Company Christmas parties

[sk33tr]

do any of you go to these?

i don't like to mix business and social, so i don't go to any company christmas parties; or any type of company gathering, for that matter.

now if it's a company-based thing like working with habitat for humanity, then i'll go. that's different as it benefits someone/something else. but just a party or get-together? i won't be going.

i've been to a few with previous jobs and inevitably there's always some idiot who drinks way too much and makes a fool of themselves. and i have no desire to see that. also, people get way too friendly after a couple/few drinks. and it's usually the same people who wouldn't normally be all that cordial with you while at work. so i'd rather skip the fakeness, not go, and not have to deal with any of the drama that is usually associated with them.

"oh, but we play games and you can win prizes and maybe even some money."

"ok? i don't want prizes. i'd rather do my job and get paid for it. extra money is definitely nice. but if i gotta play some silly game to get it, i'm ok with not getting it."

"and that's where they give us our christmas 'gifts'."

"gifts? you mean the fleece jackets that they seem to give out every couple of years? how about keep the gifts and just give us all $30. i could use that more than i could use another jacket."

i may look like a scrooge or someone who's anti-social, but i really don't care. and yes, i get that the company could very well not have a christmas party and not get us anything, at all (and i'd be good with that). but i just really don't want to have to put on some fake smile just because it's a "christmas party" and feel joyful and cheerful. i'd much rather be at home doing my own thing and hanging out with my family.

don't get me wrong...i love christmas, i really do. it's my favorite time of the year. but i hate being made to feel like some anti-social...whatever...just because i won't go to the company christmas party.

[BizCat]

Meh.. I've never really had an all-out party. Regardless of the employer, it's typically a department-thing, in which I do attend. Not sure if I'm doing anything this year though.

[R3P0]

I do and it always amazes me how some people just cant control themselves. Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol and not conducting yourself professionally.

[atomik kinder]

Once a department that I worked in tried to make me go saying it was mandatory because the client they handled was sponsoring the party. I said unless you are paying me to attend, you cannot make it mandatory. So I didn't have to go. Now I am in a different department, and there is only one company wide party. It is during work hours, so no drinking. They have a catered lunch and do have prizes and some of them are really good. You do not have to attend to win, buthen your company has over 1000 employees, the chance of actually winning is pretty slim. This year it is on a day that I work from home, so I won't be attending, but I don't go even when I am in the office.

[Bigdog]

Seems like a lot of you hate your coworkers haha.

[InuYashaCrusade]

Nah I don't go. Some of my coworkers want me to go with them this year but I doubt it'll happen. It could be fun but I'm not a very social person.

[THE_FORCE]

We used to put on Xmas dinners for our team and their wives/husbands/partners, but it seemed as though everyone was attending out of obligation so we knocked it on the head and just get them gifts/vouchers now.

Personally I used to dread it, as I do nearly all social occasions. Any type of Xmas gathering I’ll make an excuse to get out of or I’ll turn up so pissed that they’ll never invite me again lol.

[Hitman Horton]

We don't have a company party where I work but we used to. I went the very first year they had one just because they'd never offered us one before. I never went again and if they were offered, I wouldn't go. Sometimes staff will go out together after a meeting but I don't go to those either. If I want to hang out with co-workers, I don't need a company function to do it. I'm really not a drinker and I'm not very social at those types of functions either so those things factor in to my decision not to go as well.

[Leslie Dame]

I've never went to a christmas party for the company I'm working for now, but I've been to a few 'private' christmas parties with a couple of colleagues from work.
The reason I never go to our company's christmas parties is because of certain people from work I rather not mingle with. I prefer not to fake it with these people at parties.
As it turned out I'm not the only one who feels like this, hence our private christmas parties with other co-workers.

Our gathering is a nice meal at a restaurant, and they are always fun. While we tried to keep a lid on it word did get out, so now we got three more people joining us at our yearly christmas dinner this weekend.

[Scarriere]

I don’t anymore.
I’m the idiot that some of you mentioned that drinks too much, has picked a fight or two and has been too friendly with the Ladies.(with varying degrees of success)
I am sorry about that.

I’ve gone to a couple of my wife’s work parties and didn’t relate to anyone. They’re white collar, I am blue. No one was into sports or anything else worth talking about. Listening to them made me wanna run away, as fast as I could.

Us that do the mining don’t get invited to the company party, just staff, but some have crashed it and had a great time.

Company Christmas Parties are not in my future nor ever will be.

[sk33tr]

Originally Posted by Bigdog

Seems like a lot of you hate your coworkers haha.

nah, not hate. i just prefer to keep business as business and personal as personal; and keep them separated.

[imsounoriginal]

I always go. Free food and drinks, and the socializing isn't too bad.

[Mike16]

I don't do Christmas parties, whether with relatives or co-workers.

[dallywhitty]

Yup! I went a couple of nights ago, actually. My Secret Santa bought me a Blade Runner spinner licence plate and a gimp mask.

[Himmel]

Originally Posted by dallywhitty

Yup! I went a couple of nights ago, actually. My Secret Santa bought me a Blade Runner spinner licence plate and a gimp mask.

Nice.

[Batman1980]

My divorce from my last job was rather toxic so I'd actually love to go to an off-site Christmas party for that company just for the laughs.

[Cevolution]

Sure do... My companies Xmas party is next week, the last Saturday night before Christmas day. A 3 course dinner, entertainment, plus beer, wine and spirits all provided... Can't ask for much more. The only thing that would make it better is, if more women were going to be there (as I'm currently single)... I work for a company that manufacturers engines, due to the nature of the work, the amount of male employees at my work site greatly out numbers the amount of female employees.

[Troll2fan]

We don't have a Christmas party at my work, but we do have a BBQ gathering every spring and employee appreciation dinner each fall. I attend both of those functions and it's fun to socialize with some of the people I don't see on a daily or weekly basis. Like imsounoriginal said, it's hard to pass up free food and drinks.

[philzilla]

Originally Posted by sk33tr

don't get me wrong...i love christmas, i really do. it's my favorite time of the year.

sounds like it

[sk33tr]

Originally Posted by philzilla

sounds like it

well, aside from the fact that i've had 5 family members die in the month of december, and i get reminded of it and think about it when it rolls around....yeah, it's still my favorite time of the year.

i just don't like all the fakeness that goes on at company christmas parties.