What you want to do is focus on that holiday and focus on what the needs of your customers are.
Whatever your business is, particularly if you're a retail business, you will want to provide something of value to your customers; specifically, ones that you're marketing to directly.
These customers are the ones you want to retain.
These are your most important customers.
These are the ones who have been with you for a period of time, hopefully for years.
A Holiday Open House needs to be an event that your customers want to come to.
They won't want to miss it.
They will want to participate and they want whatever it is that you're giving away.
Yes, I said, give something away.
People like to get a gift.
It doesn't have to be anything big.
It could be a small votive candle, or a small bag of candy.
It could be napkin rings, or something that goes along with the theme of your store and can buy in bulk.
I highly advise against always making it an advertising gimmick.
People get tired of just getting a pencil or a calendar with your name on it.
They all know it is advertising.
For once, they'd like to be treated as someone special, not as someone you're marketing to.
You want the gift to be something that people are willing to come in and get.
You can make it, you can buy it.
What matters is that it is something special.
It's even better if you go the extra mile and get inexpensive cellophane gift bags and wrap them up like gifts.
People feel even more special when you present this to them because not only is it free, but it looks and feels like an actual gift.
People don't forget being made to feel special With the Holiday Open House you want to provide an opportunity for people to purchase for other people.
You may have certain gifts that are obviously a gift, like a hostess gift that is already gift-wrapped.
Have the samples out and on the display table so that they can choose whichever one they want, but then you have the rest of the merchandise already beautifully gift wrapped and all they have to do is pick it up.
This is especially effective particularly around the holiday time, at Thanksgiving when people often visit someone's home, Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year's, Easter, Mother's Day, 4th of July.
These holidays are times when people often visit at one another's homes and bringing a beautifully wrapped hostess gift is most welcome.
Here's a tip.
People actually enjoy getting a gift rather than always getting their gifts placed in a gift bag.
So, if the item lends itself to being wrapped pretty easily, then wrap it and add a small bit of ornamentation to it to dress it up a bit.
One year we had a few sets of small cheese plates and a spreader.
It wasn't terribly expensive.
There were several styles.
Some were a little more expanded sets that had cocktail napkins that would be perfect for an impromptu cocktail party.
They were beautifully wrapped.
They were in a box, so wrapping them in holiday paper was especially easy.
We chose a beautiful blue paper and added a glittery plastic snowflake as an ornament on the ribbon that way we didn't have to have both Christmas and Hanukkah paper.
We just used neutral "winter" paper and ribbon and they literally flew out the door.
Giving a gift to your customers during a Holiday Open House and having pre-wrapped gifts available to them sets the tone for "customer service" that they won't forget.
They'll be back every time because you've made them feel very special.