How to Gather Employee Wishes and Suggestions for the Holiday Party: HR Tips
Planning a corporate party can either be a warm team event or a source of stress — it all depends on how your company prepares for it.
To make sure the holiday season doesn’t turn into extra pressure for HR, it’s essential to gather employee expectations early. Here’s how to do it thoughtfully — keeping everyone’s interests in mind without spending a full week on surveys.
Why It’s Important to Ask Employees in Advance
Organizing a holiday party doesn’t end with booking a venue and choosing a menu. The mood of the event is set long before it begins. And the key factor that determines whether the team will enjoy it is employee participation in the planning.
Everyone has their own vision of an ideal celebration
Some want a lively party; others prefer board games and relaxed conversation. If HR relies only on “what we did last year,” a portion of the team will inevitably be unhappy.
Collecting wishes and expectations reduces that risk. When people see their input truly considered, they perceive the party not as a top-down initiative, but as a shared event. Even a brief, well-framed poll builds engagement and a sense of fairness.
How to Start Gathering Wishes
The sweet spot is 4–6 weeks before the event. That’s enough time to review responses, adjust the program, and align the budget.
If you start later, you may not be able to incorporate requests — and disappointment will only grow.
Keep the process light
Use a simple online form, a short poll in the team chat, or a quick Google Form — anything that requires minimal effort. Five to seven questions are enough to capture the essentials without overwhelming people.
Avoid stiff wording like “Please complete the corporate format survey.” Use a friendly tone instead:
“Let’s design our ideal holiday party together.”
This lowers the barrier and signals that HR isn’t just collecting data — it genuinely wants to hear the team.
What Questions to Ask
Start with the format.
Where and when is most comfortable — office, off-site, daytime, evening? This shows how open people are to travel and longer events.
Ask about the program.
Do colleagues prefer an active format with a host and light activities, or a calm evening without a script? Teams often split; in that case, combine approaches: a short official segment followed by free mingling.
Cover food and music — two hot buttons.
Ask explicitly what people definitely want and what to avoid. Sometimes a single comment like “no karaoke, please” or “no more potato salad this year” can prevent a dozen complaints later.
Don’t forget gifts.
Invite employees to choose what feels appropriate this year: identical gift sets, symbolic keepsakes, or an internal gift exchange within teams. Even if opinions vary, you’ll get budget and style guidance.
How to Keep It Honest and Anonymous
People are more candid when they don’t feel watched.
- Use forms without sign-in or gather responses via a neutral helper, like an HR bot or internal assistant.
- For smaller companies, ask a trusted colleague to act as a neutral moderator and compile wishes into a shared doc. This lowers anxiety about being judged.
Explain why you’re asking
Not “for reporting,” but to make the party comfortable for everyone. A simple line works: “We’re not chasing perfection — we just want an evening with genuinely pleasant moments.”
When employees see their input isn’t tied to names, they reply more readily and give real, specific suggestions — not vague, “safe” answers.
How to Make Collecting Wishes Easier with a Secret Santa Game
Even a short poll can feel boring. To boost participation, you can combine wish-gathering with a Secret Santa game. The format is familiar, informal, and sets a positive tone.
When employees join a gift exchange, each person fills out a wishlist — preferences and likes. HR can add one optional prompt:
“Tell us one thing that would make the holiday party more enjoyable for you.” Framing it as “help us make the celebration a gift for you” encourages practical, honest suggestions.
No one wants to manage spreadsheets or chase deadlines in December. The MySanta service simplifies logistics:
- Randomly assigns pairs and preserves anonymity;
- Collects wishlists in one place — no spreadsheets;
- Shows organizer statuses so no one drops off;
As a result, HR spends less time coordinating and receives natural, useful input — no formal questionnaires necessary. The game helps you understand what the team truly wants and builds a friendly mood well before party day.
How to Analyze the Responses
Once the poll is complete, don’t just skim — systematize.
- Group wishes by category: venue, program, format, food, music, gifts. You’ll see where opinions converge and where they diverge.
- Separate outliers from trends. If one person writes “I want the party in the countryside,” and twenty choose “an evening in town,” don’t ignore the outlier — read it as a signal about mood. Maybe the team is tired of formal events and craves something more relaxed and personal.
- Map ideas to budget. Often, a single touch — a photo corner, a short hosted segment, or a small keepsake — shifts the atmosphere to festive.
It helps to prepare a brief report on the results:
3–4 slides or a clear message in the team chat. Show that responses mattered: “Here’s what the team chose — and here’s what we can implement.” This builds trust and proves that input actually shapes decisions.
How to Turn Wish-Gathering into a Team Ritual
So it doesn’t feel like “another HR survey” every year, make it a tradition.
Add a playful element: invite colleagues to submit fun anti-formats alongside real wishes. That breaks the ice and sets a friendly tone, e.g.:
“Let’s do a party with no food and no chairs.”
“Company anthem sing-along with a guitar.”
Use the previous year’s results as a starting point next year. When people see their earlier suggestions reflected, participation feels meaningful. That’s how you foster a culture of involvement: the party becomes a joint project, not a mandate from above.
Wrap results in a simple visual: a small infographic or a side-by-side “Team Chose → We Implemented” card. You don’t need a designer, and it gives a satisfying sense of completion.
People love seeing the outcome of their ideas, even if it’s just one line: “You asked for a buffet — done.”
These small signals turn preparation into a shared effort and position HR as a partner who listens.
Conclusion
Collecting wishes isn’t bureaucracy — it’s a way to hear the team and show that HR cares not only about tasks, but about people. When employees know their preferences shape the celebration, they come to the party with interest — not out of obligation.