Christmas party ideas: 16 ways to keep more than a group photo

Almost every company has special moments over the course of a year.

The summer party, a project finally completed, a team meeting in person for the first time. Perhaps also the completely failed attempt to assemble a new shelf together.

These are exactly the stories that belong in a year in review.

And you don't need a professionally produced film for it.

Old photos can be wonderful.

The hairstyles were different, the offices looked completely different, and some colleagues are barely recognisable.

Find an old group photo from your company or club. Perhaps from the first Christmas party, a company anniversary or a group outing.

Then try to recreate that photo as closely as possible.

Who stood next to whom back then? Who still has the same hairstyle today? And can you get the original facial expressions right?

It's best when you show both pictures side by side.

For a larger Christmas party, a lot of preparation happens that guests don't see at first.

That's easy to change.

Start a small photo countdown about ten days before the party. Every day brings a new glimpse, a riddle or a surprise.

This can simply run through an internal communication channel or a shared photo album.

You don't need to produce elaborate pictures. Small behind the scenes glimpses are often far more interesting.

The advent calendar follows a slightly different idea from the countdown.

It's less about looking forward to a single event. Instead, you accompany your colleagues through the weeks before Christmas.

For marketing, HR or internal communications in particular, it's a lovely way to look back on the year and give something back to your employees.

Behind every door there is a photo, a short story or a personal greeting.

It could be a shared experience, a thank you to a team or a tribute to a special person.

A lovely example would be a photo of a colleague who retired after many years, together with a few personal words from the team.

Or a picture of a joint activity that had almost been forgotten over the course of the year.

Imagine photos of the Christmas party running on a big screen.

Not just the photographer's shots, but pictures taken by the people who are celebrating right now.

A snapshot from the next table. A picture from the photo booth. And suddenly a shot appears that most people had no idea had been taken.

Bit by bit, a small picture story of the evening takes shape.

A live photo wall works especially well when guests don't have to keep an eye on it. It's simply there and provides little surprises along the way.

Of course a group photo is a must.

But does everyone really have to stand in three rows and smile into the same camera at the same time?

Why not try something different?

Perhaps each department recreates a famous film poster. Or you take the photo from above and arrange yourselves into a shape.

Smaller teams can create a group picture with completely unusual poses.

The pictures between the planned shots are sometimes the best ones.

A photo booth is a classic that works well at many Christmas parties.

You don't necessarily need professional equipment for it.

A smartphone on a tripod, a reasonably good backdrop and an extra light source are often enough.

With a few fun props, a corner of the room becomes a small photo station.

Guests can take the pictures themselves, or you can ask someone to step in as photographer now and then.

A quiz is one of the easiest ways to get guests talking to each other.

It's especially entertaining when the questions come from your own company.

For example, show a small detail of a photo from the past year.

Who can tell what it shows?

Or let people guess old childhood photos (only with the consent of the people concerned, of course).

In larger companies, people sometimes work side by side for years without knowing much about each other.

This little task can change that.

Form random groups of three to five people, ideally with colleagues who don't usually work together.

Each group has ten minutes to discover three things they have in common that have nothing to do with work.

Perhaps everyone has been to the same city. Perhaps everyone rides a motorbike. Or everyone loves the same dish.

Then each group presents its most surprising common ground.

And of course a group photo is part of it.

Lots of photos are taken at a Christmas party. Mostly of the same things.

The food. The people at your own table. The decorations.

A photo challenge can change that.

Give guests small photography tasks. They'll discover the evening from new perspectives and get talking along the way.

Print the tasks and place them on the tables. You can also prepare small cards so everyone draws one.

It's not about taking perfect photos.

What's much more interesting is what people discover when they look around more carefully.

Not every employee can come to the Christmas party.

Some work from home, others at a distant location. There may even be colleagues in other countries.

They can still be part of the shared evening.

Invite them to contribute their own photos and short greetings. If the timing works, you can also enjoy individual programme items together by video call.

A shared slideshow can also help connect the different locations.

A photo challenge gets people taking pictures. A photo contest, on the other hand, creates a shared highlight.

Choose a single theme that appeals to as many guests as possible.

Everyone can submit one picture.

Then you look at the photos together and the guests vote for their favourites.

This works with ballot papers, a show of hands or a digital vote.

Some colleagues are rarely in the spotlight.

Yet they are often exactly the people who do a lot for others every day.

The Christmas party is a great opportunity to say thank you.

Alongside official tributes for anniversaries or long club membership, you can hand out small, personal awards.

The awards don't need to be very formal. Sometimes a few personal words are much nicer than a long speech.

After a Christmas party there are sometimes hundreds of pictures.

Among them many similar shots, a few blurry snapshots and perhaps ten or twenty that you'll want to look at again and again.

Why not decide together which ones they are?

Ask everyone to choose their favourite pictures. This can be done with likes, a vote or a small selection round together.

The most popular pictures become a compact collection of the best moments.

You can then share it with everyone or use it for a shared look back.

Some photos don't look special at first glance.

Maybe all you see is three people at a table. One is laughing, another is looking away.

But whoever was there remembers the story.

Perhaps it was a conversation that was long overdue. A surprising encounter, or simply a particularly lovely moment.

That's exactly why it's worth not only looking at pictures, but talking about them too.

Invite colleagues to add comments to their favourite pictures.

What happened in that moment? Why does this photo matter? And what do you like to remember most?

Some memories deserve a place beyond the smartphone.

Perhaps there's a colleague who retired this year. Or a team that pulled through a particularly difficult project together.

The pictures from the year and the Christmas party can become a personal gift.

A small photo book, a printed collage, a greeting card or a framed picture.

A digital year in review can also be a lovely gesture.