For the first time in a few years, we’re having a Christmas party. All staff and spouses are invited, which since we have a small office will only be 12 people. I’m having it at my house. Its large enough, has a nice atmosphere and is centerally located.
The booze will be looked after courtesy of the company.
As for food, the ideas are still up in the air. I’m thinking along the lines of either:
A)Ordering a bunch of Pizza (or something else along those lines). I might be able to talk the company into ponying up a bit for that, too.
B)Pot-Luck of some sorts. Everyone will bring a dish. Doesn’t necessarily have to be homemade though (IE - Someone can bring frozen chicken wings that just have to be heated up).
As for entertainment, I’m thinking the evening will probably just look after itself. I’ve got a pool table, a fooze-ball table, PS2 and tunes. I think that should be good enough. But what if it isn’t? Any other ideas for keeping everyone busy?
Everyone (us guys at the office) get along fantastic. No anomosity between anyone whatsoever. We’re almost like family and would almost certainly be happy with beer and the pool table all night.
However, the ladies for the most part don’t really know each other very well. That might be the part that needs some help. Since the pool table is only about a 4 player game at a time, 8 people will need something else to do.
Ideas? What are you doing? Since I’m the host, I want to make sure everyone is going to have a good time.
Depending on the crowd, some of those lightweight board games like pictionary and taboo might be fun.
Personally, no office Christmas party. We’re a huge multinational that used to have a Christmas party but spouses/SO’s were never invited. Folks bitched and the Christmas party was replaced with a (less expensive) family company summer picnic, which most other companies were doing anyway.
Rather than a pot luck per se, what about appetizers? With such a small group you could probably find a good assortment from a local restaurant or even deli platter from a market. Not too pricey, and it leaves people free to roam about, mingle, drink, talk, knock over the Christmas tree, etc.
We have a lot of luncheons on company time. One for your pyramid, one for your department, and one for your project team. With the exception of the project team, the managers have it catered and set up a nice atmosphere in a large conference room. We also have an open house with SO’s, spouses and kids. Lots of games, music and fun for everyone.
I boycott the office Christmas party, and have done so since I started working here. I am not a Christian (atheist, relatives are Christians), I don’t particularly like the people I spend way too much of my waking hours having to be around, and think the money spent could be better directed to a charity like UNICEF…
We have a bazillion dollars in the store slush fund, so we are having a company-sponsored extravaganza. We’re going to a local country-club type place, having a swell dinner, prizes and presents, maybe even a dj and dancing.
A red velvet top cut down to there! The hospital has a dinner dance and they’re all gonna see what I look like with makeup and a short skirt! We see each other in bloody scrubs after 12 hour shifts and I can’t wait to see everbody all prettied up!
I’d rather have the money, but since I consider it a job related obligation, I’ll go.
Just think of it…if they just gave us the money they spend on the Christmas dinner, we could all go out to dinner with someone we actually WANT to have dinner with.
My office will host their usual watered down Hawaiian punch, day old cake and stale peanuts extravaganza. Everyone finds any excuse they can to avoid having to leave their desk to go to the party. The managers keep making sweeps through our work areas trying to rout out non-attendees. A paper cup with some watery red stuff in it sitting on your desk usually fools them.
At best you could afford a dinner for one, so the other person will need to actually WANT to have dinner with you, since it’ll be DUTCH. Of course, your company could be getting a better price due to the larger number, so forget what I just said.
Well, if I read this correctly, you may be right. However, if I was going out to dinner with someone I really WANTED to have dinner with, I would probably not need to go to the expensive place we go to dinner for the office party. I could afford to feed both of us somewhere less expensive.
So all I would have to worry about is finding someone who actually WANTS to have dinner with me, which if I read you correctly you think might be a problem. So then I guess I would just have to find someone who doesn’t really WANT to have dinner with me, but wants a free meal. Which is what everyone is doing at the office party to begin with, so forget what I just said, too!
And I should ALSO say that last year’s Christmas party was fun, now that I think about it, so I have high hopes for THIS year.
[sub]If we had a “delete your post” feature, I would delete all posts made by me in this thread, but as it is you are stuck with them.[/sub]
At this very moment, I’m avoiding the office pot-luck Thanksgiving lunch. I don’t do pot-luck things any more. Besides, everybody just loads up plates and sits at their desks - it’s not like there’s any socializing going on.
Same will go for any holiday-related events. I’ve never attended a work-related social function that was any fun, whether for my office or my husband’s.
My husband works at a place with his boss, a secretary and one other employee. So for the Christmas party they have, the boss takes employees and significant others/spouses out to a local bar, pays for our drinks all night and we order pizza delivered to the bar.
It sounds really trashy, but it’s SOOOOO nice. it’s just a very relaxed evening, and there is plenty to do! I LOVE IT!! I look forward to it every year!
My office is having a sit-down dinner and going to Yuk Yuk’s Comedy Club after (both located in the same hotel). Dread Pirate Jimbo and I are going - I’m pretty open to getting free food and entertainment. Now that I think about it, I’m pretty sociable for someone who isn’t very outgoing. It probably makes a difference that I like most of the people I work with now.
Actually, my company is pretty decent to its employees.
Every January we have an anniversary BBQ for when we first went on the air. Last two years it was catered by a—um, Australian-themed steak restaurant.
Every summer there’s a company picnic held at a nearby theme park.
Every December there is a nice, adults only party at a nearby country club, including a bar, heavy hor doerves (sp?) and the HUGEST shrimp I have ever seen. They also pass out the Christmas bonuses at the party, but if you don’t make the party, you still get your bonus.
My work is having a family picnic day at the races at one of the local racecourses. It’ll be a relaxed day, with employees bring their families, and hopefully it won’t be too hot.
Should be better than last years, which was at an Italian restaurant near work that served small overpriced meals.
