Christmas Office Party Games

See this set on Flickr: Funny Office Awards

I got this nice review from a user in Australia this week:

"While surfing the internet to find some good certificates for my staff the only one which we really enjoyed was this site. Both myself and my assistant found them to be humorous. I would recommend this site to anyone." - Nellie H. Tullamarine, VIC, Australia

Thanks Nellie! There's a reason that FunAwards.com is the best and only place you should turn to for office awards and Christmas office party games -- I'm a professional comedian.

And I'm not just a professional comedian who sits behind a keyboard guessing what office workers and staff will find funny -- I'm out on the road year-round performing at office parties. I know what makes office workers laugh.

Take a look at the pictures above. Those people are having fun!

December is my busy season. Between office Christmas parties and end-of-the-year holiday celebrations, I'll be spending much of the month flying all over performing live at office parties. This experience allows me to come up with the best and most humorous office awards for your staff.

If I'm not coming to your office party this year, don't worry. I've made it easy for you to have your own fun office awards event. Just download the certificates, print, and share. It's easy!

Get started! Go to Funny Office Awards.

Company Party Ideas

Fun Awards Show

The end of Summer is drawing near, and it's high time to begin thinking about your holiday party entertainment. This year, do something completely unique and hold your own Fun Awards Show hosted by Comedian Larry Weaver.

We're pulling out all of the stops this year to make this the best company party idea ever. This live entertainment concept is a unique and humorous way to show appreciation to your employees, volunteers or staff.

Just like the Oscars or the Emmys, the performance begins with  an opening comedy monologue full of customized jokes just for your company or organization.

Larry will work with you prior to the show to help you choose from the hundreds of exclusive funny company awards. His intention is never to embarrass, and Larry knows how to choose employee award winners.

Larry has headlined over 1,000 comedy shows in 37 states. He has the experienced needed to make your work party a huge success.

This show is not just for Christmas office parties. It's also perfect for employee awards programs, staff appreciation banquets, volunteer recognition events, family reunions, church functions, or any event that could use some good, clean fun!

If you're looking for office party games or  company party ideas, you'll find them on this site. Contact Larry Weaver at Fun Awards today to have the best company party ever!

Christmas Office Party Themes

Corporate comedian Larry Weaver outlines a very inexpensive and memorable Christmas office party theme in his newly updated book "Funny Employee Awards: Your Complete Guide to Organizing a Humorous, Entertaining, and Rewarding Recognition Ceremony." Weaver recommends an office “Awards Show” theme to maximize impact with a limited budget.

Employee awards ceremonies are nothing new, but Weaver has added a humorous twist with funny award certificates designed especially for the office.

Sure, you could gather everyone together and hand out plaques reading “Best Salesman” or “Most Valuable Worker,” but where’s the fun in that? “Your employees don’t want to sit through a dry presentation any more than you want to give one,” advises Weaver. 

Weaver's book gives tips on how to organize a corporate event to show gratitude and motivate staff. He suggests many low-cost touches to make your awards show special:

• Set up a red carpet outside the meeting space (check your local remnant store for deals).
• Station a photographer to pose as paparazzi as guests arrive.
• Serve “mocktails” to make the evening festive.
• Have a professional comedian or someone funny serve as the emcee for the event.
• Hand out funny certificates to the winners.

"Very few company awards shows make employees feel special.  But a little creativity in your awards shows your staff that you really put some thought into it this year," Weaver said. 

Weaver has employee award categories for teamwork, leadership, appreciation, achievement and excellence. Most of the awards "poke light fun." He encourages companies to only give those awards to employees with a sense of humor. For more sensitive types, the book contains a selection of "job well done" awards that range from congratulatory to silly.

"Funny Employee Awards" by comedian Larry Weaver contains everything you need to know about organizing a humorous employee recognition ceremony. And most important, you’ll get 101 printable certificates and templates that are appropriate for everyone around the office, no matter the type of business. 

About Larry Weaver:

Larry Weaver is a professional comedian and creator of the Funny Office Awards Show. With nearly 20 years as both a corporate comedian and office worker, Larry brings a humorous perspective to corporate events. His Fun Awards blog has free printable awards, office Christmas party games, and staff appreciation ideas from successful office parties around the world.

To order the funny office certificates, visit http://www.funawards.com

Employee Christmas Party Ideas

Hopefully you found this article on employee Christmas party ideas because you want to have the best holiday office party ever, and not because your Christmas party is in three hours and you have nothing planned. Either way, here are some last-minute ideas to liven up the festivities:

White Elephant Gift Exchange
Some call it White Elephant. Some call it Dirty Santa. Some call it "You know, that office party game where you try and steal each other's gifts." Just proceed with caution. Dirty Santa always starts fun, but never ends that way. In the beginning people are laughing and having fun. Then an hour later you’ve got two best friends who won’t speak for a month over a 9-pack of Starbucks flavored coffee. Hey, it’s a $10 gift. It’s not worth going to jail over. Imagine sitting in you cell, “What are you in for? "Well... I really wanted that Sham Wow.”

Holiday Party Entertainment
Maybe I'm biased, but live comedy is one of my favorite employee Christmas party ideas. Just make sure to hire an act that's both clean and experienced in front of diverse crowds. That means no curse words and no squirm-inducing jokes about what Tiger Woods does in his free time. As the person responsible for planning entertainment for your corporate event, there is no reason good enough to risk having a performer that might offend your group.

Employee Awards Show
The employee holiday party is the perfect time to give those who toil there a “thank you” that’s bigger than just free cups of warm sparkling  cider in the conference room. And that’s where the Employee Awards Ceremony comes in. Just make sure it's fun. Sure, you could gather everyone together in some conference room and hand out plaques reading “Best Salesman” or “MVW” (Most Valuable Worker), but where’s the fun in that? Funny awards give thanks while simultaneously making sure everyone has a good time. Your employees don’t want to sit through a dry presentation any more than you want to give one.

Here are some other ideas to try at your own risk:

• Cancel catering and have a pot luck dinner. It allows employees to show off their culinary skills, and it allows you to have your own personal episode of Fear Factor. Is that hair in Bob's casserole human or animal? You just don't know!
• Raffle off a job at a better company.
• Really mismanage the whole thing and the government will bail you out.

Got your own employee Christmas party ideas? Please share them in the comments section!

Holiday Party Entertainment

Corporate Holiday Party Entertainment Ideas

When shopping for holiday party entertainment, live comedy can be a real crowd pleaser! Just make sure to hire an act that's both clean and experienced in front of diverse crowds. That means no curse words and no squirm-inducing jokes about what Tiger Woods does in his free time. A comedian that is funny without vulgar language, racy commentary or sexual innuendo will be a hit in any environment and for any audience.

As the person responsible for planning entertainment for your corporate event, there is no reason good enough to risk having a performer that might offend your group.

The creator of Fun Awards, Larry Weaver, can help you hire comedians that are 100% clean and appropriate for corporate events. But don't take our word for it...

"Larry Weaver is a great comedian. The material used was a perfect fit for our office environment. The Funny Awards part of the performance went over with bang. The employees talked about it all afternoon. Many, many comments and thanks were given to the HR Department for providing such a great program. Great job." - Teresa J Bell, ACS Annual Appreciation and Awards Luncheon

"Larry Weaver provided an excellent program for our Teacher Appreciation Banquet. He brought the house down. He was so funny, and the way he worked the audience was just out of this world. I asked for clean and funny and he gave me both. He was AWESOME!" – Annette Sessoms, Johnson Primary School Appreciation Banquet

"Thanks again for you help making our manager's party a success. I really enjoyed working with you, and I've heard a lot of positive comments about the show. We look forward to working with you in the future." – Jerry Lee Pendleton, Wal-Mart Distribution Center 6070 Holiday Party

"Terrific performance! Would recommend Larry Weaver to any organization. Clean, appropriate, and funny. He had everyone laughing. We hope to have Larry entertain us again!‎" – Breen Smith, President, New Hope Natural Gas Holiday Party

"Larry Weaver was spot on with his show. He asked about our company beforehand and incorporated funny stories about our employees into his show. It was great to have those jokes written just for us. We especially enjoyed the funny employee awards. Larry is a true professional!" – Gabi Jacob, Corporate Network Services Holiday Party

Want an estimate on the cost of holiday party entertainment? Just click here to contact us

Christmas Office Party - Planning Ahead Saves Big Money!

If you haven't already begun planning your office Christmas party, July is a great time to get started. There's still time to line up the venue, catering, and entertainment that you want. Best of all, planning ahead can save you big money.

In this tough economy, it's tempting just to cancel the Christmas office party altogether. But that's just being lazy. Let's explore some radical ideas that may save you some money in 2010:

Hold your office party during off-peak times. This is easily one of the biggest ways to save money on your event. My unscientific estimate concludes that nearly 95% of all companies will hold their office parties on either Saturday, December 4 or Saturday, December 11. I completely made that up, but you get the idea.

• Hold your office party any day of the week besides Friday or Saturday. There are five other days of the week to choose from. Show some love to Sunday. How about giving Wednesday a shout out? Want to really give your employees a thrill? Hold your party on a Thursday night and close the office the following Friday. Now that's a Christmas gift!
• Hold your office party any other month besides December. I've noticed more companies moving their events until after the holidays. January is a fantastic time to host your office party. The post-holiday doldrums have begun to set in, and people need a good jolt to get them fired up again for the new year. And believe me, venues, caterers and entertainers would love to have some extra business during January. You'll get a lot more options to chose from, less competition and possibly some significant cost savings.
• Hold your office party any other time besides 7PM. Lunchtime parties are becoming more common. How about a party at Noon on Friday, then close for the rest of the day? That's something to get excited about! What about 2:00 PM or 4:00 PM?

God bless all of the overworked Administrative Assistants out there. We know your company has had its Christmas party at 7:00 PM on the first Saturday of the month every year since 1831. That's awesome. But how about considering another date and time this year? Just give it some thought.

At least take a few minutes to ask if there are any costs savings to holding the event another night of the week. You may be surprised at what you find!

Further reading:

• Money-Saving Office Party Ideas
• Combined Christmas Parties Offer Huge Savings for Businesses
• 7 Reasons Not to Cancel the Christmas Party
• Fun Ideas for the Office Party

Funny Employee Awards for CoWorkers on CNN

Thanks to CNN.com for naming "Funny Employee Awards" one of 10 Fun Gifts for Co-Workers in a recent news item.

#9 Funny Employee Awards
Bring your office holiday party to life by presenting your co-workers with funny employee awards. With 101 different categories ranging from a job well done to poking fun at each other, there's sure to be an award for everyone. ($29.99) - Source: cnn.com

The article by Rachel Zupek originally appeared on Careerbuilder.com before CNN picked up the story. She encourages you to forgo predictable gifts like coffee mugs for your boss, a gift card for your co-worker, or fruit baskets for clients. Instead, give something fun like Funny Awards for Coworkers.

Office Holiday Party Planning Checklist

Planning a Christmas party, year-end meeting, or holiday event for your office? Follow these 12 simple guidelines to ensure a safe and enjoyable holiday celebration.

1. Don't go at it alone.
   Planning the office party may be your responsibility, but no one says you have to do by yourself. Form a committee of 2-3 people to share the workload. If you have the budget and authorization, consider hiring an outside event planner.
2. Plan a theme party.
   A simple theme can go a long way towards setting expectations and making the entire planning process more focused. Popular office party themes include Casino night, Hollywood theme, and Office Awards show.
3. Consider an off night.
   Here's an idea - don't have your office party on the first or second Saturday of December like 99% of everyone else in the county. You'll get better deals and more options if you host your party on an off night.
4. Deck the halls.
   Whether you're having the party in-house or off-site, pull out the decorations to make the event festive. You don't have to break the bank, just some small, tasteful touches will do.
5. Break up cliques.
   Avoid an office party where coworkers mingle with the same cliques they hang out with all year. Consider assigned table seating, or use "standing" tables to encourage mingling.
6. Serve food.
   When planning the menu, look for food that is easy to eat and won't end up on someone's clothes or the floor.
7. Have drink options.
   If you're going to serve alcohol, go out of your way to think up equally fun and festive non-alcoholic drinks. Offer mocktails, festive punch, unique soda options... anything to make not drinking just as fun as imbibing. Be sure to have plenty of bottled water on hand and personally serve it to those that are drinking.
8. Hire entertainment.
   I'm sure your manager is a real hoot. But leave the entertainment up the the professionals. Break out the karaoke machine, find a local band, or hire a comedian. If your budget doesn't allow for outside entertainment, consider exchanging gag gifts or hosting some office party games.
9. Get a photographer.
   Your employees usually arrive dressed to the nines, so don't miss this opportunity to capture images of them at their best. Just do it early on in the party, before too many drinks are served. Once the Electric Slide breaks out, put the camera away.
10. Provide hand sanitizer.
    Seriously, it's flu season. Have some Purell available.
11. Corral the booze.
    Stop serving alcohol at least an hour prior to event's end. Offer a food item or dessert at that time. Take care of anyone who may have over-indulged.
12. Have transportation options available.
    Set up some transportation options prior to the event. Have people volunteer to be designated drivers ahead of time. Make sure everyone has access to taxi cab phone numbers, and that cars will be safe overnight. Call the cabs yourself if you have to.

Need more free tips and office party planning checklists? Just keep checking back! And please add your own tips in the comments section below.

Funny Christmas Party Themes - Awards Show

Looking for unique and funny Christmas party themes? Planning a year-end meeting or holiday party and want to have the best event ever? Then roll out the red carpet and host your very own awards show! We'll give you step-by-step instructions for throwing a party that people will talk about all year!

Unless you work for an extremely small company, don't try to plan the Christmas party alone. Put together a selection committee of 2-3 people who know most everyone in the office. You need a group to discuss your coworkers likes, dislikes, personalities and preferences.. Something you might consider incredibly fun, they might consider offensive. Read The Office Party Planning Committee

When choosing your award recipients, make sure you have the biggest characters in the office covered. The awards ceremony will only be as good as the winners, and an event filled with boring acceptance speeches won’t be much fun for anyone. Read How to Choose Employee Award Winners

Consider hiring a professional comedian to really liven things up. Just like a real Awards show, have the comedian perform an opening stand-up comedy routine. Then begin the awards show portion of the evening. As your employees come up to claim the Awards, the comedian can prompt them for a little back story and “acceptance speech”. Read How to Hire an Office Party Comedian

Low cost touches to make your awards show special:

1. Set up a red carpet outside the meeting space (check your local remnant store for deals).
2. Station a photographer to pose as paparazzi as guests arrive.
3. Serve "mocktails" to make the evening festive.
4. Have a professional comedian or someone funny serve as the emcee for the event.
5. Hand out funny awards certificates or funny trophies to the winners.

Want to read more about putting on this funny Christmas party theme? Start by downloading this "Funny Employee Awards" eBook, and you’re halfway there.

You'll find everything you need to know about organizing a ceremony, along with plenty of helpful tips. And most important, you’ll get 101 awards certificates t that will be appropriate for everyone around the office, no matter the employee or the type of business.

When it's over, everyone will be praising you for the best Christmas party ever.

Office Party Ideas - Fun Meeting Ideas

The office: it’s a place to earn an honest living, a place to use your skills and best of all, a place to spend hours surfing for useless junk on eBay™ and get paid for it.

But within every place of business, there comes a time when it becomes necessary to give those who toil there a “thank you” that’s bigger than just dental coverage.

And that’s where the office party comes in. You've tried lots of ideas for a fun office meeting. Now it's time to revisit one of the classic office party ideas: the Employee Awards Ceremony.
This ceremony is all about having a good time, and at the same time showing some gratitude for those who are down in the cubicle trenches with you every Monday through Friday.

But most of all, it’s about fun.

Sure, you could gather everyone together in some conference room and hand out plaques reading “Best Salesman” or “MVW” (Most Valuable Worker), but where’s the fun in that? Funny awards are where it’s at. They give thanks while simultaneously making sure everyone has a good time. Your employees don’t want to sit through a dry presentation any more than you want to give one. We all suffer enough at our jobs without the supposedly fun times adding to the misery.

So how, you ask, do you put on a lively presentation that will be a guaranteed good time for everyone in the office? Start by downloading this "Funny Employee Awards" eBook, and you’re halfway there.

You'll find everything you need to know about organizing a ceremony, along with plenty of helpful tips. And most important, you’ll get 101 awards certificates that will be appropriate for everyone around the office, no matter the employee or the type of business.

An this isn't just for the Christmas party, Holiday party or whatever you call the year-end party. You can give out funny awards throughout the year at staff meetings, sales meetings, all hands meetings, or partial hands meetings. It's always a good idea to add laughter in the workplace.

So put your phone straight to voicemail, grab a highlighter, hit the snack machine for a bag of Funyuns and get started.

When it's over, everyone will be praising you for the best office party idea ever.

Fake Awards - Free Fake Award Certificates and Trophies

Fake Awards Bring Real Laughs

Ever dream of winning your own Oscar Award, Grammy, Emmy, or Tony Award? Do you already have speech written with a  list of people you want to thank? If so, you should consider hosting your own fake awards show.

The best place to turn your awards show dream into reality is right in front of you: the office. (I mean, you are reading this at work, right?) Every business is looking for ways to cut costs at the office party, and a fake awards show is a fun, low-cost meeting idea.

Host Your Own Fake Awards Show:

1. Set up a fake red carpet outside the office meeting space.
2. Hire a fake photographer to pose as a faux paparazzi as guests arrive.
3. Serve fake cocktails ("mocktails") to save money and reduce liability.
4. Have the office jokester serve as the fake emcee for the event.
5. Hand out fake awards certificates or fake trophies to the winners.

Think of it... you could fulfill your awards show dream with just an old prom dress, a themed office party and a little bit of creativity. So what are you waiting for? Tell the party planning committee that  you have a great office party idea!

And remember the old saying: fake it 'till you make it.

The Office Christmas Party Planning Committee

In this clip from The Office, the head of the Christmas party committee throws out the Stanford representative for having "bad" ideas. Can you relate?

Unless you work for an extremely small company, don't try to plan the Christmas party alone. Put together a selection committee of 2-3 people who know most everyone in the office. You need a group to suss out your coworkers likes, dislikes, personalities and preferences.. Something you might consider incredibly fun, they might consider a bore - or even worse, offensive.

A committee also protects you from shouldering all of the responsiblity should something go wrong. If something falls flat, you have the comfort of knowing you ran it past your committee.

But what do you do when disagreements arise within the group? How do you handle the different strong personalities?

Please share your ideas for handling committee conflicts in the comments section.

Money-Saving Office Party Ideas

Associated Press writer Joyce Rosenberg recently penned an excellent article, "Go ahead with holiday parties, even if money's short." The article extols the virtues of forging ahead with the company party - even in the face of a tough economy.

Rosenberg also lists many excellent money-saving ideas to help cut costs on the holiday party:

• Hold a potluck affair, which can appeal to staffers who love to cook and show off to their co-workers. The boss should still contribute something, perhaps beverages and a cake, and be as generous as possible.
• If the staff is small, the owner might have everyone over to his or her house for brunch, or a cocktail party.
• Have your parties onsite rather than in a restaurant or catering hall or club.
• Skip the alcohol, or serve only wine and beer.
• Hold parties during off-peak times. Thursdays in December are the most popular and therefore the most expensive dates, so some companies are putting their celebrations off until January.
• Barter your company's work for dinner at a local restaurant.

Read the full article here. What cost-cutting ideas would you add to this list? Post your comments below or answer this question on LinkedIn Answers