Skip to content

How to Host a Holiday Party: Timeline, Work Christmas Party Ideas and RSVPs

Updated · RSVPlinks

To host a holiday party, set the date and budget about six weeks out, send invitations four weeks ahead with a reply-by date, and buy food from the final headcount rather than the invite list. The rest is choosing a format your guests will enjoy and keeping the planning in one place.

Step by step

  1. Six weeks out: pick the date and budget

    December weekends book up first, so choose early. For an office party, a weekday lunch or an early evening is easier for parents and commuters; for friends, a Friday or Saturday night. If you can't settle the date yourself, poll the group. Set the budget as an amount per person, because it makes every later choice simpler.

  2. Five weeks out: book the venue and the format

    Decide between the office, a restaurant's private room, a rented space or your home, and between a sit-down meal, a buffet, or drinks and appetizers. Ask a venue about its minimum spend, service charge, end time and whether you can bring your own decorations.

  3. Four weeks out: send the invitation

    Send one link with the date, time, address, dress code, whether partners or kids are invited, and the reply-by date. Ask for replies about two weeks before, which gives a caterer or a restaurant a firm count.

  4. Two to three weeks out: plan the games and who brings what

    Set the gift exchange rules and spending limit, choose one or two activities, and if guests are bringing food, put out a bring-list so you don't end up with five desserts and no mains.

  5. One week out: confirm the headcount and order food

    Message anyone who hasn't replied, then work out food and drinks from the people who said yes. Confirm the count with the venue or caterer, and send guests a short note with parking, transit and the start time.

  6. On the day: set up and keep it moving

    Set up an hour early. Put food and drinks where people can reach them without crowding the door. Start the main game or gift exchange about an hour in, once most people have arrived, and keep any speech under five minutes.

How far ahead should you plan a holiday party?

Six weeks is comfortable for most parties, and eight or more for a large office party at a venue, since restaurants and event spaces fill their December dates early. A small party at home can be planned in two or three weeks.

If December is already full, a January party works well: guests have fewer conflicts and venues are easier to book. Call it a new year party or a year-end celebration.

To find a date, list a few options in a free date poll at /date-poll: from 2 to 20 dates, each with an optional time, and everyone answers Yes, If need be or No with just their name. When you pick the winner, one button starts the event page on that date.

Budget and venue: what to decide first

Work out a per-person amount, then multiply by the number you expect to come, not the number invited. For an office party, ask what the budget covers: food and drinks only, or also the venue, decorations, a gift exchange and transport home.

The venue sets most of the cost. The office is the cheapest and easiest for staff to reach, but it feels like work unless you change the room. A restaurant's private room handles food, drink and cleanup, usually with a minimum spend. A rented hall or event space gives you room for games and music, but you bring the food. A home party is the most relaxed; cap the list at the number of people your main rooms hold without a queue for food.

How do you make an office holiday party inclusive?

A work party should feel open to everyone on the team, including people who don't celebrate Christmas, don't drink, or don't work in the office.

  • Call it a holiday party or a year-end celebration, and mix winter decorations with any Christmas ones.
  • Make alcohol optional, not the centerpiece: serve a mocktail or a hot cocoa bar, and keep soft drinks as easy to reach as the wine.
  • Ask about dietary needs on the invitation and label dishes, with vegetarian options and any halal or kosher needs covered.
  • Hold it during or just after working hours, so parents and long-distance commuters don't have to choose.
  • For remote staff, mail a snack box or a gift card ahead and run a short video segment at a time that works across time zones.
  • Keep any gift exchange optional, with a low spending limit stated in the invitation.
  • Pick an accessible venue: step-free entry, seating for people who can't stand for hours, and a quieter corner away from the music.
  • Make attendance clearly optional, and don't schedule it on a major holiday any team member observes.

Holiday party ideas for work and for friends

Pick one or two of these rather than all of them; a party with one good activity beats a packed schedule. For a longer list of office ideas, see the work Christmas party ideas post on our blog.

  • Work: a catered holiday lunch in working hours, so everyone can come.
  • Work: a chili or cookie cook-off, with the whole team voting on the winner.
  • Work: a five-minute year-in-review slideshow made from photos the team sends in.
  • Work: light-hearted office awards, nominated ahead, such as calmest in a crisis or best meeting snack.
  • Work: a giving project, such as wrapping donated gifts or packing care kits for a local shelter.
  • Work: a hot cocoa or mocktail bar with toppings, which works for drinkers and non-drinkers alike.
  • Work: for a small team, book an escape room, bowling lanes or a cooking class instead of a venue.
  • Work: for a remote team, mail snack boxes ahead and run a 45-minute video party with trivia.
  • Work: a January thank-you party when December calendars are already full.
  • Friends: a cookie exchange, where everyone brings one batch and leaves with a mix.
  • Friends: a holiday potluck with a bring-list, so the dishes balance out.
  • Friends: an ugly sweater party with a vote for the best and the worst.
  • Friends: an ornament or wreath-making table with supplies laid out.
  • Friends: a holiday movie night where guests vote on the film from a short list.
  • Friends: a progressive dinner, with each course at a different neighbor's house.

Games, gift exchanges, food and who brings what

Secret Santa and White Elephant are the two gift exchanges people expect. The free Secret Santa generator gives each person a private link to their match, keeps couples from drawing each other, and needs no sign-up. The free White Elephant number generator draws a fair pick order. More games for work, family and kids, with how to play each, are on the Christmas party games page.

If your guests reply through an RSVPlinks event, the Party Games add-on ($6 or 1 credit, on a free event too) runs Secret Santa from the people who said yes and emails each person their match. If someone declines after the draw, it re-matches the people affected, or tells you when only a redraw will do.

For food, plan from the yes count. For an appetizers-only party, allow about 6 pieces per guest in the first hour and 4 for each hour after; count about 2 drinks per guest in the first hour and 1 an hour after; and buy 1 lb of ice per guest. Add about 10% for extras. The free party food calculator does the sums for adults and kids, with or without alcohol.

If guests are bringing dishes or helping set up, a free sign-up sheet lets each person claim an item or a shift with their name and email, no account needed, and full items close by themselves. On an RSVPlinks event you can add up to 3 sheets to the event page for free.

Holiday party invitation wording and RSVPs

Lead with the date, time and place, then say who is invited, the dress code and when to reply. Two examples you can adapt:

Work: "You're invited to the [Team] year-end celebration on [Date], [Start time] to [End time], at [Venue]. Lunch is on us, and there are vegetarian and alcohol-free options. Partners are [welcome / not included this year]. Please reply by [Date] and tell us about any allergies."

Friends: "Join us for cocoa, cookies and a White Elephant swap on [Date] at [Time], [Address]. Bring one wrapped gift under [$ limit] and your coziest sweater. Let us know by [Date] if you can make it."

An RSVPlinks event page carries the invitation and the reply form on one link, free for up to 20 RSVPs: guests answer Yes, Maybe or No without an account, give their adults and kids count, and can add a note such as an allergy. You get an email on each reply, Add to Calendar and map links for guests, a QR code for a printed notice, and a guest list you can export. The list stays hidden from guests unless you choose to show it.

Paid events, from $7 once per event, add a reply-by date that closes the form, reminders, custom questions such as a meal choice, a guest limit with a waitlist, and co-hosts who can manage replies with you.

Frequently asked questions

How far in advance should you send holiday party invitations?
Four to six weeks ahead for most holiday parties, and earlier for a large office party at a venue, because December fills up fast. Ask for replies about two weeks before the party so you can give the venue or caterer a firm count.
What are good office Christmas party ideas?
A catered lunch during working hours, a chili or cookie cook-off, office awards nominated ahead, a short year-in-review slideshow, a giving project such as wrapping donated gifts, a hot cocoa or mocktail bar, and a Secret Santa or White Elephant swap with a low spending limit. For remote teams, mail snack boxes and run a short video party with trivia.
How do you make a work holiday party inclusive?
Call it a holiday or year-end party, make alcohol optional and offer good alcohol-free drinks, cover dietary needs, hold it in or near working hours, include remote staff with a mailed treat and a video segment, keep the gift exchange optional and cheap, and choose an accessible venue.
How much food do I need for a holiday party?
For appetizers only, about 6 pieces per guest in the first hour and 4 for each hour after, plus about 2 drinks per guest in the first hour and 1 an hour after, and 1 lb of ice per guest. The free party food calculator works it out for adults and kids from your headcount.
How do I organize Secret Santa for a work party?
Set a spending limit and an exchange date, then draw names. The free Secret Santa generator gives each person a private link to their match, with no sign-up. If people reply through an RSVPlinks event, the Party Games add-on ($6) draws from the yes replies and emails each match.
Is there a free way to collect RSVPs for a holiday party?
Yes. An RSVPlinks event page is free for up to 20 RSVPs. Guests reply Yes, Maybe or No from one link without an account or app, you see a live headcount with adults and kids, and you can add a free sign-up sheet for who brings what.

Send your holiday party invitation

Pick an office holiday party design, add the date and venue, and share one link. Replies, headcount and dietary notes land on your dashboard.

Set one up for your event

From the blog

More guides