HOW TO SURVIVE WORK CHRISTMAS PARTIES
It's almost Christmas and the Christmas parties must be piling up by now. Drinking with the people you usually have serious meetings with and other work-related matters can be a lot of fun, but it can also go completely wrong. Follow these do's and don'ts and everything will be fine, and the whole Christmas will be over before you know it.
Ideal for the business offices where the adage 'anything above the knee must go' prevails. A neat pair of pants that is loose around the butt and crotch and lets in enough fresh air at the legs.
Canceling
I really understand that you dread having to be with your possibly boring colleagues on your free evening, but these are parties that are very annoying to miss. Just because you won't be able to join the conversation the next day, but also because you'll miss the social bonding – forgive me the marketing term. It's quite nice to discover that that boring Jochem from IT can actually play guitar very well and that he once traveled through Australia all by himself.
Drinking a lot very quickly out of awkwardness
Because you don't know how to behave and oh just give me another glass of wine yeah well one more then no you know what I'll just keep the bottle – and before you know it, you're standing on top of the copier belting out All I Want For Christmas is jooooeeeeeeeee. In front of the whole office. Not cool.
Forgetting that these are your colleagues, not potential flings
Maybe Jochem from IT turns out to be so nice that you wouldn't mind traveling through Australia together, but hold back. Office romance can be fun and exciting, but a one-night stand with a colleague is almost always mega awkward. So don't do it.
Wearing a dress that's way too exciting
You think, party! Christmas! I'm wearing my new Hervé Leger dress! That's definitely a bad plan but especially during your work's Christmas party. Remember, yes there's alcohol, but this is and remains a work event so you should dress accordingly.
Gossiping
Especially with a drink in hand, it's very tempting to discuss everyone from the office, but be careful, you never know who is standing behind you or who is talking behind your back.
Well do
Holding a glass of bubbles in your left hand so you can shake hands with your right
The larger the company you work for, the more hands you have to shake. Quite annoying when you have to apologize every time for your wet hand or when you have to give the CEO or another big shot a cold handshake. So keep the glass in your left hand, then your right is always free.
Talking to people from other departments
Don't stay with the people you always work with all evening, but try to meet people from other departments. So Jochem from IT, but there are more interesting people around. Really.
Talking about things other than work-related matters
Better not to start talking about your boss's deceased mother (painful) or your colleague's recent divorce (at least as painful), but if you're the one who can't stop talking about marketing plans and Excel sheets all evening, you'll be the one standing alone all night next year because everyone finds you so incredibly boring.
