what’s your company doing for the holidays this year?

by Alison Green on December 19, 2024

What’s your company doing for the holidays this year?  Party on a boat that you can’t escape from and which will produce a confrontational email the following Monday? Potluck with questionable contributions? Swanky hotel party complete with lines of coke?

Please share in the comment section!

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        2. Staff*

          My university it theoretically open, but almost everyone is closed; some departments for two weeks, almost everyone on Christmas Eve (including all the sources of food or beverages). My department isn’t allowed to, so it’s all normal days except for the 25th and the 1st. Not that I can get really anything accomplished with the rest of campus closed, but I’ll be sitting at my desk!

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      2. Pay no attention...*

        My university too! There would be riots if they tried to pry our 2 weeks out of our cold (emotionally) dead hands. I’m counting down the seconds until tomorrow afternoon, when we close and won’t reopen until January.

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      3. ArchivesPony*

        I don’t think so. I’m also in higher ed, and last year was the first year that I had from December 23rd through January 2nd, off (and next year, my institution will probably not be giving us those “gift days” so employees will have to take vacation time if they want it off) My previous institution only gave 1/2 day on the 24th, all day the 25th and the 1st off. Before that, the institutions gave the 24th, 15th, 26th, and the 1st off.

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        1. RussianInTexas*

          It’s not even the norm in all school districts. I work with various buyers and warehouse managers, and some close fully between Christmas and NY and some do not.

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        1. Aggretsuko*

          Yeah, we had to use our own vacation time if we wanted out during that time.

          New job gives me only Dec 25 and Jan 1 off and then a “bonus” 4 hours for either the 24th or 31st. Wow, big spender.

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      5. dulcinea47*

        Nope, not everywhere. I work at a large university and they give us the days between xmas and new years off (4 days, not two weeks), and they only started doing this during the pandemic. Before that you had to come to work even tho campus was supposedly shut down or use your own vacation time.

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      6. anonymous girlie*

        Our university isn’t doing a Christmas party #budgetcuts so we close tomorrow and reopen on January 6th. I’m not-so-patiently waiting for the email that says we can leave at 3pm!

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      7. Zephy*

        Not at all schools. I also work in higher education. There’s no classes after tomorrow (possibly today), sure. But the offices are still open normal hours except for Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

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      9. seriousmoonlight*

        Unfortunately, not the norm everywhere in higher ed. I work at a public university in the US and we get December 25 and January 1 off. That’s it. And even if everyone wants to take personal time, we can’t all take it on 12/24 or 12/26, for example. Someone has to be here.

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        1. Friendly Octopus*

          Ditto to this! Hooray for everyone getting the time off, but at my public university of employment it’s just December 25 and January 1. I’d love to have more of a non-PTO break (need to save my PTO for a medical procedure coming up). Next year I hope to have a bit more sacked away. At least it’s quiet and we’re able to work from home much of the week of the 23rd!

          My mini team is set to get happy hour together sometime in early January along with our broader team hosting a party for all our division staff in the new year (I LOVE them moving this to January to avoid packed parties and potential cold/flu/etc. exposure right before the holidays). My medium sized team (it’s a behemoth of a place, many teams!) threw a fun partners and families encouraged party in early December before personal schedules got too hectic.

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      10. A perfectly normal-size space bird*

        This is the one thing I miss about working in higher education. It was so nice for us both to have two weeks to a month off (depending on institution) and have it as paid time off not coming out of our PTO.

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    2. londonedit*

      We close between Christmas and New Year, which is fairly normal in my industry, but with the way the days fall I’ve taken the bits either side as well so I’ll have a two-week break, and I think most people have done the same. Can’t wait!

      In terms of celebrations we’ve had a company-wide Christmas party (nice central London location, fizz, canapes, festive music, nothing untoward) and then my little team went out with our wider team colleagues for lunch, which the company contributed a bit per head towards (basically that went towards buying the wine and then we covered the food ourselves – we chose somewhere nice but not budget-busting!)

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      1. ferrina*

        We’re closed for the about same- Christmas Eve to New Year, but realistically no one will be at work on the 23, and a large number are taking January 2 & 3 off.

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    3. Helewise*

      My husband’s company does this! I’m jealous, but it’s so smart and makes the holidays so much nicer (even if I’m working at least part of it). Enjoy!

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      1. CorporateDrone*

        It’s strongly encouraged at my company. I’m resentful because we have to use our PTO and frankly I’d rather use mine in the summer

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        1. Susan*

          That would super annoy me too. I like working these days because it is pretty quiet, and I can close out a bunch of things. What am I going to be doing anyway? Most of the public places are crowded. I used to work in a museum, and the time between Christmas and New Years were a madhouse because so many people were home and looking for something to do (or trying to get their relatives out of their hair for a few hours.)

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    4. AnonInCanada*

      I only wish we can do that at this company. Due to the nature of the business (foodservice/hospitality supplier), we can’t shut down for the holidays. We can only close on the actual statutory holidays (Christmas, Boxing Day, New Year’s), and will still hear from customers complaining, “NoBoDy tOlD MEEE yOu ClOsE cHRisTmAs DaY!!!1! POoR CUstOMeR SeRvIcE!!!1!11!”

      Sometimes, this job is almost as bad as working in retail. But you take the good with the bad.

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    5. Caramel & Cheddar*

      I wish more places did that, if only to help out parents! But only if it doesn’t come out of your PTO entitlement, I hate places that do a forced closure and make you take your own PTO to do it.

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      1. Kivrin*

        We had a slightly awkward holiday lunch we played games and ate cookies and we all got nice branded toques. I didn’t hate it lol.

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    8. Ann O'Nemity*

      We get seven business days off, but I always add three vacation days so I can have the full two weeks plus the bookend weekends. Ends up being 16 days in total. Glorious.

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    9. Generic Name*

      My ex used to work for a company that had a 2 week holiday shut down, and I was always so jealous. Now, I just take PTO at the end of the year. Fortunately the major construction project I’m supporting this year is doing an end of the year shut down, so I can take time off and not worry about getting emergency calls while I am out. :)

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    10. Hannah Lee*

      “We are closing for two weeks!”

      My company is doing that too! (or pretty close to it, we shut after the 20th and come back on the 2nd)
      I am so excited! and really looking forward to not only being able to gather with family over Christmas without being tired from doing work stuff the day before, but especially the time AFTER Christmas through New Year’s when I have absolutely nothing planned except one get together with friends

      Plus, a huge bonus for me – we usually end work before Christmas with a half day on the 23rd, capped with a catered luncheon and Yankee Swap. (we’re less than 20 people, so we do it onsite with rented tables, chafing dishes and catered food from a local place) But this year, since the 23rd falls on a Monday, we’re just getting that day as a bonus day off. No party …

      I’m the person who single-handedly plans and pulls off the party … which I normally enjoy, even though it’s a LOT of work. But this year, I’ve been swamped since November, doing not just my normal job (finance, payroll, operations, compliance, HR – which last week included a surprise offer letter/new hire, an employee with performance issues coming to a head including day I walked in and was immediately met by the CEO saying “you should check with Mfg Mgr … he needs you to call 911 for Bob” … like, why are you waiting for ME to dial 911 for a medical emergency??! and then me sitting with Bob, who didn’t want 911 called, but needed calming down and coaxing to call someone to come get him because he was not fit to drive, and then trying to reach his emergency contact the next day when he was MIA, didn’t call in, but sent 2 gibberish texts) which are all part of the hats I usually wear, but also sales admin, logistics and export compliance and letters of credit for several large orders, PLUS several last-minute special year-end projects like “let’s finally inventory and clear out decades of computer equipment, paper archives, obsolete inventory, toner cartridges and UPS batteries, arrange services to dispose/recycle all that and have the carpets cleaned (which is going to mean tomorrow is spent clearing out offices, hallways, conference rooms) … which invariably needed my involvement.

      I have no idea when and how I would have added “organize, source and hold company luncheon/gift exchange” in the midst of all that. LOL!
      So it has been a huge relief to just have that entire task erased from my “to-do” list.
      (and from what I can tell, many employees are happier with the paid day off than they would have been coming in for a half-day on a Monday for a company party)

      Sorry for that wall of text … it just felt really good to write that all out.
      Any friends, family I’ve tried to explain it to have responded with an unsatisfying “yeah this time of year is busy for everyone” when what I really would have loved is a simple, empathetic “Wow! that sounds crazy! You must be really looking forward to the break”

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      1. Hannah Lee*

        PS – Bob seems fine … he’s here, walking and talking and doesn’t seem in physical or other distress … no idea what was going on those few days, but I’m glad he’s doing better.

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      2. Insufficient Sausage Explainer*

        Wow! that sounds crazy! You must be really looking forward to the break!

        Seriously, though, that sounds like A. LOT. Hope you have a lovely break and feel refreshed in the New Year.

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    12. CanadaGoose*

      Yes! Closing between Christmas and new years is a fantastic choice, and I fear I’ve been spoiled by all my previous workplaces doing so. A catered lunch and afternoon of games instead of work is also much appreciated.

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  2. Elle*

    Per usual we did a virtual holiday party that was mostly an opportunity to give out 100 plus prizes and then we get off Christmas to Jan 6. I wouldn’t change a thing.

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    1. the cat's ass*

      we has a catered lunch too and there was an org-wide big party last week. We’ll have a potluck on Monday, and that I am off until the 5th!

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    2. asterisk*

      We have a catered lunch today, too, with a White Elephant gift exchange that I’m not too worried about.

      We’re officially closed on Christmas Eve/Day and New Years Eve/Day, but there’s actually a pretty good work/life balance here and the bosses are like “on the other days, please check your email once a day and take care of anything urgent, but be sure to spend time with your loved ones.”

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    3. Paint N Drip*

      That’s my preference as well. We couldn’t make the scheduling work for December, but we’ll have ours in January

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    4. Lenora Rose*

      We did a departmental catered lunch Tuesday, with an optional white elephant gift exchange (The kind where you don’t know who you’re buying for but the gifts while cheap were nice). We did have to pay our portion of the catering fee, but it was worth it for the day.

      Tomorrow there’s another larger one, no catering fee, for the 3 administrative buildings. I still need to pick up a something nice for it.

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      1. Lenora Rose*

        Our bosses also gave us all a gift themed around Ukrainian food; garlic sausage, pierogies, light rye bread and cabbage rolls. Thankfully, there’s a spare fridge to store them in until closing time, for those of us who don’t have cars out in the parking lot which can serve the purpose.

        (There’s always been a significant local Ukrainian cultural group here, including half my own relatives, and for self-evident world events reasons we’ve also had a large influx of Ukrainian newcomers in the last few years. There’s also a heavy Mennonite presence, including my husband’s family, which has a strong overlap on all the above food items, except the sausage would be different.)

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    1. No Longer Gig-Less Data Analyst*

      Same. My guess is that the non-remote employees will have some kind of get together at our HQ and processing facility, but I live states away from both. I am more than happy to sip cocoa and enjoy the decorations in my own home.

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    2. Juicebox Hero*

      Likewise. Last time we had a Christmas party was 2019. I was the last one there and got stuck sitting next to an annoying loudmouth all night, plus it was at a bar (I don’t drink regular soda or alcohol and I hate diet soda) and had a hard time finding anything on the menu (allergic to tomatoes and type 2 diabetic).

      Nothing rocks.

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    3. Edwina*

      We don’t do anything for the holidays, but we usually have a big company party in March instead. My boss takes out team out for lunch about 4x/year (company pays), so we did that, but it wasn’t specifically for the holidays. The company closes for two weeks, which is nice.

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      2. Edwina*

        Oh wait! There was something else – a group of folks put together a Yankee Swap. I couldn’t be there on time due to meetings, so I RSVP’d “no,” but when I walked by the festivities later, they were all having a great time!

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    4. Abundant Shrimp*

      Same here! (New owners after a merger/acquisition early this year) They emailed us links to a page to pick our gifts from and that was it. Previous owners did Zoom/Teams parties. With scavenger hunts and party games… I’ll be honest, it was awkward.

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    5. PokemonGoToThePolls*

      Same. We’re fully remote in the US and have many global teams so some of them may have done something, but nothing company-wide. Totally cool with it (though I wouldn’t have said no to an end of year bonus but I understand that’s just a totally wild idea!)

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    6. I Have RBF*

      Ditto.

      My team is all remote, but the people who live near an office have to go in for “collaboration” BS reasons. Our CEO is trying to mandate culture stuff, and it’s not working.

      In years past the company has given everyone branded swag, but no notice of such this year.

      Our group is not shutting down, but others are. We have four holidays – two “winter holidays” (Xmas Eve and Xmas) and the New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. The company is international, so other locations may vary.

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    7. A perfectly normal-size space bird*

      Same, my employer’s company is global and the only reason anyone gets Christmas off is because it’s a legal requirement where they’re headquartered. My sibling’s office does the full Christmas thing with decorating contests, parties, gift exchanges, potlucks, the works. It sounds so exhausting, I’m much happier with absolutely nothing.

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  5. Madame Desmortes*

    Now that my department does a winter graduation reception, it takes the place of the usual faculty/staff lunch. I get it, but I also miss the lunch.

    I couldn’t go this time anyway; getting over a cold. (Just a cold, I tested for flu and COVID multiple times and came up negative. Boo all viruses ever.)

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    1. Alice*

      Thank you for staying away from the reception this time. I will confess, I feel less community-minded than I did before our holiday lunch, which featured someone who was sick enough that he was actually wearing a mask (unusual for him), then took it off to eat. Buddy, if you have to come to the party while you are sick, could you at least take your plate of cookies away to eat later?

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    2. ferrina*

      Thank you for not going! I also declined the office holiday party due to a cold. We had a couple people flying in, and I figured they didn’t need to take my cold home with them.

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  6. Resident Catholicville, U.S.A.*

    We have a Christmas party coming up. I’m hoping it goes better than last year, in which we had to fire an employee two hours before the party started.

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    1. Slow Gin Lizz*

      Um, you can’t say something like that without then sharing the details of why the person got fired! At least, you can’t on AAM.

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        1. Resident Catholicville, U.S.A.*

          That would have been preferable! He showed up to work drunk*, then was belligerent and awful to everyone. We tried to get him to sober up and put him in an area where he wouldn’t be around other people (and not do anything dangerous) but he kept coming back to the main work area and harassing people. It got to be too much and, since this was the second chance he was given after being fired for being drunk on the job, we let him go. It’s really quite sad- the timing was unfortunate, but it made for a memorable experience.

          *He said he stopped drinking at 4 AM. Our shift starts at 7 AM…

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    3. Scarlet ribbons in her hair*

      I once heard a contestant on a game show say that right before their Christmas party, he and several co-workers were being laid off, effective immediately, but they were told that they could stay for the party if they wanted to.

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  7. DisneyChannelThis*

    We had a nice catered lunch at a nearby hotel banquet room. Director gave a 1hr speech with slides after we ate. We received zip hoodies as a holiday gift. It was nice.

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    1. Heidi*

      The most popular gift at the white elephant this year was a knitted throw blanket with a winter forest scene. In case anyone is stuck for ideas.

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  9. Hawkwind80*

    Per our usual, we had a Secret Santa (opt-in only) and a potluck lunch. It was nice and low-key, and we had multiple vegan dishes for the vegans in the department (and they didn’t even have to supply all of them!).

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    1. Hawkwind80*

      Forgot to mention, the Secret Santa gifts just showed up at the recipient’s office sometime during the week, so it was very much not made obvious who might have chosen not to participate.

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  10. JewishAndVibing*

    We had bagels for breakfast and sandwiches on the day of a cookie swap. We also get giftcards to a place of our choosing in addition to any bonuses. Tonight is the party at a brewery, which is usually pretty chill. Hope they have any fun non-alcoholic drinks

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  11. Parcae*

    We are having a “Virtual Holiday Party” over Zoom. I can’t say I see the point, exactly, but I like working remotely and the occasional useless meeting isn’t the end of the world, so I’ll be pasting a smile on my face for an hour and a half.

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    1. Falling Diphthong*

      The dad in ThatABaby tried to handle this by having a bobblehead made of himself, and then letting it attend Zoom meetings.

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    2. Scroogey Lady?*

      Party after hours. I don’t go because I think it’s ridiculous to pay for food I have no idea if I can eat (due to allergies). There is no menu or cost provided at the time of sign up. This arrangement seems a bit odd to me.
      If we had it during lunch, I would bring my own food and join in.

      Reply ↓
      1. Falling Diphthong*

        None of his coworkers maintain eye contact with him while slowly shoving all his nouns off their surfaces.

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    2. A perfectly normal-size space bird*

      Other than occasionally knocking my stuff onto the floor and yowling during a meeting, my cats are the quietest and most unobtrusive coworkers I’ve ever had.

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    3. 40 Years in the Hole*

      Slightly OT: about 30 yrs ago hubby had joined a posh-y military institute (think dark paneling, oversized chairs, war-related trinkets/weapons adorning the walls “acquired” from various campaigns abroad), veddy imperialist vibe. Women were allowed-as guests only. The first time he took me (also serving military), I scooted up the front steps, only to be told that ladies and escorts must enter via the back door – by the kitchen – where the staff/supplies etc. came in. W.T.F…. And I was not allowed to approach and order from the bar; had to sit demurely in my seat while hubby ordered. W.T.F…
      It was only when our (female) Lieutenant-Governor (the Queens/Kings rep for the province) -ahem – raised an eyebrow that the institute dragged itself kicking and screaming into the 20thC. Hubby and I had words but he didn’t/still doesn’t see the issue. Mind, this was in the 90s, but still… :=0

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      3. AnonAnon*

        When my husband first joined the Rotary club in the early 90’s, wives were called Rotary Anns. The Rotary club is great, but very glad they came into the present.

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  14. silojk*

    A virtual party, which I didn’t attend because I’m tired of staring at a screen all day as it is, and am disappointed that no one wants to have a party on site. We usually get a $20 GrubHub credit; this year we didn’t get one (but those executive leadership bonuses…). We used to have a nice lunch onsite – nothing extravagant, but it was festive and a great way to decompress with colleagues.

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  15. H.Regalis*

    No parties because it’s the public sector and we’re all remote, but this time of year my work does its annual fundraiser. I get that upper management wants us to donate money to worthy causes because it makes the department look good, and personally I donate roughly a tithe’s worth of money every month to a variety of causes, but I think a business hitting its employees up for money is tacky.

    However, this year instead of getting voluntold (again) to do my section’s fundraising schtick, our manager decided to take it on himself! Which meant that it quietly died and no one had to do anything. I am very glad.

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    1. Richard Hershberger*

      Businesses hitting anyone up for money is tacky. They want credit for charitable giving without having to use their own money. feh

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        1. I Have RBF*

          Ugh. I hate the United Way. Tacky, in bed with pushy religious charities, and spends too much on overhead.

          My charitable giving is year round, to a food bank.

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          1. Lenora Rose*

            I give a token amount for the United Way fundraiser, because there is SOME good to come out of it, but it’s noticeably less than I gave when, say, a coworker found herself in need of donations due to a personal disaster, much less my private donation choices.

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  16. LadyAmalthea*

    I just finished my unit’s Christmas lunch, which was at a nice Italian restaurant. A lot of my colleagues are headed to the pub, but, as I don’t drink, I am taking the early train home and seeing if I can’t get a pedicure.

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  17. LadyMTL*

    We had a “happy hour” cocktail party, in the actual office. I didn’t go (it was on a Thursday, plus I had zero desire to attend a party in the office lobby) but one of my coworkers went and she said it was fine. There were no prizes, which I think was disappointing to a lot of people because they always used to have nice door prizes beforehand.

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    2. Nosmo King*

      We did that took. There was good wine, a nice charcuterie, and a white elephant exchange. The newest hire forgot to bring a gift so we were one gift short. It was awkward.

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  18. Chocolate Teapot*

    We had a team pot luck lunch and Secret Santa earlier this week which was a nice chance to spend time together without having to leave the office.

    Company-wise we all got a box of posh chocolates and our festive party was about a month ago.

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    1. Elizabeth West*

      Last year, Exjob had theirs in January at a nearby food hall. It was nice, if loud. They had a ton of food and my coworker and I discovered we really like a Vodka Daisy. I left my stuff in the office and when I went to get it, I nipped into the women’s room before leaving and for the first time ever in my life, I dropped my phone in the toilet.

      I miss my old job. :’D <\3

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  19. Richard Hershberger*

    I am going tomorrow to my first company party in many years. Working for a solo practitioner, he would take us out to lunch. New job is large enough to have a party. I’m not sure what it entails, but it is in the afternoon, with the office shutting down. it’s at a place next door with both food and a bar, so I can guess at the basics. I am curious if the firm is paying for booze. In any case, I expect to brush up on my schmooze briefly followed by discreetly disappearing skills.

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    1. discreetly disappearing is a good user name*

      Yep, there were plenty of military functions where my spouse made sure they talked with EVERYONE, especially the higher-ups, so his attendance was verified. Then discreetly came home. Love your description!

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    2. Generic Name*

      That’s what I did when I attended my last company’s party celebrating a milestone. It was held the day before my last day, so I stayed for maybe an hour, making sure to be seen by a bunch of people. As soon as they started with the speeches, I left through the back door. The next day, I kept saying to people “there were so many people there, I couldn’t even make it across the room to come talk to you” to whoever said they didn’t get a chance to talk to me. I’m very glad I left early as I heard the speeches were cringeworthy and awkward, and the food was severely lacking (you had a choice of overcooked kettle chips and dip or a giant bowl of popcorn). I also heard that the staff (who were required to stay for the whole event despite the lack of substantive food) all went to a nearby restaurant to get an actual meal.

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  20. Hedgehug*

    Absolutely nothing for my work.
    My husband’s boss told us to go out to dinner and bring him the receipt in lieu of a company dinner.

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    1. Richard Hershberger*

      That’s wonderful! Something everyone will enjoy, rather than something many will merely endure, while stroking C-Suite egos.

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  21. Anxious Bee*

    An opt in Secret Santa with a reasonable price limit and a holiday party in January after all the hustle and bustle. And I think we’re having a casual pot luck on Christmas Day because that’s what nurses do!

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  22. ThatGirl*

    The company I work for went through a merger 2 years ago (been here for 4) so things have changed – even though the company is bigger, celebrations have gotten smaller. This year we had a holiday breakfast (which was nice, but nothing fancy) and that’s about it. Departments/teams are allowed to do their own things, but for us that meant we went out for lunch yesterday and expensed it.

    (It’s not the end of the world, but the first two years we had basically a day-long food fest with door prizes and fun decorations, so it’s been a mild bummer.)

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  23. Beboots*

    We had a catered gathering on work time one afternoon last week, relatively low-key: food, decorations, some crafting and board games. A good chance to catch up and chat with colleagues you don’t see very often, and low-pressure. Optional to attend, and if you wanted to leave after an hour and return to work you could, or stay until the end (though then those of us who stayed helped to put everything away). Since we’re public servants, we can’t put taxpayer dollars towards staff events without a whole lot of paperwork, so it was funded through social committee activities throughout the year (paid lunches, a vending machine they have in our lunchroom) and if we wanted to attend there were paid tickets to cover the full cost of the meal and the building rental, but it was the cost about half of a meal at a restaurant so it wasn’t outrageous.

    There were door prizes, and as someone who talks to the public as a part of my job and can project my voice, I was asked by the organizer to catch everyone’s attention and then announce the winner of the draw. There were a bunch of cozy, inoffensive door prizes that’d be good for almost anyone: things like nice warm socks (we live in a northern country and it was -30C outside that day), a really soft throw blanket, some nice chocolates, a few beautiful insulated thermoses. There were enough door prizes for about 1/4 of the participants. I told the organizer that my name was also in the draw, haha, so can someone else pull the names if I’m announcing so it doesn’t look rigged? She agreed and pulled the first name herself… which was my name. I was going to cede it to someone else but everyone insisted I do get first pick of the prizes. After that, the organizer had different colleagues pull names each time… and the third name was pulled by her husband (in another department), which was… her own name. So we had some good-natured ribbing about it being rigged, but overall there was good cheer.

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  24. Cube Farmer*

    I work for a large but local government and our department had our annual end-of-year picnic where division heads prepared and served the food (they even took into consideration various dietary restrictions). We had a cornhole tournament and various other small games to play. It’s a half-day event, and since it is the public’s money, we keep a very tight budget, but it always ends up being a good time to spend time with coworkers. No having to drive to an event space, hire a babysitter, buy special clothes, or deal with all that alcohol brings; just four hours of hanging out.

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  25. Tippy*

    Nothing and I hate it. We have off Christmas Eve (for the first time) as well as Christmas Day/New Year’s Day. Other than that, no get together/luncheon/party/etc. It sucks.

    Reply ↓
  26. Dr. Rebecca*

    I work at a university and because I’m on a publishing deadline I’ve had to skip this year’s festivities: tea and hot cocoa with the dean, which I would have liked to have gone to (sedate, eating sweets with my colleagues, getting face-time with the dean), and the presidential holiday reception, which I would not (formal and stuffy, no one likes him or his leadership, I am in a middling secure position at this university, where having the attention of the upper administration is…maybe not a great idea. And I stand out, so going *would* have meant being recognized.)

    Instead of either, I’ve been sitting at home, writing my book, and having wine with lunch every day because I have no student facing duties until mid-January.

    Reply ↓
  27. Pizza Please*

    We were given the option of having our holiday lunch at the office or going to a local restaurant. If we had chosen the office, we would have had to continue working afterwards. So, naturally, the restaurant was chosen.

    Best pizza I’ve ever had and we were allowed to go home after and had the rest of the day off.

    Fine by me.

    Reply ↓
  29. Sovreignry*

    Nothing too exciting here. My office goes to a steakhouse in the area every year for Christmas luncheon. No clue what the pre-selected options will be, but should still be good food.

    Reply ↓
  30. Library Girl*

    My library isn’t doing anything for staff (unless professional development day tomorrow counts? there will be lots of snacks) but my department head gave me a cute plushie of a hot cocoa cup, a Dunkin gift card, and a sticker of a skateboarding frog! Potentially my favorite gift of the year already.

    For patrons, we do Winterfest on New Year’s Eve which is a library-wide party with glitter tattoos, craft stations, carnival games, and a Noon Year’s Eve balloon drop for little kids who can’t stay up until midnight! We then close early which is the real present, imo.

    Reply ↓
      1. SimonTheGreyWarden*

        We did a professional development “winter retreat” with some local orgs coming in to talk to ours. But there was a nice lunch and we had a Yankee swap. All in all it was a good one. Nothing awkward and it took place during the work day, and we were allowed to leave early once it was done.

        Reply ↓
      1. Snoozing not schmoozing*

        Winterfest sounds wonderful! Although I enjoy Christmas, I’ve been wanting a non-religious winter holiday that isn’t a NYE drinkathon. I’d though of Happy Holly Day, but Winterfest sounds so much better.

        Reply ↓
  31. E*

    Tomorrow at noon we have a BBQ lunch with a lot of prize drawings and the rest of the day off. It’s a construction company of 300 employees and absolutely no work will be accomplished in the morning. Unofficially a few coolers of beer will appear along with the water and soda but everyone behaves so management doesn’t say anything. As far as work parties go, it’s not bad. We usually have another one the Friday before Memorial Day.

    Reply ↓
  32. Hiring Manager (they/them)*

    Not much. Our state recently changed financial rules and there are much much stricter guidelines around “staff morale”-type purchases for local governments. (On one hand, I get it. On the other hand, we can’t even let employees have the stereotypical pizza party anymore???)

    My specific department said that we wouldn’t do any required holiday celebrations, but there was an optional Secret Santa with a $10 limit that about half the department participated in. And a few folks like to bake so there have been plates of cookies in the breakroom here and there.

    Honestly, while I wish that we could still use some petty funds to give free lunch and buy little trinkets for staff – the low-key-ness of it all has a nice energy to what’s been a weird year for my org.

    Reply ↓
  33. Blue Spoon*

    My workplace did a potluck and an opt-in Secret Santa. Both went well: the potluck included Vietnamese spring rolls, a delightful focaccia, fruit and sandwich trays provided by management, and crack (the dessert, as I have repeatedly had to reassure people) made by yours truly, and I restocked a coworker’s snack drawer and received a board game themed around the town I live in for Secret Santa. We’re also doing daily ugly holiday sweater contests all this week; the branch manager got 5 dollar gift cards for the winners. Generally a good time had all around.

    Reply ↓
  34. epicdemiologist*

    Department had a potluck and a craft session, but I skipped them (I’m pretty much the only one here who thinks COVID is still a thing). In my own work group of 4, the other 3 were all off this week, and then we’re all off Christmas through New Years.

    Reply ↓
    1. Matc*

      There was a catered luncheon at a local “nice” hotel (I assume in a meeting space) for all the employees in three counties (1+ hour drive for those the furthest away, but about a 10-minute drive for me).

      Since I still mask whenever I’m out of the house (I WFH full-time) and have weird dietary restrictions that make eating in restaurants less than fun, I skipped it. Apparently my boss got some sort of award that I didn’t hear about until a day ago; I should probably congratulate him.

      Reply ↓
      1. Baela Targaryen*

        We managed to find a restaurant in the UWS (we’re midtown west) that was able to fit our budget. The problem I have is the team’s expectations and the budget they give me, plus Christmas, plus NYC, makes threading that particular needle way more time consuming than it deserves to be.

        Reply ↓
    2. Mark This Confidential And Leave It Laying Around*

      As a veteran of “here’s-ten-bucks-but-make-it-nice in NYC I see your tears.

      Reply ↓
    3. JustaTech*

      Oh man, that’s worse than our usual “Atlanta budget for Seattle prices” that we get and then get a hard time from the C-suite that our parties aren’t as good as Atlanta’s.

      No duh!
      I’m super impressed you found something!

      Reply ↓
  36. H.Regalis*

    My boyfriend’s job took everyone out to a local butcher shop/restaurant that does BYO pizzas and BYO charcuterie boards. I got to have some of the leftovers and they were gooooood.

    Reply ↓
    1. Abundant Shrimp*

      I read it as “bring your own” at first and was like wow, restaurants charge people for the wildest things these days! then it hit me. It does sound delicious!

      Reply ↓
      2. Pentapus*

        what is it? that’s how I read it too. I thought maybe bake your own, but that doesn’t make sense for a charcuterie board.

        Reply ↓
        2. H.Regalis*

          Hlao-roo is right: It’s build your own. Well, I guess the staff assembles it for you, but you pick out everything you want for your charcuterie board. Pizza is similar: You pick things out and they bake it.

          Reply ↓
  37. Queen Ruby*

    We’re closing early to have a late lunch at a restaurant nearby. Part of me is happy drinks are included, and part of me thinks it would be a bad idea to drink because my mouth might get me in trouble lol

    Reply ↓
  38. Corvus Corvidae*

    We’re having a main site party, and most departments are having their own separate parties as well. It’s kind of gloomy this year though since we’re facing some tight deadlines caused by an upper management screw up.

    I especially feel for one seriously overworked department. They were supposed to go out to a nice Italian place, but at the last minute it changed to takeout from a nice Italian place. Then *that* morphed into putting food in a big conference room, and one person at a time was allowed to go in and eat while everyone else worked.

    Reply ↓
    1. LifebeforeCorona*

      One person at a time. That sounds so Dickensian. Do they get their hands whacked by the beadle if they reach for seconds?

      Reply ↓
  39. Lab Boss*

    Absolutely nothing. We used to do a fairly swanky evening party in January. As the company grew it became impractical (both for price and scheduling) so we switched to a pretty decent catered lunch during the workday. The last one we had was pre-COVID. The CEO tried to tell a joke about how the 2 hours we spent at lunch instead of working were like 2 free hours of PTO, but he fumbled his words and said “everybody is getting 2 bonus hours of PTO!” Then the company tried to walk it back, but realized doing so would cause a mutiny so we got the free PTO.

    Parties quietly died during COVID and when I asked if there was any intention to bring them back at any scale I was told “Oh, we haven’t done anything like that in so long, nobody even remembers and I doubt they want the disruption.” Now we may get a form-letter e-mail from the CEO if we’re lucky, but certainly nothing anyone actually would enjoy. Plus we were reminded that nobody should be leaving early unless they’re taking PTO, but I’m choosing to pretend I didn’t hear that.

    Reply ↓
  40. Harried HR*

    Our company has a huge blowout party every year, they shut down a 5 star restaurant with open bar (top shelf) for all employees & plus 1’s.
    They have a block of hotel rooms within walking distance blocked off at a special price ($100 per night vs $ 300 per night retail) and reimburses up to $ 75 for Uber / Lyft (each way)

    Fantastic night that everyone enjoys and looks forward to each year :-)

    Reply ↓
    1. Richard Hershberger*

      The thing about that last part is that not everyone enjoys and looks forward to something like this. They just are being quiet about it . They are the ones who don’t show up, or if they feel they must make an appearance, disappear as soon as possible.

      Personally, I would go for the food, given that it really is all that, but have no desire to spend the evening surrounded by people drinking to the point of incapacity, much less doing this myself. So I would have a nice dinner before the heavy drinking starts, chat briefly with those I feel obliged to make aware of my presence, then slip out, preferably around seven so I can get home in time for a full night’s sleep.

      Reply ↓
  41. CubeFarmer*

    We’re doing a lunch in mid January and that’s it! I’m 100 percent okay on minimal “forced fun” with colleagues with whom I am only mildly friendly.

    Reply ↓
    1. Lab Boss*

      Look at 888 Pocomo over here flexing his company being closed on the 24th and 31st! (but seriously, I’m a little jealous even of that).

      Reply ↓
    2. The OG Sleepless*

      We are too, and I’ve worked in places in my industry where we worked our tails off right through and including the actual days, so we’re pretty stoked.

      Reply ↓
  43. 2 Cents*

    Due to a layoff last year (which turned out to be for the best!), I’m now freelancing, and I’m giving myself Dec 21-Jan 5 OFF! Woohoo!

    Reply ↓
  44. Name (Required)*

    I’m a teacher. Our school board traditionally dismisses students 90 minutes early on the last day of school before the Christmas break, and teachers usually leave then as well.
    This year, we were informed that we were expected to stay until the end of our regular work day. With no kiddos in the building. The day before holidays. To stare at each other in sadness?

    Reply ↓
    1. Dontbeadork*

      Our board would do that and then call the principals roughly a half-hour later to say we could all be dismissed. Hope that happens for you!

      Reply ↓
      1. KateM*

        I am a teacher, too. All kids get dismissed tomorrow at 11.40 with all after-school events cancelled, school bus leaving at 12, and at 12, teachers’ party starts as well.

        Reply ↓
    3. The OG Sleepless*

      Ooh. My mom was a teacher, and she had a principal who did things like that. Giant time wasters with no purpose, just because the principal thought they sounded good.

      Reply ↓
    4. Richard Hershberger*

      You need a better union. This kind of stuff should be negotiated, not up to the whim of whatever set of clowns got elected this time.

      Reply ↓
    5. Not a Vorpatril*

      Bus scheduling for us would make that a no-go, and since I’m a High School teacher, we’re busy cramming finals down our students’ throats until the last second anyways.

      We are free to leave early today, but have a virtual day Monday if our grades aren’t all in yet (mine sure will be!) but I’ll stay 90 minutes after anyways because I have that long before I go to pick up my children from elementary school.

      Reply ↓
  45. Alex*

    This year for reasons that weren’t explained we are having our holiday gathering in mid-January. I believe it will be catered lunch in the conference room.

    I don’t really care much either way but I’m grateful it is during work hours because my schedule is super packed.

    Reply ↓
    1. Immaterial*

      we have ours ( fancy dinner with spouses and official promotion annoucements) in January and I love having in in the new year. so much better for scheduling and you can skip any religious associations.

      Reply ↓
  46. An American(ish) Werewolf in London(ish)*

    Ours was last week – I didn’t go. It was held in what is apparently a famous night club in London with apparently famous DJs playing apparently famous dance tunes ‘from 70s disco to today’s chart toppers.’

    I’m in my 50s, and my music taste is older than that (I particularly enjoy folk music). I truly would rather staple my eyelids shut that endure a night of dancing to music I loathe, with people I barely know despite being there more than 5 years. Plus, I don’t dance.

    So I gave it a miss.

    Reply ↓
  47. The Wizard Rincewind*

    We usually get the week between Christmas and New Year’s off, but this year, since New Year’s is midweek, my boss just announced that we’re getting Thursday and Friday off as well. I am looking forward to being a couch potato and finally getting stuck in to some video games.

    Reply ↓
  48. Irish Teacher.*

    We had our Christmas party at the end of November! This was because firstly, we had trouble booking anywhere as a lot of places were already booked out when people started trying to book at the start of November. Then we were going to have it on the 6th of December but that turned out to be the Toy Show night. (I am not sure I can explain the Toy Show to non-Irish people but it’s an institution here. It’s a TV show that starts at 9:35pm and finishes around midnight a few weeks before Christmas and showcases toys and has kids talking about them and all and all the children of the nation get to stay up late. It’s sheer importance in Ireland might be grasped if I say that a) not only was our staff party date changed for it but that day was also ruled out for the General Election, partly because it was the Toy Show night and b) in recent years, the Toy Show has included a fundraiser which made €1 million within about 20 minutes of opening and was at over €4 million by the end of the show. In a country with a population of around 5 million!)

    Anyway, the only date that worked for us was the 29th of November. We booked a bar in the city for 7pm and because that turned out to be the election date, I had to go home after work, vote and return to the city again for the party. We each paid €20 in advance and for that, we got a free drink apiece and “finger food,” which turned out to be huge plates of chips (fries for those in the US), cocktail sausages wrapped in rashers (bacon?), fish and chicken nuggets and wedges. It was delicious.

    Our school also has a Christmas market, which took place on December 6th, where we invite kids in from the local primary schools and sell cakes and stuff. I avoid this because I do not like crowded events.

    And we had a Christmas jumper day when the kids didn’t have to wear school uniform and a lot of teachers also wore something Christmassy.

    Reply ↓
  49. Univ*

    Our very large department at a large university had a party that featured a wellness theme. They were begging people to sign up for the sessions, and my understanding is that they were very poorly attended. Anyone who is able to for their job works at home, so it wasn’t like we were all in the building for it. However, it was during the workday, so kudos to them for that!

    Reply ↓
  50. We still use so much paper!*

    We have lunch at a restaurant from 12-3 then are expected to return to the office afterward. No time off is allowed to be taken.

    Reply ↓
  51. Anony*

    Our company had its usual holiday party, which is always fun and has great food and cocktails. But this year, we found out a few weeks prior that the entire department that always PLANS the party would be laid off, effective in January. It seemed like such an awful situation— I was wondering if anyone from the department would even come. I don’t know if I would.
    When I got there an hour after it started I saw that, yes, one of them was there. She looked beautiful— and was already completely wasted on company booze. She talked to everyone that night. She spent at least an hour on the dance floor, sometimes the only one on it. She is amazing and I hope Santa brings her a great new job.

    Reply ↓
  52. Philosophia*

    Potluck lunch with GOOD contributions—a lot of us like to cook. Attendance entirely voluntary. We’re an administrative office in public higher education.

    Reply ↓
  53. Forest Hag*

    My company is fully remote so we aren’t doing anything! Which I prefer. I was never really into big parties with people I don’t know that well (parties with my close friends – that’s super fun, especially if drunk karaoke is involved). I worked at a big state university for many years, and the parties were always so awkward and cringey.

    I joined this company this summer and learned that they just donate to a handful of awesome charities selected by the employees as their way of celebrating, so I’m cool with that.

    Reply ↓
  54. KCD*

    I work in the public sector, so no funding for holiday parties. But yesterday we had an optional potluck for my division and it turned out to be really fun!

    Reply ↓
  55. KayDeeAye*

    The good news – in fact, the great news – is that we’re closed for Christmas week. This is the third year this has happened here. I know this is fairly common, but it had never happened to me, and I am truly grateful.

    The bad news is that we had the 4th (estimated) lamest “Christmas party” ever. Normally we go out for a nice lunch, have a festive activity or two, recognize employees’ work anniversaries, and then we all get to go home early. So nothing extravagant but quite pleasant. But this year, we had a thoroughly mediocre brunch catered by the office cafeteria (the bacon and potatoes were good though!), recognized employees’ work anniversaries, and then…had a staff meeting. You know, going over organizational goals and so on. And nobody got to go home early, unless they took PTO. Happy ho-ho-ho to us!

    Reply ↓
  56. Decidedly Me*

    We did a virtual party (which was fun) and managers were given a budget to do something nice for their team members.

    Reply ↓
  57. Clearance Issues*

    annual bonus, annual holiday parties (thankfully not on a boat but once again without adequate seating and food) we did well enough for significant raises, but not well enough for anything extra after that like a free day off.

    Reply ↓
  58. yourewelcome*

    LOL. we’re doing nothing. literally nothing. The union threw a big party a few days ago, and we’re never invited because, as with all unions…they’re a big f-ing joke who takes our money and ensure I have no PTO and am paid 30% below market rates. Yay!

    Reply ↓
  59. ashie*

    My company is having a celebration at the office directly after work tonight. They’re having a catered buffet with some games and raffle prizes. Seems like it will be pretty low key and fun.

    Reply ↓
  60. ChurchOfDietCoke*

    We had a catered lunch brought into December’s team meeting. The food was from a vegan caterer and I know from past experience that their food uses ultra-processed meat and dairy alternatives that I prefer to avoid (facon, shicken and sheese), and things I can’t eat but aren’t on the list of 14 statutory allergens (namely: pea protein), so I brought a packed lunch.

    Reply ↓
  61. Caramel & Cheddar*

    I’d be curious to know when people have their holiday parties? Alison posts this question every year, I think, usually around now, but I’d be shocked if anyone still had plans to do any in the next week or so.

    My workplace usually has theirs some time in the first or second week of December, but a few years ago it was in the Dec 17-21 range. I skipped it that year because I didn’t want to pick up an illness that close to Christmas. Didn’t go this year either, but for other reasons.

    Reply ↓
    1. Chocolate Teapot*

      One former company arranged its Christmas party for the last Friday before Christmas with only a couple of weeks notice. To make matters worse, a lot of people, me included, had already made travel plans so couldn’t attend. Plus a large group of junior employees were at an off-site training and couldn’t attend either!

      Reply ↓
    2. Arrietty*

      We are having a staff dinner tomorrow. I know of at least two other organisations doing the same. For many people in the UK, it’s the last day before two weeks off (I’m working the 27th and 30th, but I’m the boss so that was my choice).

      Reply ↓
    3. JustaTech*

      We had out in-office lunch this week, and we’ll have our off-site, evening, fancy party in January (when it’s both much more affordable and very much not a Christmas party).

      Reply ↓
  62. Beth**

    We went bowling mid-afternoon in November (cheaper) and then there was a lunch (posh burgers and hot dogs). Some people went on for drinks and eventually karaoke but most left by 5-ish.

    We also had a Christmas lunch in the staff cafeteria.

    Reply ↓
  63. RussianInTexas*

    Same as always. Lunch tomorrow at a (decent) Chinese buffet with some gift drawing, and no work after that.
    Only paid days off are Christmas Day and New Years day. That’s all.

    Reply ↓
  64. ArchivesPony*

    University wide drinks (non-alcoholic) and apps yesterday (optional though they did encourage use to pre-register). And nothing in our specific department, though my dean did gift the staff (with an email saying not to give them anything; AAM would so approve of their email!) a Panera gift card and a Starbucks gift card. Other than that it’s a quiet.

    Reply ↓
  65. Daughter of Ada and Grace*

    A bit different this year than in years past, but thus far seems nicely chill. Breakfast provided for everyone (catered in the office, gift cards for remote people). The remote team members had a virtual event this morning, then around lunchtime we’ll have an all-hands meeting (in the big conference room if you’re in the office, or Zoom for remote) where management will say a few words (presumably the usual looking back/looking forward type stuff). Remote employees get the rest of the day off after that, while those of us in the office will decamp to a local restaurant for lunch and games.

    Reply ↓
  66. Coffee Please*

    We had a staff-planned Christmas party with pizza, board games, Christmas movies, and white elephant. It was actually super fun! We have a budget for “staff fun” so folks plan stuff like this all year and we always have a good time. Plus we get Amex gift cards as a Christmas bonus every year from management (always appreciated).

    Reply ↓
  67. Nicki Name*

    My company is all-virtual, so a 1-hour Teams party with an ugly sweater contest and holiday trivia.

    I have a weekly meeting that overlapped with it and whoever was in charge of it didn’t reschedule, so I only made it to half of the party. :(

    Reply ↓
  68. HannahS*

    I’m a medical resident and my workplace, for all its many, many flaws, does this very well:

    University department of [medical specialty]: Optional weekday evening party for faculty and residents in a hotel conference room. Buffet dinner, wine, brief speech of gratitude, mingling.

    Hospital department of [medical specialty]: Optional weekday evening party for all department staff (i.e. residents, attending physicians, nurses, social workers, admins, etc.) in a restaurant party room. Free hearty passed appetizers, cash bar, raffle for the charitable patient fund with very good prizes.

    The chief resident also arranges an optional November dinner at a restaurant for residents only, pay-your-own-way, have the waiter take a picture and send it around on the weekly newsletter.

    Some years I attend all the events, this year I attended none (feeling a bit over-tired.) It’s super low-key, not Christmas-y, and a nice opportunity to mingle socially.

    Reply ↓
    1. I wish we had lunch*

      Curious: do residents/attendings go to the party @ the hospital if they aren’t working that shift? Can they *only* go if they’re not working that shift? Curious how it all works

      Reply ↓
      1. HannahS*

        None of the parties are at the hospital! So yes, if you’re the resident on call or one of the nurses on shift, you can’t go. Attendings can go because they don’t usually do call in-house; they just have to be available by phone. But that’s 1-4 residents out of 10-100 and 8-20 nurses out of a [I don’t know how many nurses are in the department; it’s a large number.) The ratio depends on the hospital.

        I assume the nurses and attendings might also arrange their own dinners, like the residents do, but I’m not on the invite list so I’m not sure :)

        Reply ↓
  69. Off Plumb*

    It was billed as a combination meeting and party, which we could attend in person or virtually. The actual agenda was a few gift card raffles and some brief remarks by the head of our division. (We’re a division of a few hundred within a massive government agency. Most stuff gets handled at the division level.) In-person attendees had snacks and schmoozing before and after; virtual attendees were in and out in half an hour.

    Reply ↓
  70. WhoKnows*

    ~nothing~

    We used to have huge, multi-thousand employee giant holiday parties but as time went on and we got more and more broke, no parties at all. We had to beg for a pizza budget this year lol.

    They also gave us “two extra days off” during the holiday weeks and we have unlimited PTO already. Hilarious.

    Reply ↓
  71. Silicon Valley Girl*

    Nothing this year. Which I’m a little miffed about bec. last year we had the first post-pandemic big bash on a Saturday night at a local museum, which was fun (fully optional, loads of food & drink, each employee got a plus one). Used to do that every year. Also there would sometimes be a corporate gift sent to ppl’s homes, like a food item or a branded blanket (useful for pets at least). I’m a little worried what this downscaling might mean…

    Reply ↓
  72. CzechMate*

    I have a bearded neighbor who decided he would “try something new” this year and has been moonlighting as Santa. He said, “I thought it was just going to be kids parties, but yesterday I had to go to a corporate party and roast the CEO.”

    Sincerely regretting I was not a fly on the wall at THAT company party.

    Reply ↓
      1. pally*

        It is just as interesting the second time around. No worries!

        (I wonder if all those Santa’s-for-hire get together to gossip about the things they see and hear- like at corporate events. THAT would be very enlightening to sit in on.)

        Reply ↓
  73. I should really pick a name*

    Dinner at a nice restaurant in January (technically what we’ve already done this year as opposed to what we’re doing this year)

    Reply ↓
  74. CherryBlossom*

    Despite my dislike of office parties, I heeded the advice that usually happens when I say I don’t like office parties on AAM, that it’s good to go and get social face time with my team and superiors for social capital and such.

    It was a nice party, all things considered. But I was miserable. I was at a table with my supervisor, who I get along great with, but she kept getting urgent work calls and left after 5 minutes. I tried to make small talk with the rest of my team, but it was clear they were more interested in talking to each other, and eventually stopped including me in the convo altogether. I’m the newest person, in the lowest ranking position, and no one was outright rude, but it still stung.

    Maybe it’s all the work-related autism baggage talking, but it made me really sad to feel excluded, and I ended up leaving after 20 minutes. So yeah, I’m sticking to having “conflicting family obligations” from now on.

    Reply ↓
  75. Ally McBeal*

    After a few years of holiday parties that took place at our office (originally out of necessity due to Covid, then due to budget constraints), management allowed the party planning committee to splurge on a venue, so we rented out the private room of a fun theme restaurant. We got dealt an unlucky hand in terms of winter weather that day, so the party didn’t go as late as it has in previous years (usually a small group of people wind up having an impromptu afterparty at a nearby bar), but I’m having a hard time seeing that as a problem. It was a really nice get-together and we also got modestly-funded gift cards as party favors. No complaints at all from me.

    Reply ↓
  77. Former Gremlin Herder*

    So many things, but each department within our local government org usually does some kind of meal and festive activity. Because I’m in a weird office, we ended up going to two different departmental celebrations. One of them was at a local bar/restaurant where managers bought a round and food, then we played a game of dirty Santa and went home. The other is a group of 40-50, where we do a catered meal that is famous for having awkward and stilted get to you know you games. And in between there’s a million happy hours and little gift exchanges. It’s exhausting and probably a little much, but it’s certainly not the worst!

    Reply ↓
  78. In the middle*

    US Public School teacher- Spirit Week the week before break (excuse to dress down) and we’re off for a couple weeks.

    Reply ↓
    1. Teach*

      We had an “underground” teachers-only spirit week and a regular spirit week, but admin is on a weird tirade about jeans, so no jeans could be worn on many of the theme days. Ugly sweater and dress pants, got it.

      Reply ↓
  79. PropJoe*

    We had a holiday reception during the workday on Tuesday. It was sweets in one serving line and appetizers in the other. Nothing amazing but it was an excuse to get away from our desks for an hour or so.

    Also, after Friday we close and don’t reopen until 1/2.

    Reply ↓
  80. Strive to Excel*

    We had a holiday party last week. The downside was that it was a Saturday; the upside was that the boss got the really good caterers and the food was a-mah-zing. The smoked salmon deviled eggs were the most divisive dish; you either liked them or not. I don’t like smoked salmon by itself but I loved those. Everyone got a $25 gift card; one of those “you can use this in 8 different places” ones. Very solid, would do again especially for those caterers.

    Reply ↓
  81. Another Kristin*

    A sedate brunch with unlimited (very small) mimosas. Normally we get the afternoon off after the holiday party, but for whatever reason we did not this year. Not sure of the logic of letting us wallow in mimosas, then sending us all back to work, but what do I know!

    Reply ↓
  82. CBJ*

    I work in nonprofits, and this is my first Christmas at my current org. We had a holiday lunch last week at a local restaurant (all covered by the org), and all got to go home after, which was lovely. I was expecting some kind of branded swag (since I’ve started I’ve gotten about 4 shirts, a sweatshirt, multiple mugs, a candle, and other branded trinkets), but instead it was announced that they’re giving everyone bonuses (and that they paid the tax on them)! We also get the 24th-the 1st off. This is probably the best Christmas I’ve ever had at a workplace!

    Reply ↓
  83. MaxPower*

    Dinner & Zoolights. It was a really nice time. Dinner was at the zoo’s catering center and then we were free to roam the zoolights with our families/guests.

    Reply ↓
  84. Sir Nose d'Voidoffunk*

    State employee, so we just had a catered luncheon during the work day. My department had its own happy hour this week, which I care about a lot more.

    Reply ↓
  85. WFH4VR*

    Our department rebelled and got our “holiday” event moved to mid-January. We are all so insanely busy in December that we just don’t feel the love for taking three hours to sit around and eat cookies.

    Reply ↓
  86. Jaid*

    Government employee here. They gave us 2 hours admin to use “for parties”.

    We just got an e-mail confirming that tele-work employees don’t have to come to the office next week.

    And we may shut down over the weekend. yay?

    Reply ↓
  87. a fever you can't sweat 0ut*

    regional holiday party at a banquet space. office shut down early, catered lunch, prize giveaways, drink tickets, and got to leave at 3:30 for the rest of the day.

    Reply ↓
  88. Nesta*

    I work in higher education and we’ve had about three options for parties.

    I’m really writing to share my partner’s experience though. His company gave them a half day today for the holiday party. That seems pretty generous, right? Except that they have to work the full day on Christmas Eve, when most companies in that industry that don’t give off entirely typically give a half day. The only day they are getting off is Christmas Day, which has to then be treated like a regular work night since he has to be in early on the 26th.

    It seems to me it would be much nicer to give them the half day on Christmas Eve when they might want to celebrate with their families.

    Reply ↓
  89. Baunilha*

    I’m happy to share that my employer decided to skip the holiday party this year and just gave us the money they had budgeted for it. We used to have a holiday party every year, but apparently many people complained for several reasons, so they thought that giving out money was less of a hassle. I actually like this idea!

    Reply ↓
  90. Aggretsuko*

    At my job, they have a cookie party where they handed out two cookies (I was expecting more) and coffee/hot chocolate, and you get pictures taken. That was about it. But pretty festive for 20 minutes!

    Reply ↓
  91. Amy Purralta*

    Nothing, it’s great!!
    We’re all remote so get together about twice a year but not around Christmas.
    I do like dressing up and nice food. However I’m disabled so can no longer dance the night away and I don’t drink alcohol. (I am willing to do karaoke etc without drink) So it’s nice I don’t have to be mother hen looking after all the drunks. Plus no secret Santa

    Reply ↓
  92. analyst*

    We did a regifting/secondhand themed gift exchange, and it turned out pretty well. I got rid of a nice cheeseboard I never used and needed an excuse to unload, and received a luxury set of soaps and lotions that a coworker had gotten from a relative but had no interest using. Most of the gifts were pretty good: puzzles, games, an unopened paint-by-numbers. We all got rid of perfectly good stuff we didn’t want and didn’t have to spend a dime in the process.

    Reply ↓
    1. LifebeforeCorona*

      Sounds like you have an office of mature people who understood the task. No one got a dusty coffee cup filled with stale candy with a poorly scribbled name of the last person who received it.

      Reply ↓
  93. Ann O'Nemity*

    Afternoon party with heavy apps, desserts, and non alcoholic beverages. I appreciate that there is nothing weird about it. This year we had a snow globe theme, so there were projectors all over displaying falling snowflakes and elaborate snow globes as centerpieces.

    I definitely do not miss the drunken white elephant gift exchange that my last employer did; that was a hot mess.

    Reply ↓
  94. Ayla K*

    We’re fully remote, and everyone is getting a link to order their own preferred snacks, paid for by the company. More inclusive than everyone just getting the same food (we have a LOT of dietary restrictions and preferences on staff) and no party people have to travel for.

    Reply ↓
  95. One Duck In A Row*

    I’ll be working while they do whatever at the party because that is what happens when your employer refuses to support the work you do with sufficient staffing. To be fair, if I were doing the work of only one person instead of 2-3, I’d have been using PTO in place of the day we have the holiday party because I desperately need to use more PTO for my own sanity. (Yes, this means my sanity is at best holding on by half a thread. I get to spend the entire weekend organizing and cleaning the house, which is in a state of horrific disarray, and then get to spend my entire “vacation” hosting a relative whose presence precludes me getting to relax. And no, I don’t have other options for employment because not everyone lives in or near a metropolitan area. Some of us are just stuck with this sh*t until we die.)

    Reply ↓
  96. I edit everything*

    We were supposed to have a lunch on Friday in my little department/corner of a university, but half the department has decided to take the day off, so instead, our director brought in a huge selection of candy and other treats for everyone to fill a bag. Meh.

    Reply ↓
  97. Thomas*

    Nothing. Local government, and I’ve been told there’s fear of bad press if workers are seen partying en-masse, even if it was all paid for by the workers themselves. Some individual departments do things but there’s nothing org-wide.

    Reply ↓
  98. Alton Brown's Evil Twin*

    We’re doing nothing.

    Founder/CEO family health issue.
    Lost a long-time customer and looking at cash crunch in March.

    So I’m working on my resume…

    Reply ↓
  99. LifebeforeCorona*

    The Christmas party was cancelled because of lack of interest. Instead people are bringing in homemade treats which is nicer. Someone makes killer rum balls and they go fast.

    Reply ↓
  100. anotherfan*

    We had buyouts, so there have been a lot of impromptu potlucks to wish people well, the company party happened early in the month without any untoward incidents, HQ sent around its list of branded merchandise we can choose as a gift, we’re getting a company-wide bonus at the end of January and except for being horrendously shortstaffed with no idea what 2025 will look like, we’re pretty much trying to hold our own. Boring, but I like it that way, at least!

    Reply ↓
  101. Anna*

    Embroidered bathrobes.

    Ok, we also had a cocktail party at the beginning of the month and a catered lunch yesterday, but our new CEO dressed up as Santa interrupting a meeting to give out bathrobes felt way too much like I got lost in an episode of The Office for reality yesterday.

    Reply ↓
  102. A Simple Narwhal*

    My team went out for lunch earlier this week and I consider that my “real” holiday celebration at work.

    We also have a big holiday party for the entire company, but it doesn’t start until 6pm and I’m not interested in giving up my entire night for a glass of wine and some passed apps, especially when I live an hour outside of the city and my train options are 6:30, 9, or 11:30.

    Plus if I’m being really honest I’ve become disenfranchised with the company as of late and have started job hunting, so the idea that “you need to make an appearance to get on the grandboss’s good side” doesn’t really motivate me anymore.

    Reply ↓
    1. A Simple Narwhal*

      Oh and for an added fun anecdote, my coworker had an in-depth conversation with our grandboss at the holiday party last year, only for him to see her the next day and say “oh man, we missed you at the party, you couldn’t come?”.

      So yea, definitely not worth making the extra effort just for a man who potentially won’t even remember talking to you.

      Reply ↓
      1. Richard Hershberger*

        On the plus side, if you run into him the next day you can talk about your entirely fictitious conversation to get credit for attending. indeed, chase him down for this!

        Reply ↓
  103. Katydid*

    We have a lot of remote employees so we all got a gift box of cheese and sausage, which is delicious. We had a soup cook off/potluck in the office on Tuesday but it was pretty small, not many people attended. Other than that, last year we tried to have an All Company in person meeting in January, but of course there were tons of weather issues with the remote employees traveling, so they have moved that to August since the weather is much more agreeable then.

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  104. Tradd*

    If there’s a party, it will be in Jan or Feb. I never go anyway. Not my thing.

    US, closing at noon on the eves. Closed the actual holiday.

    I will actually be on vacation beginning Christmas Eve and go back Jan 2. Doing a lot of extra hours to get my stuff pre-entered before I’m off. Customs broker and freight doesn’t stop moving. Entering everything I have documents for and coworker will just submit to CBP within 5 days of arrival. This is the way things are done in our industry. Not a job you can just take days off and your workload just sits while you’re gone.

    Reply ↓
  105. Mars*

    we are a govt dept with – I just counted – about 90 people. we’re doing a potluck. I’ve been here a week and a half and don’t know how shady the contributions are but we’re setting up in the hallway currently for a 12:30 start. will update if anyone even slightly interesting happens

    my program (20 or so) is also doing a dinner after work Friday that’s pay your own way that I will not be participating in. ordinarily I would but cannot summon up the spirit to engage

    Reply ↓
  106. Rara Avis*

    We have our official part at the end of the academic year, so June, not December. The Sunshine committee does a holiday party with food, drinks, and raffle prizes. It’s after the school day so attendance is pretty small, but it’s fun to connect with friends from other campuses. On my campus, we have a gift exchange auction with games. This year it was flip-cup (a drinking game, evidently, but we had non-alcoholic cider) and pictionary. Winning a game round earns you extra plastic gold to bid on gifts. All very tame — no good stories.

    Reply ↓
  107. Keladry of Mindelan*

    I work in higher ed in Student Life. We had a holiday luncheon with annual awards and an ugly sweater competition a couple of weeks ago and we are closed from 12/25-1/1 (new this year! previously it was only Christmas Day and New Year’s Day).

    My previous institution also had departmental and divisional holiday celebrations with potluck dessert bars, white elephant exchanges, activities (escape rooms, wine & canvas courses, etc).

    Reply ↓
  108. sara*

    We’re having a “cozy afternoon” today (thursday) – snacks, apple cider, etc. It’s low key Christmassy but also we’re primarily remote and the event is totally optional. If any of my team don’t want to come (or can’t come) they can also slack off this afternoon, unofficially!

    And then we’re closed between 25th and Jan 1, but I’d say at least 1/3 of people are off the full two weeks. We’re getting fully paid during the closure, not out of our PTO and including part-time (pro-rated) and temporary staff!

    And then we’ve got a winter party at the end of Jan.

    Reply ↓
  109. Chocoholic*

    We had catered lunch yesterday and then we are closed from 12/25 through 1/2. We just started this last year and it is great.

    Reply ↓
  110. KatCardigans*

    Last exam for students is tomorrow morning; faculty will have a get-together on campus afterwards with drinks and snacks. It’s optional. I probably won’t attend this year because my family is celebrating Christmas this Saturday before traveling to see extended family, and there’s a lot of holiday stuff I still have to get done. I could use the extra few hours.

    Happily, we are off until the second week of January!

    Reply ↓
  111. Vacation SOON!!*

    Staff party hosted by the CEO, which is insane because she literally just had spinal surgery (yes, her control issues go that deep), and then a WHOLE WEEK OFF, which has never happened before at this company. Like ever. I haven’t taken a week off since my honeymoon, so it doesn’t feel real to me lol.

    Reply ↓
  113. PurlsOfWisdom*

    Indoor go kart racing with food and drink after. All during the workday so no impact to personal time.

    Everyone had a great time and it really brought out some fun and lighthearted competition.

    Reply ↓
  114. Hawk*

    There was a “party” yesterday in which people brought food and went into the break room when they had time. On my 15 minute break, only 3 of us were present, but only 2 at a time. It was incredibly awkward. I couldn’t eat any of the amazing food, either, because I have an oddly specific food intolerance to a food that was guaranteed to be in almost everything. Our staff represents at least 5 countries outside the US, so it was pretty cool.

    Reply ↓
  115. Serious Silly Putty*

    My favorite “cheep entertainment” was the year we all brought a favorite holiday-themed YouTube video to watch.
    This year someone offered to organize a murder mystery, but the idea of role-playing made one person almost panicky so that’s a no-go.
    White elephant exchange and waffle bar this year

    Reply ↓
  116. Seva*

    There was a Christmas party for the building I work in last Friday. Yesterday, at a building employee work event, someone higher up went around to each person who didn’t go to ask why they didn’t attend. My reason: it was on a Friday and I go to the synagogue. They were also having an early Hanukkah party. That comes first. She made a disgusted look and walked off.

    Otherwise we get nearly two weeks off paid.

    Reply ↓
    1. I Have RBF*

      So she made a disgusted look because you are celebrating Jewish holidays instead of “office Christmas”? eyeroll

      In a related note, I had to take my “cultural day” before year end. So I’m taking “Winter Solstice, observed” on Monday, since the actual Solstice is Saturday.

      Reply ↓
  117. Pam Adams*

    A college-based holiday lunch with Secret Santa, a union holiday lunch with prizes- I didn’t win one, and in January, a New Year’s celebration. No lines of coke or confrontations to be seen.

    Reply ↓
  118. Insert Clever Name Here*

    We don’t do anything company-wide, but my department of around 120 had a catered lunch during work hours; the food was good and while most of our department is salaried the invitation included instructions for non-salaried employees to bill for the time as it was a work meeting. We also got to pick from a few branded items from the company catalog (clothing and non-clothing options) or a gift card for a commiserate amount.

    Reply ↓
  119. PicklePants*

    Let’s see – they’ve organised a party for us!
    It’s truly marvellous, we all have to pay £10 to get in, we have to bring a platter of food each & our own alcohol!
    What a most wonderful way to thank you to all the staff for their hard work this year (funnily enough I will be giving this a miss).

    Reply ↓
  120. Elizabeth West*

    Each office does its own thing, I guess. My unit is in a different city from where I live — they’re doing a lunch today and passing out tenure certificates. Those of us who aren’t there are listening in on Teams.

    In my physical location, our office party is today (at 5 pm, ugh). I doubt I’ll stay long since the later I leave, the longer the interval is between buses. Lucky for me, the train station near work is right behind us, so I only have to walk to the end of the block and cross one street (the office building takes up the entire block). There will be food — I hope it’s actual food since that’s dinnertime. I don’t know many people here but I thought it would be a nice way to meet some folks.

    Reply ↓
    1. discreetly disappearing is a good user name*

      I must have missed this, but you got a job, yay! Would you talk about it on Friday open thread?

      Reply ↓
  121. Crystal*

    We were told we were having lunch at a swanky hotel. And we did… kind of.

    The disappointment started with the time, which was 2 pm. Do you have a mid-morning snack?
    Starve until 2? No good choices. We moved on to assigned seating. Wanted to sit with your work besties? Nope! And then the venue, which was a TENT in the PARKING LOT of said swanky hotel.

    So, I guess I’m happy there was some effort. Many years there is nothing. But overall, not the jolliest of good times.

    Reply ↓
  122. 653-CXK*

    I recently had a lunch with our team at a local restaurant (had to take a Lyft, but they allowed us to expense it, so I will get back $55) and got a $125 bonus, which I’m fine with. Yesterday, the company had a hot chocolate bar, but I was working at home so I didn’t attend.

    At ExJob, we usually had a team lunch (either potluck or at a restaurant), then a staff lunch (all teams + management, often catered and zero booze), and the company lunch (served by management, also zero booze but way back in the past, there was booze until people got into serious trouble and the company took that benefit away). The last Christmas party at CurrentJob was before the pandemic, and I have not attended one since since I WFH.

    Reply ↓
    1. 653-CXK*

      Side note: Yes, the $55 for the Lyft was round trip and included tips and taxes. I took the bus to the office, the Lyft from the office to the restaurant, and then again from the restaurant back home.

      Personally, I would have been plenty content to take the bus back home, as the bus stop was a short distance away, but my boss insisted I take the Lyft back. It was just as well – it began to rain.

      Reply ↓
  123. Mickey's Mom*

    My company had a lovely party with great food and a wonderful, convenient location. This is the pre-fest email we received from our manager: “….I just learned that some people “are not feeling it” and do not plan to attend the holiday gathering tomorrow. The holiday gathering should be considered equivalent to the quarterly all-staff meeting. The expectation is that everyone will attend unless there are extenuating circumstances. If anyone is not going to attend, they should use vacation time.”

    It ruined the mood for many attendees and the hardworking long-time employee who admitted to “not feeling it” was mortified.

    Reply ↓
  124. The Cat's Holiday-Themed Pajamas*

    I work for a food distributor with an in-house, full-time, all-ours-and-nobody-else’s chef! The company provides the food and the chef feeds us for a whole day every holiday. This year’s feast is tomorrow. Since we have several shifts, the food starts being doled out at 11AM and it won’t end till about 6 or 7PM. Where will the food be served, you may ask? We have a swanky “test kitchen,” inside a large, beautiful dining room with comfortable tables/chairs, our choice of beverage (not alcohol, since we do have warehouse workers and drivers, all of whom are in safety-sensitive roles), etc, etc. Everyone is invited and no one is forced to appear, but everyone does because the chef will probably be cooking a roast beef and/or a giant ham. As for attire, we were invited to wear (work appropriate) holiday pajamas. I probably won’t dress in pajamas, but I’ll wear an ugly sweater or something.

    The winner of the cubicle-decorating competition will be announced tomorrow, as well as the winner of the cookie contest. Can’t wait. I’ll probably won’t get anything done!

    Reply ↓
    2. The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon*

      Holy heck, you win! That sounds so delightful and cozy and considerate. I hope the chef is showered with compliments.

      Reply ↓
  125. EA Reading Menus*

    Well, we’re supposed to have a nice luncheon next month after everyone’s back from their various holiday travels, but our usual restaurant isn’t available and I’m having a hard time finding a place that has a private/semi-private room for our small group!

    I keep stopping while I’m reading menus and thinking “stop goofing off and get back to work!” and then I remind myself that this IS work, ha ha.

    Reply ↓
  126. Generic Name*

    My department is doing a potluck and gift exchange today. The folks in the department are very fun and everyone gets along, so it should be enjoyable. The local HQ had their holiday party yesterday, and that was nice as well. The cafeteria catered the food, which was really yummy, and there was free beer/wine. My company has its downsides like any company, but they really take care of their people.

    Reply ↓
  127. Anon for this*

    My company is doing a fancy (dress code “black tie preferred”) party at a museum. A “gentle reminder” was sent out earlier this week to ask everyone to behave themselves, stay within the areas that are clearly marked as open, and not damage any of the exhibits, including a note that no red wine will be served!
    From the stories of previous Christmas parties this company has had, the reminder is probably justified…)

    Reply ↓
  128. The OG Sleepless*

    We went to a performance at a well-known dinner theater! It was really fun; the only drawback is that it was kind of like going to a movie, where you don’t really talk to the people you’re with. We’re a rare group of coworkers who really enjoy each other’s company, and I may suggest we do something more interactive next year.

    Reply ↓
  129. History Buff*

    We’re having lunch in a heritage building that is closed to the public most of the time! I’m the most excited of anyone in our software company ;P

    Reply ↓
  130. Always Tired*

    We’re going bowling! I work in construction, so no one wants do to something after hours. We have a paid day off, and we have an open bar and giant buffet at the fancy bowling place in their party room with three lanes and a pool table.

    I am going to work hard to dodge the unofficial after party, which often ends up at my favorite dive, but could end up at the newly reopened karaoke bar. (Why do they keep inviting HR to the after party??) I think I’ll end up at the Irish pub a few blocks further down.

    Reply ↓
  132. Rage*

    As an organization, this week is “Holiday Spirit Week” – which meant I got to trot out my “Griffon Vulture wearing a Santa hat and covered in Christmas lights” sweater for Ugly Sweater Day. Today is “Holiday Headgear Day” but I am not wearing a hat.

    They are also giving out hams – not those little 2-pound spiral-cut honey hams, either, but big 8-pound uncooked HAMS, plus a dessert pie of choice. (People could also pick a turkey or a tofurkey instead of a ham.)

    My department was going to go out to lunch yesterday, but one of my colleagues had a bad cold so we are just pushing it back to early January.

    Reply ↓
  133. werewolf*

    our usual — very low-key. had an employee lunch on-site for an hour and some change, with prize drawings for various items. i won some airpods!

    Reply ↓
  134. I wish we had lunch*

    C-suite had pastries etc. I couldn’t go because my bad-planning manager gave me a task due that day, and if I’d spent 30 minutes going for pastries, I would have had to make up 30 minutes that night, and I didn’t wanna.

    Otherwise, my smaller group went for dinner, but we paid ourselves. The restaurant wasn’t bad, but why are there no longer veggies with dinner? (bulgogi was meat, rice and a couple chopped green onions)

    Reply ↓
  135. Someone Else's Boss*

    We got $25 Visa gift cards and we’re doing a virtual holiday party over Zoom. Both are fine, but the best part is we close from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Day. We’ve always done this, but I never stop appreciating it!

    Reply ↓
  136. The Other MooDeng*

    I got out of it because I had food poisoning but unlike last year’s low-key celebration at our local beloved bar, they did a black tie event at a very swanky private country club because we have a new CEO and he’s that kind of guy. This is a blue collar business and none of us get paid black-tie dress code money. Almost nobody went and it cost the company a chunk of change.

    Reply ↓
    1. Always Tired*

      My boss wants us to do that, and I keep holding the line that no, no one is gonna go home, shower, put on their non-black tie, get a sitter, and drive back to the city for that. It ain’t happening. He then had the audacity to ask about doing it on the weekend, as if the company picnic wasn’t a bust with less than a quarter of the staff showing up. We stick with day time, work week events.

      Reply ↓
  137. Anon this time*

    Going anon for this one, but my company had our holiday party at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, which has FREE admission. So some of us went early to walk through the institute before the party actually started.

    That sort of thing is right up my alley so I had a blast!

    Reply ↓
    1. ReallyBadPerson*

      Those museum parties are the BEST! Back when my husband was working for The Man, his company would have parties like that. When spouses/partners were invited, I made sure to ask for the day off (he worked in another city much of the week) and hired an overnight sitter, because those parties were absolutely worth it!

      Reply ↓
    2. Elizabeth West*

      Ahhhhh I would love this! I’m a huge museum nerd, haha.

      That’s one thing I don’t like about Boston; the museums are kind of expensive. :( Residents can get discounts with their library cards, though. I just have to plan ahead.

      Reply ↓
    3. JustaTech*

      Museum parties are the *best* for work events because it gives everyone something to talk about that isn’t work!
      It also gives folks a way of stepping away from the crowd for a breather without having to just hide in the bathroom.

      Reply ↓
  138. Nicosloanica*

    After laying off most of our staff and having several difficult board discussions, we’re staying open for now, but we’re definitely not doing any holiday parties. No raises or bonuses either obviously. My boss and I usually take each other out for drinks which we pay for ourselves. Please hug your nonprofit friends this year, we are not okay.

    Reply ↓
  139. Katie*

    We had a party last week after work, in our office. We are downsizing so it was the last day in that part of the building. Most of the prizes were the used TVs. I honestly was relieved that I didn’t win one.

    Reply ↓
  140. Kettle Belle*

    We had a cocktail party at our soon-to -be new office location. what made it really fun this year was that we had a company trivia contest.

    Reply ↓
  143. Anonymous Pygmy Possym*

    My company is mostly remote, but some of the US offices had holiday parties. We might be doing a remote thing in January – last year they sent out cocktail kits and had someone teach us to make cocktails. It was fun!

    My partner’s company catered pizza dinner last night and then they’re going to a swanky hotel for dinner tonight. AFAIK, partners are not invited (my partner and I met at that job, so it wouldn’t be so awful if I had to go). Not that it matters since I’m across the currently across country with my family.

    Reply ↓
  144. lunchtime caller*

    Tons of parties; a company-wide one, team-wide ones, and then some others depending on job type. Two weeks closed (well, some of it is “WFH” but I doubt anyone is working), EOY bonuses from the company, and then cash gifts from the bosses to the admin. The happiest time of year!

    Reply ↓
  145. LL*

    We had a virtual holiday party (we’re a fully remote organization), We were given a link to a website where we can pick out a gift that’s worth up to $50, and they gave us the 26th & 27th off!

    Reply ↓
  146. Slippers*

    My lab went for bowling and billiards at the university student union during work hours (finals week, so pretty much no one was there). It was pretty fun.

    Reply ↓
  147. CZ*

    They do absolutely nothing. And we have to use PTO for holidays so don’t get Christmas off paid. I know some industries don’t have paid holidays. But I am in one that normally does.

    Reply ↓
  148. Head Sheep Counter*

    Its been low-key this year. Group potluck where management provided the mains and a little treat bag. Nice and low-key. Leftovers for days in the kitchen… which was not initially a bad idea but the days part was not great.

    Project had a breakfast reception which was catered by the cafeteria. I thought it fine… but the leftovers being in the kitchen all afternoon and this morning are kind of sqwicking me out.

    I’m thinking the new year might need food safety reminders.

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  149. ReallyBadPerson*

    My husband owns a small business with just a handful of employees. Back when the business was even smaller, I hosted a medieval-themed dinner at our house. The employees loved it, and have been asking/begging for another one, so we’re making it our staff holiday party in January! I’m a little nervous, since I’m doing all the cooking. I will start baking and freezing the trenchers (medieval “plates” made out of bread) right after Christmas, then will plan out the rest of the menu.

    Reply ↓
      1. ReallyBadPerson*

        Some do. It’s optional. But the nerd in me must point out that KRF is a Renaissance Faire, although a very fun one!

        Reply ↓
  151. Wingo Staww*

    We are fully remote, so nothing. I think they are sending out branded golf shirts. I don’t wear that style :/ such a waste. I’d rather have a small gift card to literally anywhere, or nothing at all (which would be fine with me).

    Reply ↓
    1. JustaTech*

      There are rumors going around of what branded swag we’re getting this year – in the past few years it’s been reasonable-quality outerwear or lidded drink holders, but this year the rumor mill says “button down shirts” and oh boy I’m having a hard time thinking of a piece of business clothing that is less likely to fit people well.

      Reply ↓
  152. CCCC*

    We’re doing our party in the new year. We’re a very small company so it’s a dinner out. I don’t like going and always get sick after, usually from colleagues who have just been on a plane…. I wish there were a way to opt out that doesn’t read as apathetic (though I guess I could feign illness).

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    1. lunchtime caller*

      oh, it’s so lovely that your beloved and ailing family member is coming to visit you that night! Such a shame that it overlapped with the party, but of course everyone understands how expensive flights are around the holidays and it’s good that you two got to spend that time together so soon after.

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  153. Pinto*

    Our immediate team went out for lunch, we do that quarterly. Then our entire department had an off site luncheon during work hours at a local wine restaurant. It’s just the right amount of office celebration without infringing on anyone’s personal time.

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  154. Sunny*

    This afternoon is our annual Ugly Holiday Sweater Party complete with really nice prizes (10 of the 18 of us wear a form of ugly sweater/sweatshirt. Votes take place. Top three vote getters get prizes worth $500/$300/$100 – not too shabby for a small company. I have yet to win a prize.) All sorts of beverages will be consumed along with pizza, wings, and snacky snacks. I will duck out after 90 minutes. January will be our official holiday party at a local restaurant where we are the only customers all Saturday evening. Small talk galore!

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  155. Anon-E-Mouse*

    It’s not exactly my workplace but an animal rescue group that I volunteer for, and that specializes in the rodents, bunnies, hedgehogs and similar animals, posted a request on social media asking for Secret Santas for their foster animals and their foster families. And they also posted a list of local and small businesses that supply pet treats, enrichment toys, hammocks, etc.

    So of course I volunteered and got to be a Secret Santa for a trio of rats! I didn’t know their human’s name so I mailed the package addressed to the rats from Santa.

    In the past couple of weeks the rescue group has been posting photos of their fostered animals enjoying their gifts. It has been delightful.

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  156. Elizabeth*

    We had our holiday parties/luncheons the first week of December because that was our full all-hands week (anyone who is remote {and could} be asked to come into the office). We did a luncheon at a nice Italian place and then a party at a local brewery’s event space (with a wine/beer bar, heavy appetizers, hot chocolate bar, and non-alcoholic options). My team gave us personalized stanley like cups, we got a really nice coat that was personalized for each of us from the department, and a cozy blanket from the organization.
    We also got a “surprise” day off (12/24) and given back any leave we used for that day, so I now also have to use my personal day on 12/31.

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  157. Grilledcheeser*

    Unemployed & job-hunting (anyone need a remote IT PM with telco experience?), so the cats & I are having our own work party tomorrow (friday) afternoon, then declaring next week on vacation! There will be catnip & meat tubes on the party menu, tho i think I will stick to my small sparkling apple cider instead. No gift exchange, the cats just always bring hairballs as gag gifts. (Thank you, thank you, I’m here all week!)

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  158. Invisible fish*

    Public school teacher here- buffet lunch that they are late to set up, followed by forced merriment!! You know that teachers don’t have the time to socialize like you see on tv, so I’m determined to actually talk to people at this lunch.

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  159. Blinded By the Gaslight*

    Well, after a hellish year of overwork, staff turnover, and relentless stress, our director announced that she did a “mini reorganization” of just one person’s job and laid them off with no notice, spread their work out to two other overworked people, and then excitedly reminded us all (as we sniffed back tears and shock) to wear our crazy socks for our holiday party contest the next day. We were told we didn’t need to bring any food (normally we do potlucks, our boss has never bought anyone lunch) because “special treats would be provided.” It turns out the treats were stale Starbucks pastries paid for by gift cards she’d received from vendors. This wealthy woman couldn’t even be bothered to contribute a $15 fruit platter from the grocery store.

    I hope she gets visited by three ghosts this year.

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      1. Blinded By the Gaslight*

        Seriously. The way things are going, I feel like three ghosts isn’t enough to handle today’s Scrooges. It’s Ghost-flation!

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  160. Roll*

    We had a department potluck and “Yankee Swap” on Momday. I use quotation marks because there was a fight beforehand over the proper rules of a Yankee Swap. Only six people brought gifts.
    The company usually dismisses everyone early on Christmas eve, but it’s honestly not that early.

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  161. Lindy Hopper*

    I work for a biotechnology company led by scientists at all levels, so our holiday party was more like an internal mini-conference on the research some of our teams have been doing, but seeing everyone together onsite and having a (surprisingly good for institutional catering) meal together was great!

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  162. Anonymouse*

    This year, we had a coffee and donut hour with donuts from the local fancy donut place, and get the coffee/tea beverage of your choice from the onsite cafe for free.

    First year we’ve done it, and is my favorite holiday celebration so far. Easy, no need to hang around making awkward small talk. 10/10.

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  163. JAnon*

    We are very heavy on remote work and people are all around the country. Normally we get an email that has us choose our gift – always a branded item, but they have been really nice items. This year, you would have no idea the holidays are coming. It’s not doing much for morale…

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  165. DuckLady*

    My organization is doing a lot of things I like! We’re having a small party in mid-January, during work hours, paid, catered, and one of my coworkers who is great at it is running trivia for everybody.

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  166. It Might Be Me*

    We had a pot-luck and family open house last Friday.

    Since we’re federal employees we have to supply our own food. Fortunately my organization is filled with people who either like to cook (me!) or will go to restaurants or Publix Supermarket and bring food in. The tamales annually brought from a small restaurant are amazing. I’ve been impressed with the food safety people practice. No hands. No using spoons in multiple dishes.

    We always have lots of food left over that we package up for the security staff and others who don’t get to leave their work places.

    Because of security it’s one of our rare days of outside visitors. We still have to make sure no one brings in a cell phone, so there are no office photos of me taking a second tamale. No games, just talking with folks we don’t see in person due to telework. It’s actually enjoyable.

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  167. Cheese Goddess*

    I work in a fairly small department at a large university, and I am incredibly blessed by a group of colleagues who all genuinely enjoy each other’s company. We had a very small white elephant gift exchange at our last in-person staff meeting of the year, we had a staff outing to do a fun art activity and have lunch, and our boss gifted us nice wine and fancy chocolate.

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  168. The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon*

    My team (whom I love) has a one-hour meeting with Guess that Staffperson! where the moderator shares pet photos, favorite books, recipes, and vacation spots, and we guess who the person is. The pet photos are often the biggest giveaway, especially after a couple years. We love it! Also, we get a company-branded item (fleece, water bottle) sent to us. Very chill and easy, and I don’t have to spend a whole evening with the sales people I barely know.

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  169. WantonSeedStitch*

    We have a non-holiday-themed winter party in December where we basically eat food, have a drink or two, and celebrate the departmental award winners. It’s generally a good time, and they let us go home early after it’s over (it takes place during the work day so no one has to give up their personal time). We also get the week between Christmas and New Year’s off, with a half day Christmas Eve. That’s relatively recent: even though most universities have had that for a while, my employer didn’t start it until the pandemic hit. I guess they realized most people were taking the time off anyway, and that even the ones who kept working didn’t have much to do…since everyone else was gone.

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  170. Hey Anony anony*

    Going incognito for this one

    Normally we’d do a catered lunch with one of our contractors, but this year it’s nothing.

    So, I gave away almost two dozen half-gallons of tea that I had planned to contribute to such a lunch.

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  171. Katrine Fonsmark*

    Absolutely nothing, as far as I know. I’m remote, but I don’t think there’s anything happening in the office. We did find out that we get no bonuses this year because we didn’t bring in enough money, so Merry Christmas I guess.

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  172. Jules*

    We had drinks and a lovely dinner (with a +1) at a swank local restaurant, we received two extra “floating days” to take at some point between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, and we received a small cash bonus.

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  173. Managercanuck*

    We’re a small team, so not much…

    We did a virtual holiday lunch last week, where we each ordered something in and we ate “together”, we were reimbursed for this.

    Our office is closed as of tomorrow afternoon until after New Year’s.

    And we’re allowed to spend $500 on whatever we choose and our org will reimburse us for it.

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  174. Cresl*

    8 hours of administrative leave! I’m going to use it for Christmas Eve.

    My department also did a lunch with Price is Right-style games, where (just like in Price is Right) only the people that got called up got anything. But lunch!

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  175. Attic Wife*

    I am staff in higher education. The faculty got a lovely party. Staff got the satisfaction of a job well done? It has been a rough year personally so I am grateful for the upcoming time off and will choose not to complain too much but I have told the boss that I reserve the right to complain when I want to.

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  176. Fanny Price*

    We have a gingerbread house decoration contest this afternoon. We’re also getting three days of holiday for Christmas week and three for New Year’s as well.

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  177. Robin*

    We get December 25th and January 1st off, and four hours of additional paid time off that we can use as we choose. My boss has also agreed to let me work from home on the 24th and 31st, even though I would normally need to come into the office – the 31st is an actual safety concern on my part, I work late shift and have a long commute and I’d rather not be driving that late on NYE. But I do still need to work, at least enough to turn in a time sheet.

    If you ever want to work for an employer that doesn’t celebrate Christmas too much, I can wholeheartedly recommend the government.

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  178. Joe Nobody*

    We had our annual holiday dinner in the banquet room of a local restaurant. So far, so normal. Three weeks beforehand, we got an email saying anyone so inclined could participate in a special variant of a white elephant gift exchange, wherein each person brings (and leaves with) 3 gifts instead of one. “To ensure fairness,” the price limit was set at $15, though despite repeated attempts at clarification, it was unclear whether that meant it should be $15 per gift or $5 per gift, for a total of $15. Knowing that “optional” events at this company were normally anything but, we decided we had to participate, if only to partake in the chaos of it all.

    As we got closer to the date of the party, we all scrambled to find gifts that fit the budget but were worth receiving (we ended up taking a team field trip to Five Below). Ongoing confusion about the mysterious exchange must have made its way up the chain, because we received an additional email “explaining” the process, including contradictory steps. With close to 100 people attending this party, we knew it would take forever for each person to be called to the front of the class 4 separate times. Out of earshot, we pleaded for the company to “just let us eat!”

    The weekend before the party, another, smaller location had held theirs, and it became clear that it was necessary to delegate someone to host the exchange. An email was sent to the managers, asking for volunteers. Understandably, everyone just wanted to enjoy themselves, and by the day of the party, no one had volunteered.

    The dinner itself was predictably chaotic: you had to leave your gifts on a table at the front, only to trek all the way back from your table to retrieve them when it was your turn to hand them out. The exchange went on throughout the dinner, which was several courses plus dessert, and lasted hours. As we neared the end, it became clear that some people had already had their name drawn more than 3 times, while some names had not been called at all. Finally, they did away with name drawing altogether, and just called up “everyone else.” We were there so long that the restaurant had to kick us out after they closed.

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  179. Secret Scrooge*

    Our office is a mix of paid staff and independent contractors. The owners have a party for the paid staff every year. It’s all very feudal. They invite us into their million $ + home, feed us catered food (think Qdoba, Noodles, that level, so not terrible, but definitely on the cheap end of the spectrum), and give us each a card with $50 in it. They’re very nice people, so I think it’s more about them being out of touch and not realizing how condescending it is.

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  180. Victoria, Please*

    I gave all my team members a nice small gift (think Penzey’s gift set). We then went to a Dollar store and got $25-30 each of things to donate to a local homeless support unit. I gave everyone the cash, but most people handed it back to me and did it on their own. Then we took all the stuff over to a local food court and enjoyed lunch (I gave lunch tickets) and compared loot. Then we either went back to work at the office or remotely depending on what responsibilities we all had. I organized all the stuff and dropped it off.

    I think it was fun, more fun than going to our usual boring nearby hotel restaurant. It was a bit expensive for me personally, but I spend a lot of time with these folks and they are all great.

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  181. Alisaurus*

    Flexible WFH (or family home state – we are set up for work from any US state) for the 2 weeks around the holidays. I am particularly excited about this as it means I can make the long drive back home and get to spend some quality time with my family without having to use up 2 weeks of PTO (I’m just using it for the days between Christmas & New Year’s).

    Then optional team dinner at a really nice restaurant nearby our local offices on our first week week back. My local office voted to also do a gift exchange game prior to dinner – although we are a small group so I can’t see it being too long or crazy.

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  182. Lady Kelvin*

    I’m a fed and so other than stressing over if I’m going to be paid over the holidays, we usually have a big holiday party right before Christmas. I noticed in November it scheduled on our party planner’s calendar (for today actually) and submitted an anonymous suggestion that it be moved to January for scheduling ease and for inclusivity purposes. (They used to pray at these things. I work for the federal government. Ick.) So it was! It is now in mid-January and is a new year’s party. I can’t attend because I’m on duty travel, but I’m hoping this is a change that sticks!

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  183. Elio*

    We had a low key holiday party earlier this month. Food was decent and there were Mai Tais. It was funny to watch the executives get hammered.

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  184. Blarg*

    Just want to share a thought for all the federal workers who thought they were having a normal month until yesterday. I hope that they figure it out and don’t shut down Saturday and everyone gets paid like normal.

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    1. JustaTech*

      All the kind thoughts to all the workers who are now having to worry about this. I really hope the shutdown doesn’t happen and they all get paid.

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  186. ChatGPT*

    If you haven’t seen it already, check out “Office Christmas Party Extravaganza – SNL” on youtube.
    It’s from last weekend’s show.

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  187. anytime anywhere*

    I work in a particular unit of a university, which many of my fellow university employees forget even exists. The majority of the folks in our unit are remote employees spread out across the state. Very few of us ever go to campus for any reason (I live the furthest from campus and it’s a four-hour drive one way).

    Despite the fact that we are currently in dire financial straits (including a RIF being announced yesterday) there was a fancy luncheon on campus for all faculty and staff this week. Were we invited? Sure. Was it any way actually reasonable for any of us to go? No. I’m not driving 8 hours round-trip for a luncheon. Was there any other recognition for the remote employees- any thanks or gifts? No. (Yes, I’m salty. Mostly because if we’re that far in the hole no one needs to spend money on a luncheon.)

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  188. discreetly disappearing is a good user name*

    My spouse works part-time as an ancillary health care provider in a small office that is owned by a big corporation. The company gave everyone the Friday after Thanksgiving off, with pay; Christmas Eve they will be closed, but without pay. Because spouse works part-time, they don’t get paid whenever they don’t work.

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  189. WillowSunstar*

    Where I work, we only get Christmas Day and New Year’s Day off. Anything else around that time requires PTO. AFAIK, we aren’t getting bonuses or anything. They did give us our normal free turkey at Thanksgiving, which I’ve never liked because it leaves out a lot of people (vegans, people who just don’t like turkey, people who don’t live close enough to take only an hour to drive to pick it up, etc.) but they do at least donate the untaken turkeys to a food shelf.

    The company is also doing layoffs and I’m losing my job next year, so I would be surprised if they give us a gift card or anything this year. They keep saying they have to cut operational costs, I’m surprised the free turkeys haven’t been cut yet.

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  190. lin*

    We actually had a bifurcated celebration: half virtual (scavenger hunt and “would you rather” powerpoints), and half in-person (combination of catered mains and potluck sides, conversation, and so. many. desserts.) Capped off with the biggest of big bosses sending around a holiday poem celebrating us and our work – she’s done this for several years now and it’s side-splitting if you’re in on the joke and would make no sense to anyone outside the organization.

    All in all, quite nice. The virtual games were a bit forced, but people engaged with good cheer. Lunch was a delight, even if I brought home too many leftovers. That’s what freezers are for!

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  191. Corporate Refugee*

    My company thought an outdoor event in December was a good idea. We have to drive an hour to sit around a firepit in 37 degree weather. Also, it doesn’t start until 7pm. On a Friday. I’ve only been here for three months after 9 months of being unemployed so I really didn’t feel comfortable 1) suggesting this would not be fun or 2) not going at all. The job is great and I love everything about my coworkers but boy I sure would have instead just had a nice lunch or something haha.

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  192. JustaTech*

    We’re doing it in two parts:
    We had a catered lunch (originally the person forced to plan the party said “let’s just do a potluck” which we shot down hard, not least because he never contributes to potlucks) and White elephant on site earlier this week that went really well (just the right amount of silly gifts and stealing).

    In January we’re having our “formal” holiday party (evening, weekend, 1920’s themed). The date is because that’s when it’s cheap enough for us to afford to go off-site, and the theme is half “we did it before and it was fun” and half “the person organizing wants to dress up”.
    Cool beans, she’s doing all the work (and I didn’t have to for the first time in like 10 years!) *and* I still have my outfit from the last time we had this theme, so I don’t even have to buy anything.

    Do I miss the old days when we got the week between Christmas and New Year’s off (no PTO used!)? Absolutely, but I understand why it doesn’t happen anymore, and I have enough PTO to take it off anyway.

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  193. Definitely not me*

    I work in a small gov’t agency office with a couple dozen employees who all work onsite, although some staff can have a couple of WFH days per week. It’s a serious place and we do serious work, so goofing off is uncommon at any time of year. But today was our annual catered Christmas luncheon with a white elephant gift exchange. It only lasts about 90 minutes, but food was great and the gifts were amusing. That’s literally all we do, and I’m fine with it, actually.

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  194. Erin*

    It’s year end and I work for a payroll company, so they are having “fun” events most days of December, January, and February. There are at least two opportunities for us to expense $15 of lunch this month, plus they had a dessert social thing with 4-6 desserty things from the cafeteria company, plus a hot cocoa bar and every-few-days raffle drawings. A teammate of mine won a 60” TV in one of the raffles, so, overall, it’s ok.

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  195. Xmas Orange*

    I work for a university. My department rented the lobby of a different building, right by the front doors. People were standing there with their coats on because it was so cold. There was no catering – a manager brought some store mince pies, oranges (I kid you not), and room-temperature non-alcoholic beer. We were kicked out after about an hour because we were supposed to have hired the university’s catering company and we were too loud for an event taking place in the lecture theatre. Literally no one made the tiniest sign of an effort to keep the party going – I’ve never seen such a large group of people diligently leave a party after being told literally once.

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  196. GirliePopp*

    My company gives us all a set amount of money to spend on Amazing (and they do all the shopping so we just get fun packages at our door) and gives us the last two weeks of the year off!

    We’re a fully remote company, so a work party isn’t really a thing. Honestly, I love it. The last company I worked for had a Christmas party every year and it was a whole THING and I just love working for a company that basically says, “You’ve worked hard all year, enjoy some time and free stuff on us.”

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  197. JMC*

    We are all remote, but they are doing an in person holiday themed thing in January, with a dress code, in some place I’ve never heard of. I’m not going screw that. Plus, still a pandemic people, I don’t want you around me.

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  198. Gemmi*

    Each of our units gets a budget to plan their own party/activity. My group went for a nice lunch. Others have done things like axe throwing, bowling, and a painting party. The offices seem to really appreciate the opportunity to plan their own event.

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  199. UNCLE BUCK*

    Vendor catered lunch finger sandwiches, salad, Beef wellington, Chicken Masala, cookies and soda. Eaten at our desks I worked between bites answering phones and waiting on customers at counter. 24th-25th and 1st paid. Half of the food went in the trash 50 sandwiches 5-10 lbs. of meat.

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  200. ReadingMaven*

    I run a 40-person team who all work remotely in both Europe and North America. I surveyed the team to see who was interested in a virtual holiday party and about half the people were. Most wanted time to socialize while others wanted party games/activities. I set it up for about midday in the US and early evening in Europe. I invited the entire team, but made clear that it was entirely optional. Most of the 20 people accepted the invite, and a few who weren’t able to come wrote to tell me they were sorry they couldn’t make it (I surveyed the team on the best dates and had to pick the one on which the most people could join). We ended up talking informally for about 45 minutes, sharing holiday traditions in our cultures and giving personal updates (no one demanded information, it was just whatever people felt like sharing). Then we played the one party game that I had ready, which sparked a good amount of conversation. I thought it was a nice chance for us all to connect and not talk about work at all. People seemed to enjoy it, and it was only an hour!

    Reply ↓

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