Work Christmas do: Had yours? Cut the rug? Swerve it?

[gremlin]

So, who's had their work Christmas do, yet? Lavish affair with free-flowing champagne and a six-course dinner? Are you somebody who loves them or loathes them, but feel compelled attend?

Following last year's two head office parties, which resulted in a full-on fist-fight in Manchester and a case of sexual harassment* at the London party, resulting in the perpetrator being dismissed, my employer took the view to make it more manageable and let departments have their own gatherings. Due to the weird organisational structure I find my team in, this meant a wild evening with accountants and tax experts. As we're short on the desk and I'm currently helping out on the 6am shift, it gave me the perfect opportunity to politely decline. From what I've heard, I didn't miss much: limited food laid on and two free drinks.

So, make me envious of your lavish and opulent Christmas parties...


* I'll spill the tea if you ask me nicely.

[Rockburner]

Pub lunch (not even a xmas menu) on Wednesday. Maybe one drink (most of us are driving, and we're a road-safety organisation... )


Not sure I've ever had a works xmas do that wasn't fraught for one reason or other.

[weeksy]

Yeah had it, it was fine. It's just a bunch of blokes who used to be semi-mates. Didn't get messy, did some Karting... was nice. First time i've seen most of them since last Xmas.

[KungFooBob]

Department gig was lunch in the pub yesterday, which I skipped as I was WFH.

Company event is a meal at a local gastro pub after work next Tuesday.

I've skipped that too blaming my long commute.

[MrLongbeard]

Ours are still 'lavish' free bar all night and hotels paid for when needed, but I gave it a miss this year, I mean FFS who has an organised xmas party / dinner and doesn't have turkey on the menu

[Count Steer]

My last lot used to lay on a Divisional bash*. Usually a hotel but one time at Brooklands so we could have a nose around. It tended to be quite civilised....partners were invited.

Previous places we did our own thing. At one, my lot all brought a dish in each and I laid on the booze. At another I took them for a meal at a Greek place in Soho. No horror stories to tell.

* sit-down meal, stuff like magicians wandering about doing magic tricks at tables, some entertainment and finished around 11pm.

[Horse]

I only work part-time.
Haven't been to the office since March
Saw a few colleagues last month, including having a curry and beer
Several other colleagues have left since March

So I'll avoid driving for almost two hours round trip to sit for two hours with a non-alcoholic drink and ok food

And, keeping with post-2020 traditions, I'll CfH - celebrate from home

[Sunny]

Last Thursday. At some random funky bowling/pool place. Free bar, pizza and arancini etc food to munch on.

I chatted, ate, drank heavily, played pool badly.

Continued on to N64 to play Mortal Kombat until 2am. Crashed in a (booked and paid for by work) hotel.

I'm the morning, fortified with a Tim Hortons sausage and egg muffin, got the train home.

I still don't get hangovers, and am a pretty good drunk, in that I keep it together and make sure everybody else is OK, so I continue to drink like a teenager

[Horse]

Following last year's two head office parties, which resulted in a full-on fist-fight in Manchester and a case of sexual harassment* at the London party,

* I'll spill the tea if you ask me nicely.

Well, since no-one else has been nosey ...

I say, old chap, any scurrilous rumours you'd care to spread? Totally anonymous, of course, nobody else is listening

[Dodgy69]

Last Saturday. Just a pub with free bar all day and food chucked in. Breakfast in spoons at 11.30, 2 pubs on way to free pub.

Last one for me i reckon. Free bar sounds great but, you end up drinking far more dodgy shite than you would ever buy myself. Poxy little shots, god knows what they were, port and brandy, no doubt other stuff.

I prefer sticking to the pints, I can measure my state by time. 5 hours is plenty for me these days. Don't mind shorts at home, controlled environment and all that, but at a free bar, it's a killer.

Threw up when I got home.

[Taff]

The company has an all employee dinner in the canteen served up by the senior leadership, is decent enough food and atmosphere but it's back to work straight after.
Our team boss takes us for a night out a couple of times a year, normally to Thai or Indian but as we all live in different directions it's central so most of us have to drive. We all get on really well so it's an evening out with mates

[gremlin]

Following last year's two head office parties, which resulted in a full-on fist-fight in Manchester and a case of sexual harassment* at the London party,

* I'll spill the tea if you ask me nicely.

Well, since no-one else has been nosey ...

I say, old chap, any scurrilous rumours you'd care to spread? Totally anonymous, of course, nobody else is listening

Well, being as you asked, not that I'm a gossip-monger or anything, you understand....

One of the lads on my desk is gay. I missed the incident, but apparently he was chatting to a couple of the girls from HR, when one of their colleagues (go figure) came behind my colleague, slipped a hand over his shoulder and started to unbutton his shirt and put his hand inside his shirt. My lad is quite reserved and tried to laugh it off but told him to stop. He didn't and did it again until told more firmly.
He later accosted my colleague in the venue and accused him of flirting by 'mincing' past him when in the office. I had to laugh as he's young and had no idea what mincing meant.

Anyhow, up shot is he told me the next morning, told me he didn't want to take it any further, fella was drunk, let's all move on. Trouble is, the HR ladies witnessed it and felt compelled to report it. Kind of had to, really, given their position. End result, the fella was dismissed. How fucking stupid must he have been? Working in a woker-than-woke organisation's HR dept.

No wonder the top brass didn't want a repeat of that fiasco. That, plus the tear-up in Manchester.

[the_priest]

Nowt. I'm working Christmas...

[gremlin]

Nowt. I'm working Christmas...

He's here all week, ladies and gentlemen, including Sundays.

[Taipan]

No I dont go to them anymore. CBA with public transport. Plus the people I work with are lovely, but not really the sort i'd normally socialise with.

[Mr. Dazzle]

We have a converted barn/wedding venue/edgy industrial unit hire sort of thing every year. Usually a live band too.

I quite like 'em.

I don't ever drink 'cause I can't be arsed with the logistics, it's way easier to just drive. Since our company is spread across 4 sites in the UK plus a bunch of seconded people in Germany there are quite a few colleagues I seldom see IRL. It's also handy to go and talk to the people who get on my tits at work (or vice versa) outside of the office to smooth relationships.

We always tend to have a dress code where everyone is a bit OTT. There was more than one glittery dinner jacket on display. Personally I had on a cravat (among other things) which I got custom made, it was covered in the company logos but not in an obvious way. Loads of people commented on the outfit, only one person actually noticed the branding

[636mick]

Took the team out for a curry. Very nice Indian in Lutterworth. Most of us driving and as we regularly deal with the aftermath of DD I was on Cobra Zero as were we all.
Nice evening, partners included.
Must do my expenses claim!
Mick

[Cousin Jack]

No work so no work do.
I dont miss them, I recall the ones with drunken fistfights and one infamous serious assault after someone was found shagging someone else's wife in an empty office.

[KungFooBob]

I think my worst one was at Nakatomi Plaza, back in 1988.

[gremlin]

I think my worst one was at Nakatomi Plaza, back in 1988.

Daft muthafucka