Planning a company holiday party can become overwhelming if you overly concern yourself with trying to please everyone. It’s important to keep the purpose of the event at the forefront of your mind at all times, it’s to celebrate with and show appreciation for your employees and their hard work.

The percentage of employers hosting holiday parties has hovered just under the 75% mark for several years now and 2012 is no different. What we do see is a resurgence in terms of the total budget allocation for both holiday parties and employee gifts. After a sharp decline in 2009, employers have consistently reported that they are budgeting at least as much, if not more, for both of these line items.