Your workplace is about to hold its annual Christmas party and you wish you could think of just one acceptable excuse as to why you can’t attend; which is sad, especially as there’ll be free food and booze, and someone will win a crappy spot prize for being the first reveller up to the DJ with the names of the three wise men!
You see, Christmas parties are fun, a bonding session if you like, a way to celebrate with the bookish receptionist who gets quietly intoxicated on Snowballs and tells you how she really feels about the boss and his/her miserable bonus. And sure what’s wrong with making the effort to attend the traditional end of year shindig that’s sure to get the festive season off to a feelgood start; after all, haven’t those creative sorts from marketing (or mooorkishing as they call themselves), spent days pouring over the perfect catchy slogans and cringy taglines to feature on the tickets! Ah yes, the Christmas party really does do wonders for staff morale, and if you don’t believe us and are still trying to boycott the one event that legitimises poking fun at corporate and perhaps meeting the love of your life, well, perhaps we can give you a bit of motivation. Read on and be inspired.
1: The Christmas party is a time to let your hair down, dress up and dance ‘till you drop.
2: The Christmas party reinforces company policy and culture and not only helps employees reflect on where the organisation has been and how far it has come, but also on how far it is going in the New Year. Do you really want to be left behind?
3: If you don’t attend, your colleagues will see you as a stingy Scrooge who can’t be bothered to socialise with them.
4: The Christmas party is a time to separate the on-duty you with the off-duty you and that means seeing your colleagues in a less formal light, discovering shared interests, and, who knows, getting to like the personal, as opposed to professional, personas of your peers. (And don’t try saying that after downing four cocktails).
5: If you don’t attend, you’ll feel left out of the forensic post-mortem and office gossip when they all snigger as they relive that crucial moment the jobsworth health and safety officer jumped on the banquet table and belted out ‘Let me entertain you,’ as he lassoed his designer tie around the manager’s neck! And, even though he’s no Robbie Williams, H&S guy could have a future as a crooner…well given his dubious standard of conduct, word at the watercooler is he’s taken himself (and his P45) off to audition for Ireland’s got talent.
