Plan for Christmas Success
It’s November and Orchard Road’s already decked out in mesmerizing festive lights and elaborate Christmas trees covered with more ornaments than leafs. Malls like ION and Paragon always make over-the-top Christmas planning look like a piece of cake.
But when it comes to planning our own parties, even the most seasoned of planners worry theirs will go down in flames like that tree outside A&F did last Christmas. But with this guide to planning an unforgettable Christmas party for the office, watch ideas for your dream party materialize with just a few clicks, right from your desk. Pros suggest you start planning two months in advance, so RIGHT NOW is the perfect time to get cracking!
Ps: Read till the end for early bird promos for Orange Clove’s Christmas catering specials!
1. Find a perfect party space
Throwing a party in the office saves tons on the budget, but just the thought of wine spilled on your boss’ favorite suede sofa and the dread of cleaning up the post-party mess (read: post-hurricane disaster) is enough to dampen the festive mood.
Festive Shophouse hidden in the Lorong 24A Geylang. Source
Source for alternative party spaces are aplenty this Christmas, with event venue finders combing through listings of cafes, bars, and houses for you.
Whether it’s a shophouse tucked away in the lorongs of Geylang or a fancy yacht floating we on the South China sea, you’re clicks away from the perfect party space that will spare you the blame games with the wine stains.
Check these out: We Are Spaces | Venuerific
2. Send out the invitations
Design your own e-invite from Paperless Source
Handwritten invites are the thoughtful way to go, but if your company just went from a small to medium enterprise, it’ll be tough to maintain legible penmanship once you hit the 42nd invite.
Spare yourself the hand cramping with e-invitations. E-invites these days have customizable messages, guest lists organization and even collates RSVPs for you – they’re waaaay fancier than a basic Facebook event invitation.
Check these out: Paperless | Greetings Island | Evite
3. Get a fully decorated Christmas tree
Whether it’s classic Nordmann Firs or DIY ones made out of stacks of books, Christmas trees are a permanent fixture at any year-end holiday party. This year, skip the real Nightmare before Christmas – single-handedly digging out last year’s tree from the company storeroom. Pick up a new one online!
Party hack: Instead of painstakingly hanging every last ornament by yourself, get everyone to write their name + gift wish on the underside of a post-it, stick the wish on an ornament, and hang them on the tree! Get them to randomly return the next day to pick someone else’s post-it off the tree. There you have it, a decorated tree and now everyone has a secret santee.
Check these out: Cold Storage | FarEastFlora | Candy
4. Get party decorations
You’d normally stopover at Daiso for cheap(er) party decor, but the multiples of two add up quickly at the cashier and sacks of tinsel and santa hats are a chore to lug back to the party venue.
Get decorations online and delivered to your doorstep. The decoration’s much cheaper and you’ll save on wreaths, mistletoes and fancy christmas hats – with some going for way less than $2, you might even have the budget for a foam/snow machine!
Deck the party halls with boughs of holly or get the place nice and cosy by building a fireplace – relax, no need for firewood or a chimneys here, all you need is a connectable LCD screen for this virtual one!
Play this on loop for the duration of the party Source
Check these out: Ezbuy | Redmart | Lazada
5. Order a scrumptious Christmas feast
Perfect addition to your buffet spread is a 4.5kg Traditional Roasted Turkey ($98.80++)*
Food is normally one of *THE* biggest concerns with organising office parties. Pizza parties are too passé and potlucks are too troublesome for all involved. Plus, it’s not really Christmas without honey baked ham, leg of lamb and roast turkey.
If you want everything going super smooth, count on some fuss-free catering from Orange Clove. Orange Clove is one of Singapore’s leading corporate caterers, and they’ve started taking orders for their special Christmas with Gramercy Menu, available now till the 2nd Jan 2017!
*Order the Traditional Roasted Turkey by 12th December for 30% early bird discount.
Cheesy Rendezvous – Orange Clove’s Special Mac N Cheese.
Serving up mini buffets from just $15.99++ per pax (min. 20 guests), to full spreads at $20++ per pax, ’tis the season to taste dishes like Saffron Pilaf Rice with Pistou and Haricot Bean Salad with Duck Confit & Quail Egg from an affordable Christmas specialty menu that tastes more gourmet than buffet.
You’re given the option of adding Christmas favorites like Smoked Turkey Leg, Whole Lamb Leg and Roasted Strip Loin Beef to “zhng” your Christmas feast. And if you order from the Christmas menu by 9th December, you’re getting FREE Log Cake (1kg – Christmas Menu / 600gram – Christmas Mini Buffet).
6. Buy unique Christmas gifts online
About 38% of people are regifting gifts they don’t want, and that’s a trend we should not be encouraging! Get some quirky gift ideas then search for the items online, or engage a concierge shopper to run down to Orchard and buy items on your shopping list for you!
7. Get some Christmas Spirits a.k.a. booze
‘Tis the season to be jolly and there’s nothing like some social lubricant to get in a merry mood. Your guests will appreciate all the help they can get from wines, spirits and beers to get chummy with the HR before their next performance appraisal.
Usher in the twelve days of Christmas with a lineup of 12 Christmas cocktails! You’ll need to stock up the bar for these, so check out 1 hour deliver services alcoholdelivery.com.sg and Mabukmonkey.com and get alcohol delivered to your doorstep, stat!
8. Offer diverse party entertainment options
Christmas is a time of giving, so give your guests the most comprehensive entertainment package imaginable – book console games, board games, or even karaoke sets – there won’t be a dull moment at your party.
Get your professional karaoke rental sets from JNR Entertainment, Impact KTV or Sparkz, complete with surround sound systems, microphones and expansive song lists comparable to Teo Heng’s.
If your colleagues are more old school, consider renting board or card games. Ease out the silent tension with great Christmas music in the background – our favorites on Spotify are Christmas Pop and Christmas Classics.
And if you’re still looking for more things to do at your party, tons of things are available for rent like PS4s, XBOXs, scooters, mahjong sets or even trampolines.
9. Get Santa Claus to make a guest appearance
Christmas is incomplete without Santa himself making a grand appearance at your party. You’d arrow someone from the company, but to avoid upsetting anyone this season, your best bets are the professional Santas-for-hire!
Check these out: Mascots Innova | Santa Claus Academy | Ministry of Party
Organising the perfect Christmas party
Source: @kqthelongtofu
It’s not easy planning a party as a working adult, so hopefully these tips will help you throw one worth remembering. And if you thought Christmas couldn’t get any better, Orange Clove is throwing in these special deals for UOB or HSBC cardholders:
UOB Card Promo – Enjoy 10% off all Christmas Buffets* till 2nd Jan ‘17. Order by 12th Dec ‘16 and get a complimentary Cheesy Rendezvous + 30% off Traditional Roasted Turkey.
HSBC Card Promo – Enjoy 10% off all Christmas Buffets and FREE delivery till 2nd Jan ‘17. Order by 12th Dec ‘16 and get a free Chocolate Ganache Log Cake (U.P. $45.80).
Check out Orange Clove’s Christmas Menu here
This post was brought to you by Orange Clove.