8 Reasons I Didn't Go to the Office Christmas Party

Every holiday season, I face a hard choice. Attend my office Christmas booze-up party or…well…just about anything else. Here’s a true story: one year a guy I work with wrapped a raw chicken for secret Santa. That’s the kind of people I work with.

And for the past four or so years, I’ve chosen the “anything else” even if it means sticking pins into my eyes. And so, dear boss, here are the eight reasons I didn’t go to the office Christmas party this year:

  1. I talk about work with you all day. I don’t want to do it all night too.
  2. If you want to do a “team building” exercise, you should really do it on work time. And pay for it.
  3. If I want to eat and pay for crappy (and expensive) food, that’s my business. I don’t want to eat and pay for crappy food because you told me I have to.
  4. I already have an inkling who is sleeping with who. I’ve also met their husbands/wives/children, and don’t particularly want to have to look them in the face if I’ve confirmed my suspicions.
  5. Secret Santa is crap. If I want a crappy re-gift, I can wait until my family Christmas party.
  6. I don’t eat in the lunch room because the yahoos you hired are judgmental about my food choices. I certainly don’t want to hear “I guess you’re going to the gym tomorrow” while I’m out for a “fun” evening.
  7. That creepy accountant you hired is a sexual harassment complaint waiting to happen on a good day. Get some booze into him, play some rapey Christmas songs and it’s a disaster waiting to happen.
  8. I drink because of you. I don’t want to drink with you.

So…yeah…see you tomorrow at work. Because I’m skipping the “party.”

[tweetthis hidden_hashtags=”#officechistmasparty”]Dear Boss: I drink because of you. I don’t want to drink with you.[/tweetthis]

Do you attend your office’s holiday party? Or do you have a reason not to attend too? Tell me in the comments.

5 Comments

  1. OOH Liv, I can totally see why you are embracing your writing career and pursuing options to lessen the office footprint in your life. Good grief!!!
    Way to have boundaries and not go to that awful sounding experience, and xoxoxoxox and merry, merry christmas!!

    1. Author

      LOL. Yes. I must admit – getting out on my own looks even more attractive during the holidays. 😉 Hope you had a very happy holiday Jane!

  2. WTH about the raw chicken??? Awful.
    Cassidy has two holiday parties – one for his small company and one for the parent company. We bailed on one, but we’re headed to the other on Friday!

  3. Uh gee, I wonder if we used to work at the same place??? Love it and it’s way too true!

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