Office Christmas party themes, part 1

Make your office party a truly Christmassy affair

 With Christmas fast approaching, it’s time to start preparing for the annual office party celebration. While some of us look forward to this chance to let our hair down with our workmates; others see it as a bit of a chore and reluctantly attend. But while you can’t please all the people all of the time, here’s hoping you can at least make it a pleasurable experience for as many as possible.
 
So, if it’s your job to get your workmates together and in the party spirit − even if it’s just for one afternoon or evening − you may want a few ideas to help get you started. These should all be workable, whether the party is happening in your office building, at another venue, or in a restaurant. You may just have to modify things accordingly.
 
Christmas parties based on a specific theme tend to go down well. The question is, which one to choose? In our series of Christmas blogs, we’ll be offering you a few ideas to whet your appetite, starting with a Christmas character theme.
 

Christmas character theme

Get your colleagues to dress up as their favourite Christmas person, whether it’s a biblical figure, a fictional character from a book or film, Father Christmas himself, a Miss Santa, an angel or an elf. And if people aren’t interested in doing the whole fancy dress thing, why not suggest they turn up in a novelty hat or festive accessory instead?

The Christmas character theme can also run through to your entertainment with, for example, a quiz based on films, books, songs or food related to Christmas; dancing to Christmas music; or a Secret Santa based on Christmas-themed gifts.
 
If you’re providing food and drink, you can make it truly traditional fare by offering, for example, turkey bites; turkey and cranberry pasties; nut roast squares (for the veggies); roasted vegetable kebabs; mini roast potatoes on sticks; vegetable platters in Christmas colours, such as green and red peppers, tomatoes and broccoli; mince pies, bite-size Christmas puddings and mulled wine. To complement the food, choose Christmas-themed paper plates, cups and napkins to make your party extra festive.

And, on a final note, don’t forget the mistletoe to put everyone in a fun and flirty mood.

Children’s Nativity Costumes

Ensure Your Child’s a Star in Their School's Nativity   

Just when you thought you could put away your children’s dressing-up clothes for another year − now that Halloween has come and gone − their school announces its forthcoming nativity play. What’s more, your little ‘uns will need to be dressed in character. A deep sigh escapes your lips at the thought of another outfit to put together. But don’t stress! Help is at hand.

Offering a wide range of girls’ and boys’ fancy dress nativity costumes, we can transform your child into the perfect Mary or Joseph, a realistic-looking donkey or sheep, or a regal king or lowly shepherd. And while we can’t ensure your daughter always acts like an angel, we can at least help her look like one in our girl’s fancy dress angel costume.

These are just some of the characters that feature in the typical school nativity play, which recreates the scene of the birth of Jesus Christ in a stable. In this traditional Christmas story, a baby is born in a stable in Bethlehem to a woman called Mary, who’s married to Joseph. 

Before the baby is born, Mary is visited by an angel – the Angel Gabriel. This angel tells Mary that she’ll give birth to a baby who will be called Jesus, and he will be the son of God. While Mary is heavily pregnant, she and Joseph travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem (about 70 miles). You’ve got to admire her. For most of us in the later stages of pregnancy, just getting up a flight of stairs is something of a triumph. Anyway, back to the story.

Mary and Joseph make this long journey because the Roman Emperor Augustus orders everyone to return to the town where their families originally come from, to take part in a census. He does this because he wants a list of all the people in his empire to make sure they pay their taxes. (Some things never change!) Although most people are forced to make this journey on foot, some are lucky enough to have a donkey to carry their things. Enter your son in a child’s fancy dress donkey costume.

When Mary and Joseph finally reach Bethlehem, they have problems finding somewhere to stay. All the inns are full and the only place offered to them is a stable with the animals. It’s in this very place that the baby Jesus is born. And his bed – a manger used to hold hay to feed the animals – is where he’s put to sleep.

Following his birth, Jesus receives visits from one of two groups of people, depending on whether you follow the gospel Matthew (who wrote for the Jews) or the gospel Luke, who wrote for non-Jews. In Matthew's account, wise men visit Jesus. After following a star that leads them to Jesus, they present him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. In contrast, Luke’s version tells how humble and poor shepherds are led to Jesus by an angel.

The story of Jesus’s birth ends with Joseph fleeing with Mary and Jesus to Egypt to escape from Herod, King of Judea. Word has it that Herod intends to kill Jesus because he fears that he will replace him as the new King of the Jews. The irony of this remarkable story is surely not lost on many of us. 

Halloween costumes

Ghoulish or glamorous? How will you dress this Halloween?

With Halloween fast approaching (Thursday 31 October), it's time to start thinking about what you'll be wearing to scare your family and friends. Although it's traditional to wear a spooky costume for your Halloween party or to go trick or treating, anything goes. Most costumes are modelled around the original themes of zombies, vampires, ghosts and monsters. But nowadays people are choosing to be unique, dressing up as everything from a cartoon character to a celebrity. 

If you're planning on terrifying the neighbourhood, consider becoming a witch or Frankenstein. But if you fancy reinventing yourself with a touch more glamour, consider a princess costume or become a Greek god. Whatever look you go for, you'll be sure to make a big impression this Halloween. 

What will your 'little monsters' be wearing?

If you're thinking of taking the little ones trick or treating this year or are hosting a Halloween party for all their friends, then you'll want them to look the part. Witches are an obvious choice for the girls, but if they want to stand out from the crowd, there's a whole host of looks to choose from, ranging from viking girls to gothic vampires. And there is no shortage of costumes for boys either. Choose from Captain Hook or Captain America, Harry Potter or the Hulk - and your little ones are guaranteed to be a Halloween hit. 

Halloween celebrations

Top tips to make your Halloween party a huge hit

If you're planning a Halloween party, it's now time to start making preparations so that you'll be ready for the big day. Here are a few ideas to get you started in the run-up to your celebrations.

Costumes

As host of your Halloween party, you'll need to look the part. There is a whole range of fancy dress costumes to choose from - and for every member of the family. Girls can take their pick from a midnight spirit to a spider queen, while boys can be anything from a skeleton to the screecher. For women, become a devil or a demon for the evening, and watch the men transform themselves into Freddy Krueger or a crazy clown. But, if it's just accessories that you're after, there are no shortages of those available. A long black wig or a satin witch's hat will be sure to turn heads.

Decorations

Whether you're holding a Halloween party at home or in a hall, you'll certainly want to create the right atmosphere - and you'll be amazed at how a few decorations can transform a room. A well-placed black furry rat and a few plastic spiders, scattered here and there, will undoubtedly scare your guests - especially the arachnaphobes. Or, raise a smile or two with  a couple of hanging demons and a neon blinking skeleton.

Party food

You may be surprised at the number of recipes available with a Halloween theme. If you're planning on dishing up a meal, why not boil up a pumpkin soup, rustle up a goulash (ghoul-lash, get it?) or create a spiderweb-inspired pizza. A pumpkin risotto will always go down well, as will devilled chicken. And for dessert, how about a pumpkin pie, Halloween cupcakes or skull-shaped biscuits? Serve your culinary delights on the Mozaik plastic tableware range and everyone will be suitably impressed.

Entertainment

It wouldn't be a Halloween celebration without a few party games to get everyone in the right spirit - and there's something for everyone, whatever their age. For the little ones, bobbing for apples is always fun. Just fill a large pool or bucket with water and apples and get your younger guests to pick them out without using their hands. To make it more of a challenge, tie their hands behind their backs or use a blindfold. Filling a jar with candy corns or Halloween sweets - and getting the children to guess how many there are - is another way to keep them entertained. The child who guesses closest, gets to take the jar home with them.

As for the adults, there are countless games to keep them amused. When your guests arrive, tape a piece of paper to their back with a Halloween movie character written on it. Then encourage them to find out who they are by asking questions to the other partygoers. The first to guess their identity receives a prize. After a few drinks, your friends and family will be sure to find Mummy Wrap a good laugh. Just get your guests into pairs and have one from each pair wrap the other in toilet roll, spinning them as they go. The first person to get fully covered is the winner. And if you're guests are up for even more fun, a Halloween movie and trivia quiz or a dance contest with Halloween-themed music will get everyone mingling and in the party spirit.

So now you have a few ideas to get your Halloween celebration preparations underway, what will you be doing on Thursday 31 October?

Wear it pink - Friday 25 October 2013

Think pink!

Wear it pink, Breast Cancer Campaign’s fundraising event, is making its annual return on Friday 25 October. The event calls on everyone to dress up in pink to raise money to fund research that will save women’s lives.

Anyone can take part – from school children to seniors. All you have to do is wear something pink or do something pink on Friday 25 October or any other day this month − and donate £2 to Breast Cancer Campaign. You can paint your nails pink, wear a pink accessory or eat something pink. Be as creative and as original as your imagination allows.

If you’re looking to hold your own fundraising wear it pink event, there are loads of ideas to choose from. Hold a pink-themed fancy dress competition with a prize for the pinkest costume at your school. Organise a bake-off at work, with pink-coloured cakes and treats, and then sell or raffle them off. Or host a pink dinner party or pamper evening at home. Anything goes!

Whatever you raise, be it £20 or £200, will help Breast Cancer Campaign support more people affected by breast cancer. To receive your free fundraising pack, visit www.wearitpink.org/register. And to find out about all the ways you can get involved, go to www.wearitpink.org/get-involved

If you’re looking for a pink accessory or a fancy dress costume, you'll be amazed at what's on offer. Choose from a pink glitter cowboy hat or pink pop wig, or go the whole hog and wear a pink fairy costume or become a pink musketeer for the day. But don't feel left out if you're a bloke. You're sure to make people go gaga in a men's pink baby costume.