‘Tis the season for mulled wine, mince pies, mistletoe and of course, the infamous office Christmas party. If you find yourself in charge of organising this year, no doubt you want to make sure it is one to remember. And of course you will want to avoid staying in the office, holding a plastic cup of flat prosecco, nervously avoiding eye contact with your boss.

Here is a guide to ensure your office Christmas party is a complete success.

1. Get planning – now!

It may feel like you are only just ready for winter, but the best venues get booked up, fast. You do not want to be left with only the local pub as an option. Make sure you get a date in everyone’s diary as early as possible, then start the all-important task of finding a venue.

2. Get out of the office

Find a venue which is easy to get to, and make sure there is the option for taxis or a bus home at the end of the night. If you do have to stay in-house, choose a room away from your normal work area and make it festive.

3. Send an invite

Make it feel like a special event that people can look forward to. Make your invite fun and eye-catching to really get people in the festive mood. Use paper if you can, rather than just an email.

4. Decide on a Christmas party theme

No party is complete without a theme to tie it all together. Here is your chance to get creative. Perhaps it’s Christmas past, or novelty hats. Or you could even plan an activity to really get everyone involved: a murder mystery experience dinner or wine tasting.

5. Include a competition

Whether it is ‘best Christmas jumper’ or ‘best achievement of the year,’ everyone loves a competition and it is a fantastic ice-breaker. You could even create a quiz, complete with novelty prizes.

6. Plan a great menu

Whatever you do, remember to include enough food for the day and night. Find out your budget and look for a menu which has something for everyone. For larger groups, a buffet can be ideal, and it means people can eat whenever they are ready.

7. Treat everyone like guests to your own party If you are host, greet everyone at the door and make sure they know where to put their coat and get a drink. This is a great way to put people at ease, especially if you’ve chosen an unusual venue.

8. Make a seating plan

With large groups of people this is the best way to ensure everyone is happy. Another option is to get all the men (or women) to move seats before dessert. As well as the traditional cracker jokes, you could leave ice-breaker questions next to each placemat to help get conversations flowing.

9. Don’t forget the entertainment

Music is all important, and whilst you want a few of the Christmas classics, make sure you have some tunes to cater for every taste and get people up and dancing. Perhaps there is a secret DJ in the company, or you could even introduce a karaoke machine.

10. Take lots of photos

Time to get the Christmas pudding sweaters out, fun to include in an article for the staff newsletter and great for a giggle when sober January kicks in.

If you follow these tips, you will be all set for a fantastic office ‘do’ this year.