How to Throw the Best Christmas Holiday Bowling Party for Your Staff

The holiday season is upon us! It's time to put a fresh spin on the traditional office holiday party. This year, why not consider a staff bowling party to boost team morale and encourage a little friendly competition? Here's how you can plan the best Christmas bowling party for your staff.

Step 1: Choose a Suitable Bowling Alley

Start by finding a local bowling alley that can cater to your company's needs. Many bowling alleys offer group packages, including food and drink options, so you don't have to worry about organizing these separately. Ensure the venue has enough lanes to accommodate your team and is easily accessible for everyone. An added benefit is that the bowling alley will likely be adorned with festive holiday decorations, saving you the hassle and effort of decorating the venue yourself!

Step 2: Pick a Convenient Date and Time

The holiday season is a busy time, so finding a date that works for everyone can be tricky. Send out a poll to your employees to find the most suitable date and time. Remember, the goal is to maximize attendance and enjoyment.

Step 3: Spread the Word About the Party

Once all the details are in place, make sure to communicate them to your staff effectively. Send out a detailed invitation (printed or via email are both great options) and hang up flyers around the office with all the information they'd need.

Our holiday bowling party invitation and flyer templates are designed to make your communication task easier and more effective. Professionally designed, these templates allow you to seamlessly include all the necessary details about the event - location, date, time, dress code, RSVP details and transportation arrangements.

The templates are not just functional but also aesthetically pleasing. They incorporate festive elements and striking visuals that capture the holiday spirit and the fun vibe of a holiday bowling party. This will ensure your invitations and flyers grab attention and generate anticipation among your staff. Moreover, the templates are easily customizable. You can adjust the text and add logo images to align with your company's branding. By using our holiday bowling party invitation and flyer templates, you will save time, maintain consistency, and boost the excitement for the festive get-together.

Step 4: Decide on the Menu and Drinks

Food and drinks are a crucial part of any party. Coordinate with the bowling alley to ensure they can cater to diverse dietary needs. If they offer a package deal, consider choosing a variety of options so there's something for everyone.

Ensuring a memorable holiday bowling party also means providing appetizing food. Pizza is an excellent choice for any bowling party - it's hearty, easy to share, doesn't require utensils and loved by almost everyone. Consider ordering a variety of pizzas to cater to different tastes. Include options like classic margherita, pepperoni, vegetarian, and even gluten-free pizzas for those with dietary restrictions.

A surefire way to make your holiday bowling party even more festive is by organizing a staff happy hour or open bar. This will provide an opportunity for employees to unwind and enjoy some casual, relaxed conversation. Coordinate with the bowling alley to see if they offer bar service. If they do, arrange for a selection of beverages, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, to be available. This can include a range of beers, wines, spirits, mocktails and soft drinks. If you're planning an open bar, be sure to remind employees to drink responsibly. You can offer open bar wristbands to your party guests, alternatively for a more controlled approach, consider providing drink tickets to each employee. This can help manage consumption while still ensuring everyone has access to refreshments. 

If the bowling alley is not within walking distance, consider arranging transportation. This will ensure everyone can enjoy the party without worrying about how to get there and back safely. This is especially important if there is a company sponsored happy hour where the holiday spirits will be flowing.

Step 5: Play lots of Festive games

While bowling is the main event, having additional games can keep spirits high. Consider organizing a friendly tournament, awarding prizes for the highest score, best technique, or most spirited outfit. You could also incorporate a variety of games and competitions beyond just bowling. For instance, you could host a trivia challenge between rounds or a dance-off to the favorite holiday tunes. Make sure the bowling alley is playing all the holiday hits for your staff event.

Adding a gift exchange element to your staff holiday bowling party, such as Secret Santa or White Elephant, can bring an extra layer of excitement and holiday cheer to your Christmas bowling party. For a Secret Santa, ask interested staff to participate by drawing names to decide who they will be gifting to. Set a reasonable budget, so no one feels overwhelmed by the costs. For a White Elephant exchange, invite everyone to bring a wrapped, unmarked gift within a set price range. Participants then draw numbers to determine the order they will go in to either select a new gift or "steal" a gift someone else has already opened, adding a fun, competitive twist to the gift-giving process. Either option promotes camaraderie and a sense of community among staff members, making the party even more memorable.  We also offer a dice exchange gift game idea here:

Step 6: Dress Code - Make it Festive!

Encourage your staff to dress in festive clothes or accessories. This will not only light up the atmosphere but also make for some great pictures!

To add a hilarious touch to your festive get-together, promote the idea of wearing ugly holiday sweaters. This long-standing tradition has been a source of laughter and good-natured teasing at holiday gatherings for years. It's a playful way to break the ice and foster a friendly, lighthearted atmosphere. Ask your staff to put on their most outrageous, over-the-top holiday sweaters. You might even consider having a contest where party guests can vote on the best and offering a prize to the person(s) who shows up in the most outrageous ugly sweater or holiday outfit. This silly yet endearing tradition is sure to bring a smile to everyone's face and make the event all the more memorable.

Check out our ugly sweater voting set with printable and editable wine label prizes to give to the winners!

Step 7: Capture the Memories

It's a great idea to hire a professional photographer or designate someone to capture the evening. Many bowling alleys also have photo booths that you could allocate money towards your staff to use. 

Adding photo booth props to your Christmas holiday bowling party can introduce an element of fun and creativity that your team will adore. Props such as Santa hats, reindeer antlers, or even bowling-inspired items can spark laughter and camaraderie among attendees. Moreover, these props encourage attendees to capture memorable moments of the event. The resulting photos serve as personal keepsakes that staff members can look back on fondly, long after the party has ended. Additionally, these photos can be shared on the company's social media platforms or internal newsletters, fostering a sense of community and shared experience within your team.

Step 8: Show Your Appreciation with a Gift

Use this opportunity to thank your team or staff for their hard work throughout the year. Consider giving out gifts at your company holiday bowling party that show your sincere appreciation.  Here is a list of some of our favorite christmas staff gift ideas:

1. Coffee Gifts: Thank your staff a "latte" and gift them gift cards, coffee or coffee mugs.  This coffee gift tag is perfect for a personalized thank you!
2. Desk Plants or Succulents: Small, easy-care plants can bring life to their workspace and improve air quality.  Thank them for helping your company to grow in a fun and festive way with these amazing christmas plant gift tags
3. Gift Cards: A gift card for a local restaurant or an online retailer is always a good choice.  Attach any gift card to our editable holiday appreciation gift card holder for a personalized gift for staff
4. Holiday Gift Baskets: Fill them full of chocolates, cookies, gourmet cheese and crackers, wine and beer.  Attached our "thanks snow much for all you do" holiday gift tag to it so your staff feels extra supported.
5. Office Supplies: High-quality pens, notebooks or desk organizers with the company logo can be both practical and appreciated. A calendar that features team photos or company highlights can be an additional personalized touch.  Attach our christmas "we think you're INK-credible" gift tag for a fun and punny touch to some standard office supplies.
6. Health and Wellness Products: Essential oils, scented candles, or an air freshener can help them relax and focus. Tell them just how scent-sational they are with these wonderful holiday scent-sational staff appreciation gift tags
7. Lottery Tickets: It's always fun to get gifted cash (or potential cash). Attached some scratch off tickets to our christmas lottery gift card holders for a great staff christmas gift idea
8. Fun Christmas socks, nice wool warm socks or slippers:  Attach our "you knock our socks off" holiday appreciation gift tag to it!
9. Holiday Cookie Box: Tell them no matter how the cookie crumbles they are the best staff around with this adorable christmas appreciation cookie gift tag
10. A Tin of Gourmet Popcorn: Tell your staff that you're "poppin with thanks" with this editable Christmas popcorn gift tag template

Remember, the best gifts are those that show you've thought about the recipient's personal taste and the value they bring to the team.  Any gift big or small can be jazzed up and made special and add a personalized touch with one of our holiday appreciation gift tag templates.

VIEW OUR ENTIRE COLLECTION OF HOLIDAY STAFF APPRECIATION GIFT TAG IDEAS HERE

Step 9: Have Fun!

The most important thing is to have fun and enjoy the hard work and success of your staff and employees this past year. This is a chance for your team to relax, bond, and enjoy each other's company outside of the work environment.

If you follow these steps, your Christmas holiday bowling party is sure to be a hit. Not only will you celebrate the season in style, but you'll also create a positive, fun-filled experience that your staff will remember for years to come.