I mind only the talking to strangers part.
I’ve been to company Christmas parties both lavish and frugal to the point of non-existence. I was the morning DJ at a radio station and one morning the big story was that a long-time local eatery had burned down overnight. Off the air, I said to our news man, “Just watch. (Cheap owner) will walk in and say that’s where our office Christmas party was to be held.” Sure enough, he strolls in the studio and says “So (restaurant) burned down, eh? Gee, we had booked them for our office party. Guess we’ll just have to get subs from the deli across the street and eat them in the sales office.” We could barely contain ourselves from laughing until he turned and walked out the door.
I worked for a Canadian government department, so no taxpayer-funded parties, but pretty much every division I worked in had some sort of employee social organization that arranged the Christmas parties. The last area I worked in was very organized, and would raise funds with activities during the year to help fund the Christmas party. It was always held in a local church hall, with catered food, cash bar, music (and usually employees playing/singing as well), dancing, and quite exceptional door prizes. In the last few years I before I retired I won an iPad, a digital camera, and a 52" TV.
Ghosts of Christmas Parties Past? How about the name “Christmas Party”?
As part of my company’s “inclusion and diversity” policy it was decided that “Christmas Party” was potentially offensive to some people. It was changed to “Winter Recognition Party” and is held late January/early February.
As a kid I got dragged to my dad’s office Christmas party. Actually it was kind of fun for a kid. While the adults socialized before dinner some of the other kids and I would go off and make paper airplanes from the copier paper (until we got told to stop wasting the good paper and to use paper from the recycling bin instead). Then there was a catered buffet style dinner. Then more paper airplanes after dinner until it was time for the entertainment, which included my friend’s dad (who also worked there) more or less roasting a particular coworker who was known for being very accident prone. And the awarding of the “Screw Up of the Year” award, which always went to my friend’s dad. Then an employee dressed as Santa would do the usual “sit on Santa’s lap” thing and give out some cheap toys. Then we’d go off and play with our toys, until at some point we got sent to a conference room to watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas. But at some point the powers that be decided to cut costs by only allowing one party per year, and their department opted to keep the summer barbecue and axe the Christmas party.
At the last place I worked for the last couple of years I worked there they had a Christmas part at the local community center. There was a catered buffet style dinner, and everyone got two drink tickets so people could have alcohol, but not overindulge (although once a coworker left early and gave me his unused ticket, so I got three drinks 
). Then some games which were more for the kids, then a raffle at the end. Frankly I found it kind of boring, but I went mostly because it was a free dinner. The only reason I didn’t leave right after dinner was the prospect of winning something in the raffle – there were a couple of good prizes like iPads and TVs. But I didn’t win anything.
I now work for a defense contractor, and it’s pretty much the same deal. The best we ever got was a catered meal during lunch hours, then the nixed the catering and made it a pot luck deal.
Prior to this year my employer (a UK FTSE-100 company) has always hosted pretty good parties. The usual format is a sit-down dinner in some large local venue, with 3 or 4 drinks tokens allocated per person, sometimes with a few bottles of wine on each table also. I think this strikes a nice balance between a generous freebie and discouraging irresponsible behaviour. In addition to these (usually biannual) events there have also been various drinks and nibbles after work at our main office, where you could take as many free drinks as you like - people have mostly been sensible enough to moderate their behaviour, though I am aware of one infamous incident when an employee tried to return to the office after a work event to collect a bag or some such, argued with security, and then vomited all over the reception area. They were never seen in the office again…
This year, like many others we have been given a small budget for a Christmas party on a team-basis, so the 8 of us are ordering in and will eat ‘together’ via Zoom.
Many years ago, I worked for a small retail company. There were a total of six stores, maybe six or seven employees per store. We often would work at a different sites, so we all kind of knew each other. The owner was a great person. If we worked Black Friday or Xmas Eve, he’d personally deliver nice bagged lunches, sodas, and give us small cash bonuses. Because we made 30% of our annual sales between Black Friday and Xmas, we always had the company party between Xmas and NYE.
We’d meet at his mansion, have a few drinks, he’d give a speech recognizing each person. Then we’d hop on a party bus and head to a very nice restaurant, with open menu and bar.
Up until 10 years ago, my government employer had an annual “Winter Dinner”, open to all employees. Tickets were ridiculously overpriced, to the point where us line staff really couldn’t attend. The last year, of 30k eligible attendees, a whole 150ish bought tickets. All directors and upper upper management.
Our team started taking an annual off site meeting, meaning we bought our own lunch at some random restaurant, alcohol not allowed, and at first the meeting would consist of “wow, what a year, lots of changes”. As supervisors changed, each new one thought there was to be an actual meeting. Nope. Interest has waned. This year, my supe suggested a Teams lunch. In other words, watch my coworkers eat over video. No thanks.
The person that usually puts up the few decorations couldn’t even be arsed this year and I don’t blame them one bit. The gift exchange we did the last few years fizzled and I took back the Portillo’s gift card that I’d taped to a decoy item I don’t recall and that was last year, pre-Covid. No one cares.
The company I work for has always had very nice, formal Holiday parties. People are expected to wear suits/tuxes, and ladies are expected to wear nice evening clothes. Its held at the Hyatt ballroom, and is fully catered, drinks provided, and a very excellent live band plays. For out-of-town folks coming in, hotel rooms are provided to them at the hotel, free. Its a chance to meet the people you work with in other cities, and catch up. The 5-year-service-awards are presented to folks, and their spouses/SO’s can hear how much folks think of them.
Its been canceled this year due to Covid. I’ll miss the dinner and dessert bar very much :).
We had a 100 dollar limit on grub hub for lunch on the 23rd. With a teams video at 1pm.
Usually they have a big thing at a hotel, so people can get rooms instead of driving. Then a lunch on the last work day before the 24th.
I don’t go to any holiday parties. I saw diehard, not going to go into that trap.
I got a filet o fish from Mac Donald’s and salmon teriyaki for my 100 dollars.