Ask Me Help Desk - Social Committee plans

Please forgive me if this is not the right place for this question.

I will be the Social Committee Chair this year. Does anyone have any ideas for Christmas Socials, EOY Socials, secret pal, anything at all to make this year special?

In the past, we have done our Chrismas Social at the Country Club or Kobi (a teppanyaki restaurant). Our EOY social this year was just a "potluck" type gathering at the school and the year before was a picnic at the lake.

The committee really wants to make this year special. Any suggestions on anything different we could do this year? Not just at holidays or food-realated, but anything?

Thanks for your help!

For a Christmas thing I would say you have to start by finding out what you are and are not allowed to do so as not to offend anybody. Many places have gone to just having a gathering or whatever with nothing special because people get offended with a Santa Clause, Christmas songs, etc...
IF you are not allowed to then you will have to go more with a winter theme than a Christmas theme. For them to call it Christmas party I would guess that they are more open to it being a Christmas thing but I would check to be on the safe side.

There are million's of good ideas. The first thing to do is find out what people expect then five it to them. If there are no specific expectations than you can really have fun. I'll assume the latter because you seem a bit lost.

From what you said it appears that you need to come up with two events, Christmas, and end of year. Christmas seems to be a dinner at a good restaurant and EOY is just what ever you can put together easily. Neither are very exciting the second time around. I also get the impression that student productions are not order of the day,

As I write this I get the impression that this a faculty and staff social events not student family.

Since I don't know lets go both ways, If student Parnet, get the students involved and go with a themed activity such as a summer beach party for christmas, the usuals can be added, gifts, giving tree (palm), song and dance, For An unique EOY bash try a welcome to school dance.

If on the otherhand this is a facultysstaff thing A formal christmas ball catered as for a wedding could be a memorable event. Find a chalet setting with a large fire place for a yule log, Add a large bowl of steaming wassail, use a victorian theme and play victorian party game, use ens Christmas Carol (the scene at Nephew Fred's house). This would make a truly unforgettable Christmas. Take it as far as you like, go for grandure, Encourage costuems.

End of year. Take the throng back to their childhood, and simulate a summer camp. Bonfire, hot dogs smores, and the greatest of camp food stake and Out side if the weathe be good, or in the Gym if your skies are darkend by rain. Inside fake the bonfire with crape paper and get one of those fire pit grills for marshmallows, and dogs. Pop up tents, scavengere hunts, songs etc will complete the picture.

Good luck and remember if you don't want them to forget go way outside box

Quote:

Originally Posted by N0help4u

For a Christmas thing I would say you have to start by finding out what you are and are not allowed to do so as not to offend anybody. Many places have gone to just having a gathering or whatever with nothing special because people get offended with a Santa Clause, Christmas songs, etc.....
IF you are not allowed to then you will have to go more with a winter theme than a Christmas theme. For them to call it Christmas party I would guess that they are more open to it being a Christmas thing but I would check to be on the safe side.

I've worked there for quit awhile, so yes the Christmas theme is not only OK, it is expected. We are a public school, but a Christian community and do still say a prayer before large gatherings such as PTO programs, faculty meetings, etc. (shhhh, don't tell the government! Haha). However, I don't want the answers to only be specific to one theme. ANY ideas to get the creative juices flowing are welcomed!

Bobp1, I'm sorry, I should've been more specific. Yes, it is staff and spouses only and held in the evening. I love the chalet idea! I'm goiong to start checking into that. I don't know how elaborate I could go. While we have some teachers (myself included) who would absolutely LOVE a ball or gala-type event, there are some that I feel confident would not attend. We are in a... what's a good term... rurally diverse (?) area. Some of us like fashion (you know, I mean like New York& Co, not Prada) others would wear jeans and a John Deere t-shirt everyday if they could. Don't get me wrong, we are not out in the boonies, we have the big city of Hickory (of John Reep fame! Haha) nearby. I joke, but it really does have a lot to offer culturally as well as commercially.

We also draw names for secret pal, and my principal wants to have gatherings every-so-often at the school in the afternoon for ice-cream or whatever throughout the year. Just a time for staff to interact and get to know one another in a non-instructional atomshere. So if your school has done anything you've really enjoyed, no matter how large or small, please let know. Like I said, I can adapt them to our situation.

Thanks!!

Don't ignore the obvious. Halloween, Valentines day, Summer picnic, Icecream social, Yes even a oldfachioned pot luck. Just remember to add the extras,

Halloween, let them be kide again, appel bobbing, costurms, spooky stunts, skits, etc
Valentines day, try a sock hop, DJ or local band, music of the 50s hamburgers, fries, and carhops let your imaginatin run wild
Summer Picnic, horseshoes, baseballl, stakes, corn on the cob
Clambake, do your own
Potluck, prizes for the best (several catagories)
Ice cream social, do not use paper, get real glass for sundays and soda. The glass makes it seem much more special, also put your toppings in fancy lidded serving conatiner and dip them out with a ladel (1oz size) no squeeze tubes. No self service.

Quote:

Originally Posted by smylie1

we have the big city of Hickory (of John Reep fame! haha) nearby. I joke, but it really does have alot to offer culturally as well as commercially.

(Btw, I grew up in Taylorsville.)

How about (always include refreshments)--

A scavenger hunt?

A board game night (Parcheesi, Uno, Chinese Checkers, Rack-o, Memory Game--matching playing cards or picture tiles that were face-down--Scrabble, Yahtzee, Clue)?

For Halloween dress up in costumes that are puns (Search Injun is dressed like an Indian and holds a magnifying glass, Cereal Killer with empty boxes of cereal fastened to his clothes) or famous people?

A movie night (popcorn and other movie treats, prizes for specially numbered chairs), the group discussion afterwards while eating sundaes made by each person?

An "open mike" night with poetry readings or recitations, instruments played, duets and other singing

Hayride, campfire, marshmallow toasting, weenie roast, singalong with guitar(s)/banjo

I have been on our social committee for the past 4 years now at the home depot and part of our job is coming up with events to raise money so that we can have a spectacular holiday party, and raise between 6- 7 thousand dollars a year . These are just a few of the things we do to raise the money.
... we have bake sales
... we have silent auctions ( donated items that are in good shape , or crafts that employees donate)
... we have a lunch sale once a month ( b-b-q. hamburg & hotdogs ) ( taco day ) ( sub day ) ( banana split day) etc
... we have a lunch cupboard ( we buy our own food and sell it in the lunch room instead of vending machines _ very profitable )
... we play games ( balloon game - we blow up balloons with prizes in them from free drinks , candy , small gifts and always one huge gift like a wii system, a bbq . Then we sell you a chance to win by throwing a dart at the balloons winning what's inside. NOTE some balloons have nothing in them.
... we play a bingo game for prizes
... we play Jokers wild this is a card game we play.
These are some of the things we do to repay all those who support us through out the year
... we have movie nights
... we have potlucks
... we have a bowling night.
... we have a baseball night
This is what we do with the money we raise. For the first two years we were not allowed to leave the store for our parties , so we had to come up with ideas for inside the building. The first year was not so great , we set up tables and had a pot luck meal and waited for your name to be called to take a card off a christmas tree and you would get the prize inside.
Second year not so bad we hired a casino to come in( fake money was used). We hired some girls to walk around and serve drinks and food. The fake money that we won we used to bid on items ( so the more you won the better the prize you could bid on )
Third year we were allowed to go outside the building , so we wanted to make this a big event. We did a red carpet award show. We hired a few singers to come , we had a sit down meal, we hired a photographer to come in , we had old movies playing on a wall , the tables were decorated with movie strips , flowers and candles,and yes we did have the red carpet when you walked in . The best part of the night was giving out the awards and we did have them made just like the awards on TV ( the statue award) these were some of the catagorries - most memorable moment, best hair, most to resemble a movie star, things like that. Every so often they would stop and call out some names to go up and pick a card for the gift inside it.
Forth year we combined the kids and adult party together and made it an old fashion christmas theme . We took a bus to upper canada village for a night of skating, sled rides . We had an old fashion christmas meal . Prizes this year was a gift card to every associate for a turkey or ham and the kids received a board games.
THIS YEAR WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A MASKED BALL