.

Sticky Note Roller

Who wouldn’t love this Sticky Note Roller that allows you to make your note any length you want! Available for only $9.95 at Amazon.

How to Throw an Office Holiday Party that People will Remember

Some Tips for throwing a Memorable Office Party

The holiday season can be a stressful time at work. But, the good news is, you may be able to de-stress a bit if there’s a fun office party to look forward to. It’s a great way to show staff how much their hard work is appreciated and to celebrate this year’s achievements. A well-done office party can forge stronger relationships between co-workers and boost morale. And it encourages everyone to take some time to slow down and have fun together. Here are some tips on how to make this year’s office party affordable, enjoyable and successful!

Planning a Successful Office Holiday Party

  • If possible, designate a committee to be in charge of planning the event so the extra work doesn’t fall to just one person (and so a variety of ideas can be explored).
  • Rather than just sending a boring memo, send a funny e-vite to set the mood for celebrating.

A Good Space

  • Renting a space is a nice way for everyone to get away from the office, but choose a location that is convenient — make it as easy as possible for everyone to get to the party.
  • Using space in your office is a good way to save money, but be sure to decorate your office to set a festive tone for the party. Try to clear the paperwork off of your desk; make it a place where everyone can forget about work for awhile.

Food And Drinks

  • Whether catered or pot-lock, make sure there is plenty to go around — and a good variety to meet special dietary restrictions (consider adding a line at the bottom of the party invite where staff can note any dietary preferences).
  • Other fun food options that may save some money include hiring a food truck or two to park outside the party venue; or planning the party to be a lunch or breakfast event.
  • If the event will have alcohol available, you don’t need to offer too many options — party planners suggest one signature cocktail, a red and a white wine, a beer option or two, plus sodas and water.

Music/Decor

  • Keep the decorations festive, but nondenominational so that everyone feels included.
  • Options for music include hiring a DJ, putting together a party playlist, or hiring local talent.

Office Party Activities

  • If you want to include an activity or two, ask your colleagues beforehand and see what they would like to do — gift exchange, party games, or just hang out and have fun.
  • Plan activities that are inclusive and not embarrassing to anyone. Let people opt out, if they so choose. Award prizes to the winners to enhance competition.

DOs and DON’Ts (for attendees)

  • DO thank the boss for hosting the party (and also whoever did the planning).
  • DO branch out and talk with coworkers that you don’t know so well.
  • DON’T overimbibe.
  • DO remember, this is a work function and you will have to show your face at the office the next day. Make sure you act in an appropriate, professional manner.

The Holidays are a great time to show your workers some appreciation; so above all, have fun! From all of us at Workspace Solutions in Fort Wayne, we would like to wish you a very happy holiday.