The holiday season brings out the best of us. Comforting festivities warm hearts and bring us closer to each other.
Key Takeaways
- Cherish the friends and family around you
- Host an entire event for the perfect setting
- Remember to focus on connecting with your audience
- Identify a theme to concentrate on
- Start a new tradition to carry on
- Tell a story
- Make it about the holiday itself
- Allow for a moment of laughter!
- Say “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year” at the end!
The holidays are usually a time for family and loved ones. And Christmas toasts are great ways to deliver a touching message and connect with those we care about, whether it be the in-laws or co-workers!
Giving a holiday toast can be daunting, but it doesn’t need to be. Here are the best ways to master your toast, making it both memorable and iconic.
See Related: How To Give The Best Speech During The Holiday Season
#1. Cherish The People You’re With
The holidays are the most wonderful time of the year for a reason. There’s nothing more uniting than the warm glow of the holidays and a sweet Christmas wish!
To give a holiday toast, you need to capitalize on this feeling. Awaken the warm and fuzzy feelings inside of your audience!
Here are some touching words that are sure to wet some eyes:
“Here’s wishing you more happiness
Than all my words can tell,
Not just alone for Christmas
But for all the year as well.”
#2. Host An Enjoyable Holiday Event
A great toast is made in the perfect setting. If you’re planning on giving a touching speech to your employees or co-workers, a holiday company event is a great way to ensure your message is heard.
In this case, you don’t need to focus on being the keynote speaker. Instead, just make sure whatever speaker you find is clean and hilarious while acting with dignity during this time of year.
As a master of ceremonies, I understand how giving Christmas toasts can be daunting. After all, you want to ensure your message is fitting and memorable.
That’s why pairing a toast with an enjoyable company event is the perfect way to ensure that your employees have a wonderful time!
#3. Remember To Connect With People
As humans, we are social creatures. And the holidays give us a fantastic opportunity to connect with those around us.
Your words should send a message of fellowship and collaboration. Not only should your toast connect you with your audience, but your audience members should also feel the spark to connect with each other!
You can share these words from Bob Hope,
“My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that?”
#4. Identify A Theme
Themes of the festive holidays can show up as a Christmas carol or stories of Santa Claus. But when it comes to giving a unique toast, you need to do more to stand out.
Find and cultivate a theme. Focus on something worth remembering, like the delicious upcoming Christmas dinner or friends and family that traveled far to be there.
Good cheer is easy to spread when our minds can be poked and prodded. And that’s key during the holidays!
Bonus: 8 Tips To Overcome Your Fear Of Public Speaking
#5. Start A New Tradition Or Trend
It should go without saying that the holidays are a time of classic traditions. We all have one or more Christmas traditions that we love to indulge in during this time of year.
Take the opportunity to make your toast a time to unveil a new heartwarming and captivating tradition! And a great idea is a traditional toast that you can share every year.
“Here’s to the cook and good health to us all!”
#6. Tell A Heartwarming Story
Words can tell us a great deal of information. And storytelling is a method of communication as old as time.
Your holiday toast doesn’t just need to be about simple niceties. Instead, tell a unique story that helps you relate to your audience and give them a message worth remembering!
Find your way to use personal connections to touch the hearts of your friends and family. You can also end your story with a traditional holiday toast to tie it all together.
From Tiny Tim in Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, “Here’s to us all! God bless us every one!”
#7. Make It About More Than You
As the one giving Christmas toasts, you’re bound to have some attention on you. But don’t be the person who makes it about themselves.
Don’t use the time to boast about your own personal achievements and ambitions. Instead, make it about your friends and family.
After all, the emcee’s job is to focus on the holiday at hand and share a bright and meaningful message. Your words will be much more impactful if they are deep and noteworthy.
From J. H. Fairweather,
“Christmas …
A day when cheer and gladness blend,
When heart meets heart
And friend meets friend.”
#8. Allow A Moment To Laugh
The holidays are so special because they allow us to connect and laugh with those we care about.
So for some good cheer, make your toast funny!
Sharing a laugh with your audience can help your message make a more significant impact. The holidays aren’t a time to be strict, so welcome some genuine fun!
From Johnny Carson,
”The worst gift is a fruitcake. There is only one fruitcake in the entire world, and people keep sending it to each other.”
#9. Say “Merry Christmas!”
Don’t forget the meaning behind your toast. A Christmas or holiday toast should always end with a simple reminder.
So we’ll end this with these words from Charles Dickens:
A Merry Christmas to everybody! A Happy New Year to all the world!
Keep Reading: Understanding Employee Empowerment In The Workplace
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Adam Christing has been called “The Tom Brady of emcees.” He has hosted more than 1,000 company meetings, special events, gala celebrations, and more. He is the author of several books and founder of CleanComedians.com. For more event tips, follow Adam Christing on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
