425 Bingemans Centre Drive
Kitchener, Ontario, Canada N2B 3X7
Kitchener, Ontario, Canada N2B 3X7
Tel: (519) 744-1555
Christmas party ideas for work, from an office lunch to an evening dinner or an activity night, with planning notes on budget, timing and dietary needs.
Contents
The best christmas party ideas for work start with one question: what would your people actually show up for? A long evening dinner suits some teams. A catered lunch at the office suits others better.
This guide groups office christmas party ideas by format, from a department lunch to a whole-company dinner. We are Bingemans in Kitchener, and we have planned holiday events for groups of very different sizes across Waterloo Region. Each idea comes with the planning notes that decide whether it works: budget, timing, dietary needs and attendance.
What are good Christmas party ideas for work?
The best ideas match the format to your team: a catered lunch, an evening dinner, an activity night or an afternoon event.
Each format below suits a different kind of workplace. Pick the one your people would choose for themselves, then plan around it.
If you are still choosing a room, our guide to Christmas party venues in Kitchener-Waterloo covers that side. This post is about what to do once you have decided to celebrate.
What is the easiest staff Christmas party idea?
A catered holiday lunch at your own workplace. Nobody travels, and the party fits inside a normal working day.
Bingemans Catering provides offsite catering, so we bring the holiday meal to your office or another location. That makes this the simplest of the staff christmas party ideas to organize.
It works well for teams on different schedules, such as departments, shifts, healthcare teams and professional offices. Our corporate holiday menus include a Holiday Luncheon, a Holiday Dinner Buffet, a Holiday Served Dinner and Employee Appreciation meals. The corporate holiday catering page lists them.
Add a few small touches. A short thank-you from a leader, a table for sweets, or a draw for a gift card turns lunch into an occasion.
What is a good idea for an evening holiday dinner?
A seated or buffet dinner gives the whole company one shared evening. It suits groups that want speeches, awards and time to talk.
The classic evening party remains popular for a reason. People dress up, colleagues from different floors meet, and leaders can recognize the year's work in front of everyone.
Choose the service style to fit the room. A plated dinner suits a seated programme with speeches. A buffet moves a large group faster and gives people more choice.
Family-style platters sit between the two and tend to get a table talking.
Our holiday dinners feature fresh local turkey and seasonal favourites, with vegetarian and plant-forward plates prepared alongside. We can host the evening at Bingemans, or bring the dinner to a location of your choice.
What activity-based Christmas party ideas work for teams?
Pair food with a shared activity so people mix instead of sitting with the same colleagues all night.
An activity changes the mood of a work party. Teams compete, laugh and talk to people they rarely meet. It also helps quieter staff, who may find a long seated dinner tiring.
At Bingemans, the activities are on the same property as the catering. Our holiday events can include bowling, axe throwing, laser tag, escape rooms and mini golf, so your group can go from dinner to a game without leaving.
Plan the food around the activity. Appetizers before play, a dinner afterwards, or food throughout all work. Tell us how much time you want for each part, and we will help you build the evening.
What is a good daytime or family-friendly work party?
An afternoon event is easier on parents, shift workers and anyone who cannot stay out late.
Many teams find that an evening party leaves people out. Caregivers rush home, and people who commute from Cambridge, Guelph or farther may skip it. An afternoon reception or a weekday lunch can bring more of the team together.
If your company welcomes families, a daytime gathering suits that too. Keep the food easy to eat standing up, and plan something simple for younger guests. Our social holiday catering page covers gatherings that are not strictly workplace events.
Should you plan a small-team party or a whole-company party?
Match the format to the headcount. Small teams can choose almost anything. Whole-company parties need more structure.
A party does not have to include hundreds of people. Among company holiday party ideas, an event can be a lunch for a department, an afternoon appreciation event, a client gathering or a private dinner.
One thing to settle early is whether the whole company gathers at once. If your staff work across sites or shifts, two or three smaller events can reach more people than one large one.
How much should you budget per person?
Set a per-person budget before you choose a format. Food, service and extras all draw from it.
Our holiday party catering starts from $50 per person, and the final figure depends on the menu, the format and your group size. A catered lunch at the office and a served dinner at a venue will not land at the same number, so ask for options at more than one level.
A useful way to plan is to list what the budget must cover:
If your budget is firm, say so in your first conversation. It is easier to shape a plan around a number than to cut a plan down later.
When should you book a work Christmas party?
Book as early as you can. We typically see clients book their holiday events about six months ahead.
December dates go early, especially Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Teams that held a party last year often rebook early to keep a preferred date and format.
If your date is closer than that, reach out anyway. We will accommodate your needs and guide you through the process.
Flexibility helps. A weekday lunch or an early-December afternoon is often easier to secure than a Friday night.
How do you plan for dietary needs?
Ask in the invitation, not at the table. A short form a few weeks ahead avoids last-minute gaps.
Workplace parties bring together people with different tastes, dietary requirements and cultural backgrounds. A good menu has more than one real main option, not a side plate added at the end.
Ask about allergies and dietary needs when you send the invitation, and share the full list with your caterer once. Our holiday menus can include vegetarian and plant-forward dishes, and individually packaged meals are available for appreciation events. Tell us what your group needs and we will plan around it.
This is also where an in-office lunch helps. Individually packaged meals make it simple to label and match a meal to each person.
How do you get people to attend?
Choose a time people want, then announce it early. Attendance follows convenience.
Most low turnout comes from timing, not from the party itself. Ask a handful of staff what suits them before you commit. Consider shift schedules, school pickups and travel.
Send the date early, say what the event will be, and make it clear that partners or families are welcome, if they are. Let people choose between options where you can, such as an activity or a quieter table. Then keep the day itself easy: clear start and end times, and food that is ready when people arrive.
Who is a catered office lunch not right for?
If your team wants a big night out with dancing and a full programme, a lunch will feel too small.
A lunch at the office keeps things simple, and that is the point. It will not replace a gala for a company that wants an evening to remember.
If that sounds like your team, an evening at a venue is the better choice. If you are somewhere in between, a lunch with an afternoon activity can bridge the two.
Plan your team's holiday party
Pick the format first, then the details. Whether you want a lunch at your office, a dinner or an activity night, our team can help you shape it.
See the corporate holiday catering menus or contact our events team to tell us about your group.
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