OK, so on first thought a January Christmas party might sound like an unusual idea, but in recent years we have seen a big increase in festive celebration taking place in the new year. Below we take a look at the reasons why more and more organisations are switching to January to bring their colleagues together and explore the benefits of doing so.

The annual pressure to book the best venue or bar in town for a memorable Christmas party is one which most organisers feel. However, rarely do we see Christmas parties organised far in advance, which means you’re often left with the below-par venues with cheap wine and bad food, but what if we told you there was another way to give you team the party they deserve? There really is a multitude of reasons why delaying your festive celebrations might be a good choice.

December isn’t known as ‘silly season’ for no reason. The month is often a full-throttle blitz of get-togethers, carol services, panto’s, school nativities, markets, family gatherings and other engagements, not to mention how many people seem to have a birthday around November/December. It can often be tricky to find a date that works for all your attendees, or you end up booking your party on a random Monday or Tuesday night just to fit into a venues diary.

By contrast, January is a traditionally quiet month making it much simpler to land on a day which fits for all your guests. Additionally, your guests won’t have all the stress and panic that comes with December as they worry over the time constraints that come with it. In the workplace December often tends to contain an onslaught of work as everyone tries to pack everything into 3 weeks, rather than 4, making the Christmas party feel like a bit of a nuisance rather than being genuinely enjoyable.

Let’s be honest though, January is a pretty grim month; it’s cold, dark, wet and most people have the post-Christmas blues. It even has its own official “Blue Monday” day, which usually falls on the third Monday of every New Year. It’s considered the most “depressing” day on the calendar. Morale tends to be low. What better way than to bring everyone together and have an amazing Christmas Party to lift spirits (figuratively and literal shots!). Treat your team to some fun and treats and inject a warm glow into the new year.

Post-pandemic, offices up and down the country are desperate to unite their team for a festive celebration. With many companies going hybrid or fully working from home it’s the perfect opportunity to bring everyone back together. You could even link your Christmas Party to a company annual kick-off meeting, killing two birds with one stone, allowing you to motivate your team, set ambitious targets and to set the tone for success for the year ahead.

Christmas is arguably the busiest time of the year for parties and celebratory events, which makes it an expensive time of year too. Venues and suppliers are extremely busy and in-demand, so they can charge higher rates. January, on the other hand, is a much quieter month for events, so costs aren’t usually as high as venues and suppliers fight to gain business. Your bottom line will look much healthier with a January Christmas party.

As much as we love all the traditional festive delicacies, by the time January rolls around, we’ve all had more than our fair share of turkey, mince pies and chocolate. January Christmas parties give you a chance to move on from the annual holiday gluttony and go for something different, rather than feel you have to select a festive menu in December. From an inclusion point of view if you have team members from a variety of faiths then January also doesn’t discriminate.

So, there’s some non-festive food for thought for you. If your company is thinking of holding a Christmas party next year, think about the above and decide if the benefits of a January party outweigh those of a December party.

Hippo offer Event Project Management and Global Venue Finding services. Contact us today on 01372 460 100 or events@hippoevents.co.uk to see how we can assist.