It’s the beginning of December and ‘Silly Season’ has begun. All of my spare time is now booked up with drinks and dinners. Any last minute catch up with clients or friends involves the joyous game of diary battleships and the inevitable question… ‘shall we catch up for a coffee in Jan instead?’
This time of year also comes with the one and only Work Christmas Party. The newspapers recently reported that in the UK we are due to spend almost £1bn this year on our annual gatherings with work colleagues. This seems excessive and whilst great for the economy, are we really getting our monies worth!
Over a number of years, I have had my fair few experiences and seen some impressive sights at Christmas parties. From the embarrassed first year graduate, swinging his shirt around his head and falling off a table in front of a room of 500 people (not me), to turning up to a stuffy Black Tie event dressed as a Christmas Elf (that was me!). I can say that I have definitely had my fair share of fun.
On the other hand, I have also had some shockers. The astronomically priced Christmas event at the top of Tower Bridge tops them all. This sounded fantastic and wow…what a view! This was until I was greeted with an indescribable scene of Christmas Party ‘not to dos’ including the dodgy DJ, the terrible food and an interesting crowd to say the least! It was like a Christmas massacre and something I don’t think will ever leave me.
My best ever Christmas party to date involved sitting on a big table at the back of a pub with ten of my best mates/work colleagues, with awards, games and a cracking meal. Not too pricey, lots of laughs and an incredible amount of memories! In my view small and simple is always best.
Of course, I get that it is nice to celebrate the end of the working year with colleagues and I fully appreciate that as an employer, you want to express your thanks to staff for all their hard work. However, whilst not wanting to sound too ‘Bah Humbug’ here, am I the only one who cringes every year at the thought of celebrating with an overcooked turkey, coupled with a premium bottle of red vinegar/wine for three times the price it would cost in January?
If you are willing to break from the confines of a traditional Christmas Do, then there are alternatives. So we at Making Moves have been deciding what to do for our annual gathering. We maybe a small team, but that makes us nimble and fairly flexible in comparison to larger companies. With turkey and minced pies on repeat for the rest of the Christmas period, we have decided to spread our culinary wings and head to an Israeli restaurant in Chinatown! Christmas Kebabs on me and no fixed price menu! Get in!
I am sure later in the evening, we will end up in an over priced bar full of tinsel and Sambuca, but at least we will have had some quality time together, celebrating our first year in business with nice food and good company. We may even wear Christmas hats (tbc).
Whatever your plans are, have a great party look after your colleagues and remember to eat, drink and be safe/merry!
Happy Holidays
