Best Christmas Office Party Food

Christmas is a time for celebration both at home and at work. Parties usually take place every weekend from Thanksgiving through New Year's. Office parties, for the most part, take place during working hours. While some companies go all out and celebrate with a sit-down lunch or dinner, others offer a buffet in the boardroom or other meeting room, so workers can come and go as they please. Keeping the food safe to eat and tasty depends on the food and serving conditions.

Small Bites

• Bite-size, appetizer-type food is less messy than food that requires a plate, knife and fork. That means no spilling the food on the office carpet and not having to worry about balancing a plate, drink and utensils. If the container is edible as well, so much the better. Try individual lettuce wraps, such as chicken or ham salad, wrapped in lettuce leaves. Tiny buns stuffed with ham and cheese or baby shrimps wrapped with bacon are easy to handle and eat. Try dip-sized corn chips dabbed with a 1/2 tsp. of spicy cheese. Use festive red and green garnishes for a holiday touch. Kale makes a ruffled green backdrop for food. Cut radishes into roses. Use overlapping rings of red sweet peppers.

Hot and Cold

• Foods that must be kept cold should be placed on plates over a bowl of ice or served directly from the refrigerator. Hot foods won't necessarily spoil if they aren't kept hot, but they won't taste as good. Most offices don't have the facility to heat foods and keep them hot. If there's a kitchen at all, it most likely only includes a microwave and refrigerator. See the section on catering if you require more equipment.

Room Temperature

• Select foods that will keep for several hours at room temperature and still taste good. A selection of cheeses and sausages fills the bill. Add crackers and a fruit platter. Vegetables and dip, if you keep the dip on ice, are dressed for the holidays, if you use only red and green vegetables. Try red peppers, cherry tomatoes, radicchio spears, celery and cucumber sticks, blanched string beans, snap peas and broccoli. Add a tablespoon of tomato juice to the dip to brighten it up. Sliders or bite-sized burgers are easy to eat and don't have to be kept hot. Omit the mayonnaise and serve with a spicy mustard or ketchup instead.