What do an après-ski costume party, a hip-hop dance lesson and an evening with a psychic have in common?

They are examples of decidedly offbeat holiday office parties that some Canadian companies have thrown to thank their employees for jobs well done.

Gone are the boozy late nighters (and predictable day-after mea culpas). In their place are themed team-building experiences, scaled-down team dinners at restaurants, cocktail parties with a firm end of 8 p.m. (so employees can get home to their families) and daytime celebrations with catered lunches and mocktails.

Toronto’s Jane Gill is one of those business leaders who goes all out to ensure each year-end celebration is memorable. The lessons she organized with the Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre a couple of years ago set the bar high. “Our instructor was a backup dancer for Rihanna and we learned the moves to Justin Bieber’s song Sorry,” says the founder of Jane Gill PR.

Her staff talk about the festive celebrations long after the lights have dimmed. “I’ve been to five of Jane’s parties but I think my favourite was last year’s, when we went to the Tiny Market Co. Pasta Shop.” says Becca Samsworth, a senior account manager. “We’re all foodies on the team so the opportunity to learn a new skill – we made ravioli and spaghetti – and then spend three hours making it and then sharing it together was so special.”

Gill goes to all this effort for one simple reason: “This business is personal to me. My staff works incredibly hard, and this is my chance to say thank you. There have been some incredible friendships formed at this agency and I think we need these shared experiences to help create those bonds.”

The trend toward holiday parties that are less corporate, more personal and built around a special experience has really taken off since the height of COVID-19.

“The attitudes of both employers and employees toward celebrating the season have changed,” says Cissy Pau, owner of Clear HR Consulting in Vancouver. “Part of that is due to the change in hybrid work, which has made the workforce increasingly reluctant to the idea of being away from home in the evenings. Part of it is due to a broader popular interest in sobriety.

“And part of it is a recognition that the Canadian workforce is increasingly diverse,” she adds.

“Parties that are less focused on seasonal connotations and involve, say, taking staff to an escape room or a trivia night, are a way to avoid focusing on one cultural tradition over another. It makes the holiday party more inclusive.”

This kind of highly personalized, curated party is easier for smaller businesses to pull off, but Toronto event planner Kim Miyama says medium- and large-size companies are also moving beyond the traditional banquet room and open bar.

“The majority of my clients are now doing cocktail parties, with add-ons like photo booths and live music,” she says. “They want it to run from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. so people can get home at a reasonable hour, and they all want Wednesday or Thursdays. They’re leaving weekends alone so people can have their work-life balance.”

Toronto real estate brokerage Heaps Estrin holds an annual cocktail party for its 60-person team at its community hub/retail space, called the Lobby. Lisa Kovacs, the Lobby’s general manager, has the food catered, supplies a champagne tower (plus specialty cocktails and mocktails) and throws in an interactive component. Last year, it was a tarot card reader and psychic. This year, she’s hired an illustrator to draw caricatures.

“We kind of go all-out because it’s rare for everyone to all be together in the same place. Everyone is remote so we see the office holiday party as a chance to reconnect.”

Linda Chu, owner of Out of Chaos Professional Organizing Solutions in Vancouver, has done the nighttime party but now prefers to host dim sum lunches in Chinatown for her staff and their spouses. It’s a way for me give thanks without encroaching on my employees’ personal time,” she says.

“I wanted to provide an experience that they might be newish to them. My heritage is Asian so dim sum is close to my heart. I feel like a mother, explaining the dishes as they come by on the cart. We meet at 11 a.m., and usually spend three hours talking about everything and anything but work. It’s very special and feels like a big family dinner.”

The family component is also at the core of realtor Bret Schillebeeckx’s annual holiday fete, which is held at Vancouver’s VanDusen Botanical Garden. He and his business partner at Stilhavn Real Estate Services invite 250 to 350 clients (and their kids) to enjoy food, drinks, games and the garden’s Festival of Lights.

“I realized years ago that there were many people like me who didn’t want to be in a big banquet hall, with a bunch of people I didn’t know that well,” says Schillebeeckx, who adds that “just drinking seems less interesting to a lot of people these days.”

The party has evolved into a beloved holiday tradition that invitees look forward to each winter.

“This party creates an environment where people feel connected in a totally natural way,” he says. “They see how their kids are growing up and they catch up on each other’s lives. A lot of my clients say, ‘Why do you spend all this money? It’s such an expense.’

“I don’t see it that way. I see it as an investment in people who are important in my business life, and in my personal life too. That’s the right mindset for it.”