It’s August in Texas, and there’s a drought throughout the state. The best you can do to survive it is to think cool thoughts. What better way to think cool thoughts than to plan your company Christmas party? Summer is winding down and school is starting back. There is a brief lull in the schedule, so take advantage of the down time and plan ahead. You’ll be glad you did. Here’s why:

Saturdays in December book quickly. So you need to either choose a different day of the week or book your venue, caterer or disc jockey well in advance. The early bird catches the worm, and the early party-planner gets the best DJ service in San Antonio. Additionally, try to avoid the Saturday two weeks prior to Christmas. It is usually the busiest day of the month, or even the year, for the party industry. It’s always
better to be the client that must be planned around rather than the client who settles for whatever’s left over at the end.

The holiday rush

Let’s face it. The time between Thanksgiving and New Years is anything but relaxing. From Christmas shopping, baking and sending cards to hanging lights, decorating the tree and attending any number of family functions, there is not much time to sit by the fire and enjoy some eggnog. Do you really want to add something as big as planning to company Christmas party to the mix? The best way to appreciate the celebration will be to plan it well in advance so that it’s properly thought out (instead of thrown together at the last minute), checked off the list (instead of being added) and something to look forward to (rather than something that looms overhead).

Time to plan

When you plan ahead, you have time to come up with a good plan, to use some creativity and to offer a memorable experience. The goal should be to have employees show up at work on Monday morning still talking about the good time they had at the party on Saturday night and looking forward to next year’s hoopla. Truth be told, you have more options when you plan early. Instead of having to call around to find a caterer that isn’t booked, you can reserve your top choice. Instead of hiring a DJ service that consists of somebody’s teenager, an iPod and some speakers, you can choose a service that professionally announces guest speakers, introduces the company president, assists with raffles and door prizes and conducts mixers to loosen up the crowd. Instead of hosting the party in the barn of an employee’s uncle, you can choose a venue that sends a message to your employees about how valuable they are to the company.

Plan ahead, be creative and save yourself the headache of all the holiday planning happening at once. The Black Friday sales won’t happen for a while, so your Christmas shopping can wait until the last
minute, not the company party.