December is the most crowded month in anyone’s calendar. A holiday invitation is competing with three other parties on the same Saturday, which means it has to be both early and unusually clear about what the evening actually is.
In December, the invitation that arrives first wins.
What to include
- What kind of party — drinks, dinner, or an all-evening thing
- Date, start, and a rough end — people are often double-booked in December and will happily come for part of it
- Food situation — a full meal, or canapés that will not count as dinner
- Gift swap details — including the budget, if there is one
- Dress code — festive, black tie, or aggressively ugly knitwear
- Plus-ones and children, stated explicitly
Formal wording
You are warmly invited to our
annual holiday celebration
[DAY], [DATE] at [TIME]
[VENUE]
[ADDRESS]
Cocktails and dinner
Kindly reply by [RSVP DATE]
Warm wording
The season’s here and the house is decorated — come celebrate with us.
[DAY], [DATE] at [TIME]
[VENUE]
Food, drinks, and far too many fairy lights. RSVP by [RSVP DATE].
Casual wording
Holiday party! 🎄
[DAY], [DATE] · [TIME]
[VENUE]
Ugly sweaters encouraged. Bring a gift under [AMOUNT] for the swap.
RSVP by [RSVP DATE].
Office holiday party wording
Office invitations need to answer questions people are slightly embarrassed to ask: is this compulsory, can I bring my partner, and is there a free bar.
[COMPANY] Holiday Party
[DAY], [DATE] · 7pm until late
[VENUE], [ADDRESS]
Dinner, drinks, and dancing for anyone who wants it.
Partners welcome. First two drinks are on the company.
Please reply by [RSVP DATE] so we can confirm numbers with the venue.
If attendance is genuinely optional, say so. “No obligation, and no hard feelings if December has already eaten your calendar” is a line people remember warmly.
Inclusive wording for a mixed workplace
Not everyone celebrates Christmas, and an office invitation that assumes otherwise excludes people quietly. “Holiday party,” “end of year party,” and “winter party” all work without flattening anything.
End of year party
One more year done. Come and mark it with the people you survived it with.
[DAY], [DATE] · [TIME] · [VENUE]
Food, drinks, and no speeches longer than two minutes.
Christmas party at home
Christmas drinks at ours
[DAY], [DATE] · from [TIME]
[ADDRESS]
Mulled wine, mince pies, and a fire. Come for an hour or stay till midnight.
RSVP by [RSVP DATE].
New Year wording
See the year out with us.
New Year’s Eve · from 8pm
[ADDRESS]
Fizz at midnight. Bring something to share and somewhere to sleep if you need it.
Let us know by [RSVP DATE].
Gift swap wording
A gift swap needs three pieces of information and fails without any of them: the budget, the deadline, and whether participation is optional.
Secret Santa: [AMOUNT] limit, names drawn on [DATE].
Joining is entirely optional — tell [ORGANISER] by [DATE] if you’re in.
Variations worth stealing:
- White elephant — “Bring something wrapped, under [AMOUNT], ideally something you already own and regret.”
- Book swap — “Bring a book you’ve loved, wrapped. Leave with someone else’s.”
- No swap — “No gifts this year. Just come.”
Always name the budget. “Something small” means £5 to one person and £40 to another, and that gap is what makes swaps uncomfortable.
Dress code wording that people can actually follow
- Festive — vague but harmless; most people wear something sparkly
- Christmas jumpers encouraged — clear, and opt-in-able
- Cocktail — say this if the venue is smart, or half your guests will arrive in jeans
- Come as you are — genuinely reassuring in a month of dressing up
When to send
Earlier than feels necessary. Six weeks for an office party or anything on a December Saturday; four weeks minimum for everything else. Early November is not too soon — by late November the good weekends are gone.
Set the RSVP date at least a week before if you are catering, and expect to chase. December RSVPs are the slowest of the year.
Ready-made designs
Our holiday party invitation templates cover festive-formal through to fairy-lights-and-jumpers, each with a palette you can copy into the decorations.
Related: dinner party wording and how to send digital invitations.