Actividades: The purpose is to get teams of attendants to tell their very own Christmas story. It can be based on their idea of an ideal Christmas, their interpretation of what Christmas means to them, of magical imagination of reindeers and elves, etc... It's a theme with an open interpretation. The representation can be sketches, songs, storytelling… or more original acts like a mime or even a poem! Organise your attendants into teams before the event, so that they can meet and get organised and prepare their act. You can organise a vote for the coolest act, or add in a prize to motivate the teams to really "think out-of-the-box" to create and act out their Christmas story. Get an emcee to animate the story presentations. Decoration Decorate the venue like a story, the entrance adorned like a story book cover, complete with a title (which can be your event name) going to the cocktail area decorated with giant pages of a story... "Once upon a time..." Give the sensation of entering into a storybook with the typical fairy tales illustrations. Add in colours of gold, red and green for a Christmas festive mood. You can also place huge boxes wrapped in coloured paper (which you can specially print them with your company's logo to give a corporate identity) and stack them up as presents for decorations. Present the program like different chapters of a book. Even the menu can be tailored to the theme. Work with your caterer to see what specials they can prepare for this theme. You can even name the dishes on famous stories or elements of Christmas such as Rudolph's favourite mixed green salad, Santa's stuffed fowl with pine nuts sauce, etc.
Consejos: So as not to have a too typical Christmas decoration, you can use some figures of Santa Claus, reindeers, but keep them subtle... Use Christmas colours, have a Christmas tree (which you can even chose a different type of tree but simply dress it up as a Christmas tree for a different presentation!). To ensure that the teams will not be short of ideas, it is safer to give some examples of story lines that they can work on and be inspired. Give enough time for the teams to prepare and rehearse ahead. Also, if your budget allows, let them know so that they can also plan how and where they can use this amount to improve their Christmas story presentation. Allocate changing space in the venue for teams to change and prepare for their act. While doing your program flow (which is the sequence and the time allocated for each item of the program for the event), allocate enough time for the team to change and prepare. Get a co-ordinator to let the team know when they should be prepared for their "show". Set up a camera and a projection system so that everyone can get a close up of the performance, and so as to keep a memory of these great acts! It will also enable your guests to go "live" and send their Christmas greetings on-the-spot to all present.