Holiday Celebration Ideas

December 04, 2023

Spread the Holiday Cheer in Your Community

The holiday season is an amazing time of celebration and reflection for some in your community, while for others in many communities, it might be a season of sadness, loneliness and despair.

For HOA and community association managers, and some property managers, it’s the right time to be visibly supportive and give your residents a lift. Residents might be expecting you to lead the way. Sometimes, it’s all about a little encouragement to get things rolling and then they take on a life of their own.

With the Xmas holidays arriving soon, you’ll need to act fast to make this a memorable one.

And much of creating a holiday spirit is symbolic through decorations, giving, and communication. The intent is what really makes the difference to residents, but of course, you can bring in the treats, drinks and games to encourage participation.

Start your holiday cheer right now with these starter ideas below which you can build on your own way. Keep it up every week right into the holidays.

And if the holidays are too quiet or materialistic, you can leverage that too by emphasizing the spirit of giving to the less fortunate, and creating events that give community members a way to connect casually and share the spirit.

The strategy is simple. Lift their spirits visually, provide some nice greetings, and bring them together for nice events to share some conversation, drinks and treats.

Celebrations to Bring Together Your Community

Try a few of these celebration and party ideas to help you get the Xmas cheer happening in your community.

use decorations and lighting displays and wreathes on gateways and association entry doors to set a festive and happy tone every time members pass through. The cost of LED lighting is minimal and definitely warms up a cold-looking scene. Buy long strings of electric lighting, and dress up one special tree to bring a focus to celebrating the spirit of Xmas.
organize a casual Xmas party and be sure to have great appetizers and decorations.
send out messages of gratitude and appreciation.
arrange a place to donate new, packaged food to let residents give to the unfortunate.e
be lighter on the regulations regarding homeowner displays immediately so residents can express themselves in a nice way.
have a best home lighting display contest and give an award for the most jazzy, creative and colorful theme.
hold a winter carnival or outdoor games day with whatever sport/games are appropriate for your local climate.
hire a live band with neutral style music event for a weekend concert in your community center and have another casual party.
hold a party with Xmas-themed games and rent an inflatable playground structure for kids to play on.
hold a cookie-baking contest with a get-together to award the best.
hold a Merry Movie night showing some fun, light-hearted Xmas movies for residents to enjoy together, and offer some treats, hot drinks and appetizers.
host a holiday market where local vendors can sell their creations.
hire a local Santa and a photographer at your community center for the kids to get their picture taken and give Santa their wish list.
have a baking party with contestants building the most creative cookies or gingerbread house.
set an active theme for a New Year’s Eve party with games and contests for the kids.
do a charity drive to invite members to give toys, clothing, and other items for the poor and needy.
collect money for a specific charity such as the Foodbank or other top charity in your city.