The work Christmas party thread 2014…..

It’s that time of year again where seemingly quiet, civilised folk turn into alcohol fuelled monsters in the name of Christmas.

We’ve got our team Christmas lunch/party today. What I thought would be a civilised 1pm lunch looks to turn into a complete massacre. Emails were doing the rounds last night organising who’s sharing wine with who and this morning, one girl has turned up with a bottle of “fire water” (whatever that is) and another with a bottle of Rose Tequila.

One thing’s for certain, i’m confiscating any water pistol cracker gifts after the pistol/wee/director incident that I witnessed in a previous job.

Tales of remorse and woe to follow……

I’m part paying for my office’s whoop-up, but don’t have intention of going to it.

Ours is next Friday – “pub for 3!” for someone who only drinks twice a year (on average) this is a bad sign.

I guess it’s one of those things when some (well lots) of people want to get as drunk as possible – I was no different in the past I guess, but I grew out of it in my late 20’s – I love a few drinks now and again, but hate being drunk and detest being hungover, it’s a horrible, horrible waste of a day to me.

I’m not going to mine 😀

Have you had your role assigned?

I’ve never been to a works christmas do. Ever. I’m not about to start now. I used to make excuses. Now I just tell them I’d rather remove my own kidneys with a teaspoon. Theres nowt worse than amateur drinkers

Ours is in 2 weeks, I’ll be with White Room Chalet in Ste Foy 🙂

Mates xmas do in Leeds on Tuesday was a rather sedate one.
Team xmas do in Manchester next Friday is always planned on being sedate but in the last two years has resulted in mayhem.
Works xmas do the following week which is bound to include madness on various levels.

ours is in january.

19th December for ours. Trying to work out which attractive young lady young enough to be my daughter I will be rejected by this year. 😉

Discovered yesterday that MrsMC had neglected to mention that her do clashes with a double booking of kids activities. I need to figure out how I juggle daughters gymnastics presentation and sons Scout Christmas show 5 miles apart. Not her problem, apparently. 🙄

I’ve got “dancing obliviously with my cock out”. Arse, I was hoping to home by ten but that means I’ve got to stay till the dancing starts. Was hoping to swap with “receives fake emergency text” but apparently she doesn;t want to get her cock out 😉

Got my first office Christmas party this year. Apparently much wine is provided so I imagine that it could get interesting.

Unsure whether to rock the dinner jacket and run the risk of being “that guy” or play it safe with a suit. Unfortunately I don’t think my party dress would be suitable.

I finally realised I actually need to make an effort to progress my career, hence I shall be attending, talking to the “right” people, and having just a couple of drinks before retiring graciously to bed with my reputation as it is.

The Club do the next day promises to be far less restricted… 😈

When I read threads like this I’m reminded how much I like my current job and colleagues. Most are people I would (and do) socialise with anyway.

Our xmas parties are quite nice, relaxed black tie affairs. Really nice way to end the year, I enjoy them. Quite a few of our lot from other countries come over for it too, so it’s nice to catch up with them in less formal surroundings.

I was sober at last years since I had a 6 hour drive in the morning, and will be sober this year again since I need to drive at 4am to catch a flight.

It’s never a bad thing to be sober around people who employ you 🙂

I find banging the receptionist is so much easier at a Xmas do, it’s not really cheating then either. Thankfully the hairy HR lady ain’t going this year so the worst there will be another technicians mum, roll on the 13th!

Ours is this weekend. 90 people heading to Malta for 2 nights.

Sorry people of Malta.

organising who’s sharing wine with who

Is that a really bad thing to do?

Our is next week, I won’t be going, nothing to do with disliking people but I have something else planned.

Our xmas parties are quite nice, relaxed black tie affairs.

Crazy times 🙂

Six of us going to London and visiting the Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park for Bratwurst and Bavarian Beer. Staying in a rather nice ’boutique’ hotel for the night then getting the early train back home to see my family.

I’ll enjoy it mildly but I won’t expect a single word of thanks from any of our employees as always.

Crazy times

haha! I’ve been to many that were indeed crazy, but think I prefer the more laid back ones when it’s with colleagues!

I had mine last weekend, stayed up at a steady level all night and cycled home at 5:30am. lovely crisp morning, I thoroughly recommend this strategy.

It’s never a bad thing to be sober around people who employ you

This.

…banging the receptionist …

Not this.

I’ve been to many that were indeed crazy, but think I prefer the more laid back ones when it’s with colleagues!

I agree, one of the best Christmas ‘works’ dos I’ve been to was when I worked for a very small company in edinburgh, there were only 6 of us, we’d set the company up that year, had a great meal in a nice restaurant in edinburgh with a few drinks before and after. Nothing outrageous but it really meant something to all of us. Sadly it didn’t make it all the way through year 2.

2 for me this year.

team night is tonight, meal in a nice pub. I’m driving, so will have 1 pint.

then in two weeks, the big office party, 400 odd people in a tent in the centre of Newcastle, it will be mental.

Mine is in a couple of weeks and I will as always keep a reasonably level approach. I always say that and get mildly tipsy. Last years was 4 of us helicoptering to a restaurant for lunch then a couple of beers in the sun. It was most pleasant.
EDIT: The last 2 companies i owned, 1 was when i was much younger and we had massive parties which never had any major issues, last one was smaller and we just had a cracking meal, nice wines and then a whisky frenzy. I much prefer them !

I agree, one of the best Christmas ‘works’ dos I’ve been to was when I worked for a very small company in edinburgh,

I was asked in for interview with a firm in Edinburgh a few years ago. I was quite keen on the move at the time after having just been on the other side to them on a job and liked those I was working with. The day of the interview I was early arriving in from Glasgow and bought a coffee near the offices and had a read at the paper. One of the articles was about that firm’s recent Christmas party where the police had to be called after fighting broke out 🙂

Caused them a bit of embarrassment when I asked if the firm had a good social scene, fun Christmas parties etc, with a smile of course!

Ended up not taking the job as something more interesting cropped up in the interim, but could only imagine how awkward some of those guys must have felt coming back into the office after that party 🙂

Do spare a thought for all us sole trader, self employed types as you roger the girl from accounts and call your boss a ****. I would love a decent night out.

Like binners I’ve never been to one and don’t intend to start now

We get pretty much diddly squat off our employers every year …..great to feel appreciated for the unpaid overtime etc.etc. 👿

Do spare a thought for all us sole trader, self employed types as you roger the girl from accounts and call your boss a ****. I would love a decent night out.

S’alright. You do know you can have sex alone don’t you? And at least you won’t get a knock-back. Probably.

Everyone here is so pissed off that there wasn’t enough takers to bother booking something.

Shame really, in the old days, coach going round collecting people, staying overnight in the hotel after the do, was great.

Wouldn’t want to socialise with the bosses at the moment – the alcohol might make me speak my mind to them.

Many years ago, after one Xmas do, I woke up next to the Head of HR (who was very cute). She was a little rattled and it was never mentioned again.

Theres nowt worse than amateur drinkers

Professional ones are better?

great to feel appreciated for the unpaid overtime etc.etc

Appreciated? You get paid every month don’t you, oh no hold on you don’t 🙂

Ours is going to be awesome(in a retro/rewind stylie) ,buying the tickets today.
Daft dancing and the last bus home.
We have booked some defibrillators and the para-medics are on standby…bring it 🙂

She was a little rattled and it was never mentioned again.

If only you had managed a big rattle. Or at least two or three little rattles.

and I’m sure we can find someone you could call a **** if you’re feeling left out

The office party is next Friday and I’m not going this year. I usually leave shortly after the meal anyway so am never around when the gossipworthy stuff happens, and just can’t be bothered with it this year. We’ve just had a redundancy round anyway in a different area of the business so I can’t imagine the atmosphere will be great.

I am doing the team christmas meal though. I quite enjoy these. The only problem is that I’m out the night before at a boozy client thing, then we go out at lunchtime for the team meal, then I’m out in the evening at my running club’s christmas meal.

It may take me a while to sober up from that…

MrNice – Member

and I’m sure we can find someone you could call a **** if you’re feeling left out

That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me *weeps*

It’s times like these I’m a little sad I now work on my own. Table for one please.

Not going….going to see the smashing Pumkins instead 😉

Might end up going on my mates do….hes a sole trader (bathroom fitter) but has a piss up for his subbies …plasterer, sparky (me) and….thats about it but it beats attending my actual works do.

We are out tonight for a few (lots) of beers in The Hungerford Arms to warm up for the Lahore Kebab house in Commercial Road (East London).

Here’s an online review of the pub:

After passing this place many times over the last ten years I’ve always declined to go inside. A couple of times I even looked in the window, then decided against it. It is one of the last remaining dodgy pubs left in the area. In other words you may have to deal with something or someone by stepping in.
Last Saturday, after spending four hours at the Rumfest event at the Excel Centre, where we tasted many different types of rum, and even sat in on a tasting master class, we were feeling very tipsy, a lot like pirates, and in need of something other than rum. Getting off the DLR at Shadwell, I suddenly remembered the Hungerford Arms. Since it was only about 6 p.m. I thought it won’t hurt to go in and have a quick lager. We walked through Watney Market, past the scene of many pitched battles between the Kray Twins’ gang and the Watney “massive.”
When we stepped in, it was like one of those moments in a Western movie, where everyone in the saloon stops talking and looks to see what the wind blew in. We strode purposefully and confidently to the bar, ordered our drinks, and planted ourselves firmly on the spot.
That’s all it took. We were more or less ignored from then on, which is what we wanted, and we proceeded to have a few pints and enjoy the atmosphere. The atmosphere consisted of pretty loud music, some young drunk lads playing snooker and banging on the wooden floor with their pool cues, some older men threatening amongst themselves to go and quiet them down (but never doing so, and I don’t blame them, given the fact that all three were holding wooden sticks almost as weapons.)

Basically, you bring attitude into a place like this at your own risk. All the same, you have to defend your ground

Hmmm…