10 Christmas Potluck Party Ideas to Make Everyone Merry in 2024
The holiday season is upon us and that means it’s time for parties! So how about making this year’s celebrations special and organizing a Christmas potluck party for your office? Make the food the main attraction and give everyone a reason to feel extra festive as they bond by sharing a meal.
After all, who doesn’t love eating mouth-watering holiday treats that make everyone feel warm and fuzzy? Your coworkers will bond, share in the festive cheer and have a fantastic time eating the Christmas food they prepared!
Apart from that, cooking itself has many benefits. It boosts creativity, confidence, and is a great stress reliever, which can result in better performance at work.
However, don’t settle for the bland classic potluck party that has already bored everyone. Try playing with the ‘bring-a-dish’ dinner idea a bit and pick something more thrilling instead. It’s time to give everyone the opportunity to try something different from the usual tired entrees and finger foods.
Below, we’ve compiled a bunch of fun Christmas potluck party ideas that everyone will enjoy!
Start reading and get inspired now!
Top 10 Christmas Potluck Ideas
Before you jump into our list of fresh and exciting Christmas potluck ideas, make sure you remember those key tips that will help you make the party a success:
- Post a sign-up sheet divided up into starters, main course dishes, salads and desserts. That way, you’ll ensure there’ll be plenty of variety on the table.
- Consider your coworkers’ dietary restrictions and allergies. If there are any vegans/vegetarians or people with allergies or dietary restrictions on your team, ensure that they’ll have suitable options to eat. Also, to avoid cross-contamination, always place their dishes in a separate area of the table to avoid confusion and accidents. Also, be mindful that the crowd doesn’t rush to the table and try options that are specifically tailored to their needs until they have filled their plates.
- Inform everyone about the potluck party at least one month in advance. This will help ensure that everyone will have plenty of time to decide which Christmas dish to prepare.
- Unless you have specific dietary restrictions or food allergies, try everything that’s on the table. It’ll send a message to your coworkers that you appreciate their food. And that will instantly make them feel great.
- Ask your coworkers if they will need any special equipment before the event. If you can’t meet their needs, gently ask them to bring something else that doesn’t require being stored in the fridge or warmed up on a stove.
- Eating can make everyone sluggish. So why not add some exciting office Christmas games to your party agenda so you can engage the crowd and avoid any yawn-stifling!
Have you made some notes? Now dive into our list of Christmas potluck party ideas!
🌟 1. Christmas Charcuterie Board Potluck
This potluck idea is a great way to kick off the holiday season! Create food platters with your favorite Christmas treats, such as roast nuts, cheddar cheese, smoked salmon, cured ham, baba ganoush, hummus, fruits, vegetables, and more! Your coworkers will be encouraged to get creative with their food and make something that shows off their skills. What’s not to love?
🌟 2. Christmas Cocktail Potluck
Any great Christmas office party should offer a range of great beverages. And this idea will work perfectly for anyone who is planning a cocktail party instead of a traditional sit-down dinner.
A Christmas drink potluck works just like a traditional potluck, but instead of bringing food, everyone has to prepare holiday-themed drinks and cocktails. We mean drinks like Jack Frosts, the Grinch Punch, Classic Snowballs, Eggnog, etc.
Everyone will simultaneously get a chance to try something different and enjoy their own beverage! And later, you can vote for the best drink and find out who is a true mixologist.
We do advise the party planning team to provide some snacks or a small selection of starters.
🌟 3. Back to the Childhood Potluck
Sometimes we forget how important Christmas was for us when we were kids. Remember our excitement about the food, the presents, and spending quality time with our families? So why not relive the past and bring those precious Christmas memories back?
So, for this potluck event, ask everyone to bring their favorite Christmas dish from childhood and discover how many holiday traditions you have in common.
Reminiscing about the past can lead to meaningful conversations among your teammates.
After this bitter-sweet potluck, you can take your team for drinks at one of the top bars in town to raise a toast to your childhood.
🌟 4. All Over the World Potluck
Christmastime is the perfect time to cherish cultural diversity and acknowledge food and traditions from all over the world. If you work in a multinational company where people come from different cultures, encourage them to step into the spotlight by preparing a dish that they eat at this special time of the year.
An all-over-the-world potluck is a fantastic way to learn more about each other’s cultures and traditions. It also offers a great opportunity for colleagues to share their stories and reminisce about their country’s traditions. You’ll have plenty of fun, but also, you’ll be learning something new!
To make things easier and avoid having a mess at the office, you can host a Christmas potluck party at a hired event venue.
🌟 5. Comfort Food Potluck
The truth is that everyone always makes an effort to enjoy their favorite comfort food at Christmastime. It can be anything from sweet and spicy gingerbread, flavourful fruitcake, and Christmas pudding to savory beef Wellington, roast potatoes, and Brussels sprouts.
Asking your coworkers to prepare their favorite comfort food casseroles, side dishes, and desserts will make them nothing but happy! They will be able to share treats that make them happy. Plus, you’ll be able to bond with your colleagues as they discover who shares a love for the same food.
🌟 6. Cookie Swap Potluck
Make your Christmas celebration much sweeter by asking your colleagues to bring their favorite homemade cookies. And, to make it more fun, at the end of the party, let everyone swap and take home a batch made by one of their colleagues.
Your colleagues will love this idea! After all, everyone has a sweet tooth!
🌟 7. Christmas Brunch Potluck
How about having brunch for dinner with all the traditional specialties? It’s a great way to spice up the traditional potluck party idea and get everyone excited about the menu. If you’re having a bigger celebration later in the night at a bar or a club, you can make a Christmas brunch potluck earlier in the day to get everyone in the holiday spirit.
Ask everyone to prepare and bring a dish that they usually eat on Christmas morning. You can suggest such delicious options as star bread, old-fashioned pancakes, oat bars, pumpkin cinnamon rolls, etc. Encourage everyone to choose easy-to-make-and-eat options that won’t make a mess.
❄️ You may also like our article about top Christmas decorating trends!
🌟 8. Traditional Christmas Potluck with a Twist
We know that classic holiday dishes dominate at most Christmas office parties. But sometimes, it’s nice to break out of the traditional mold and bring something new to the table.
To add a pinch of excitement, challenge your coworkers to prepare a dish with an extra spin! Perhaps baked potatoes instead of mashed, or turkey breast stuffed with spinach and ricotta? We guarantee that everyone will have a blast tasting more modern interpretations of classic dishes.
❄️ You may also like our article about Christmas dinner party ideas!
🌟 9. Something Red, Something Green Potluck
What are the colors of Christmas? Red and green! So how about preparing food in that color scheme? This party theme will add a festive feel and encourage everyone to channel their inner Gordon Ramsay to come up with innovative Christmas dishes that include some of these two colors.
🌟10. Sweets Potluck
Here’s another and sweeter approach to the Christmas potluck party. Ditch Christmas classic dishes and organize a party with sweet treats instead. If your team cannot start the working day without coffee, doughnuts, or croissants, they will love this idea. Encourage them to prepare Christmas treats such as cookies, fudge, truffles, candy canes, tiffins and cupcakes.
Then, later in the day, you can spoil everyone with a fancy dinner at a top restaurant!
To Wrap Things Up
As you can see, there are so many ways for you to make the classic Christmas potluck party an engaging and enjoyable event for your coworkers.
Eating together, especially at Christmastime, will help you bond, share the holiday spirit and connect. And when you match the event with office Christmas party games, as well as a funny Christmas theme, you will build trust and improve work performance over the coming year.
So if you’re considering having a potluck party, go for it! But don’t forget to pick one of our fun ideas because they’re bound to help you throw a Christmas office party to remember!
Craving some more inspiration? Check out our latest blog articles about corporate Christmas parties:
⭐ 22 Jolly Christmas Spirit Week Ideas for the Workplace
⭐ 15 Christmas Party Themes to Spread the Holiday Magic in 2024
⭐21 Christmas Party Food Ideas to Mingle and Jingle at This Year’s Office Party
⭐7 Ideas for A Company Christmas Party on a Budget
FAQ
What is a potluck Christmas party?
A potluck Christmas party is where everyone brings something to eat or drink to share with everyone else. They are popular at Christmas because they allow people to enjoy a party without having to manage all of the food and drinks on their own.
Everyone contributes to the event and brings something special that they enjoy eating. Do you know what’s even better about potlucks? There are no set rules on how to organise them. For example, the host can prepare the main dish, while the guests are responsible for preparing side dishes, drinks or desserts. Or you can host a themed potluck party and ask everyone to prepare something that matches the party theme.
These types of events are fun and are great for bringing a team together, which is always a good thing!
What to bring to a Christmas potluck party?
The best way to decide on what to bring to a Christmas potluck party is to know where it will take place. If the venue or the office has a kitchen, you can prepare practically anything, as you won’t have problems heating the food or storing your dish in the refrigerator. However, it’s best to avoid foods that easily spoil at room temperature or are too greasy. They won’t look appealing at the table, and the chances are high that no one will eat them.
Great options are those that can be easily eaten without getting messy. For example, fried chicken, turkey, pasta salads, food platters with nuts, meat, cheese, baked potatoes, vegetables, pies and more.
Can I organise a Christmas potluck party at a venue?
It is possible to organise a Christmas potluck party at a venue; however, it should always be discussed with the venue manager before the event. Before booking the space, it’s important that you explain what type of event you are planning, and that you don’t need catering.
On Tagvenue, you can easily filter venues and find ones that allow external catering, so make sure to hop on our platform!
When should I host a Christmas office party?
A good rule of thumb states that it’s best to host a Christmas office party close to the holiday or at least in December. That’s when usually your coworkers will feel the holiday spirit and be ready to celebrate. If you’re struggling to pick an ideal date, let your coworkers have a say. Create a poll with potential dates and see which option will be the most popular.
When it comes to venue hire for holiday parties, according to our Head of Growth, Federico Roccatagliata, the most popular Christmas party venues are booked by the end of the first half of September. This means that you should start looking for the ideal venue several months before the holiday to ensure you’ve hired the best option.
Why not check out some more tips and tricks on how to plan a successful office Christmas party?
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