Happy Holidays
I’m curious to know what’s up with office holiday parties across the land this year. Are they back in full swing? Are people still apprehensive about attending? Are companies apprehensive about throwing holiday parties? Has the format changed? Due to the pandemic and remote working, does everyone wear sweatpants to the party? Is the party now one massive Zoom call? Do you have to show your vaccine card to attend?
Buddy The Elf“The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.”
Office Holiday Party Off To A Slow Start
I remember my first real office party at my first professional job upon getting my MBA. It was at Perot Systems Government Services in Fairfax, Virginia on November 8, 2006 and I was excited to know that my first DC Holiday Party was just a month away. I had a friend who worked at BoozAllenHamilton and their holiday parties were legendary so I set some high expectations. In my mind, I envisioned a full gala with champagne towers and as much shrimp cocktail as I could eat. Unfortunately, the holiday party was extremely dry (not like a martini dry) and fell flat on festivities with no music, no dancing, and no bonus announcement to soften the disappointment. It was just a bunch of empty promises from leadership on how we are positioned to do great things that was validated in the PowerPoint they shared. Who brings a PowerPoint presentation to a party? I also remember feeling really awkward hanging out with all these strangers, because I only knew three people in my immediate group. It felt like everyone was forced to attend and I was always searching for cues to make my exit. The following year’s holiday party followed the same script.
The only good thing to come out of that party is I won the top raffle prize that evening: an iPod Nano. I remember being booed by this drunk guy I never met before when I went up to claim my prize. Later that year, I learned in an internal communication that the drunk guy who booed me celebrated his 10 year anniversary with the organization and I also learned that he spent all those ten years in the basement of the Pentagon in an office with no windows. That could’ve contributed to his excessive drinking. The irony of working at Perot Systems is that I loved the work i was doing and the clients I was working for, but it wasn’t a good fit from an office culture standpoint. There wasn’t much room to grow. Once we were bought by Dell, some bumbled change management had me discouraged and looking for new work.
Buddy The Elf
“Then I traveled through the seven levels of the candy cane forest, past the sea of swirly and twirly gumdrops, and then I walked through the Lincoln Tunnel.”
Finally, A Real Holiday Party To Write Home About
Things started looking up for me in the holiday party department when I took a position at Grant Thornton. Their holiday party was a huge upgrade and was held at the Ritz Carlton in Pentagon City. From the moment I arrived, everyone was so friendly and inviting. The atmosphere was festive, the liquor was flowing freely, people were dancing and doing the electric slide. I found it easy to sit with other co-workers and really easy to meet new ones. After an incredible dinner and remarks, the party really took off. During his remarks, Hank thanked everyone for all their hard work and dedication. He was very sincere and truly grateful and spoke from the heart which resonated for someone like me that was torn between accepting a job offer from Grant Thornton over Deloitte. The star of the evening were the Marines in full dress uniform thanking us for all our continued financial and material support for their Toys For Tots drive.
That evening I saw the darker side of the party when a little alcohol impairment made a few people embarrass themselves; but, that comes with the territory. I was thinking they’ll have to to wear that shame when they return to work on Monday. Depending on the infraction, they also may need to sit down with HR. The other thing I remembered from that evening was this enormous dessert room they had set up with every dessert you could ever imagine. I was so full from all the food I ate, really buzzed up from all the cocktails I drank, and hopped up on sugar from all the desserts I inhaled. I kept lying to myself saying this would be the last cookie of the night and even stuffed a few in my pocket on the way out the door. I gave a generous tip to the coat check lady, because my mom worked the coat check back in Milwaukee for extra money to help put me through college. Since it was my first year at Grant Thornton, I took my exit early even after I was invited to a few after parties.
Eventually, Grant Thornton moved the venue from the Ritz Carlton to The Hamilton in DC, a few blocks away from the White House to continue its winning streak of awesome holiday parties. Once again, I arrived fashionably late and found the party in full swing. This party had a sushi chef masterfully slicing sashimi and making rolls. It was a performance to be seen. Srikanth Sastry took over for Hank, delivered his remarks in addition to rocking out with the band that evening. This solidified my conviction that I chose the right company to work for. One of my co-workers brought his mom as his date, which was really nice to see since I would not be home for Xmas that year. There was also the normal contingency of the fist year hires and interns that came to the holiday party to party down. They were a bit ignorant when it came to party etiquette. Someone needs to tell them that taking shots at your company party is a huge no-no. I think they were trying to fill the gap between what they were getting paid and what they thought they deserved with alcohol to make them whole for the year. The Grant Thornton holiday parties at The Hamilton will always go down as my favorite.
Holiday Blues
Then, there is the tale of the office holiday party with my co-workers and client on a consulting engagement. This holiday party was a bit more difficult to navigate with all its moving parts. I was working at a client site in DC and the client put together an impromptu get together with staff, support staff, and consultants. Due to federal guidelines, the party was super limited to what we could spend and how long we could party. This was a potluck event where everyone chipped in. The food selection was pretty elaborate and someone brought this big vat of chili. As a backdrop, this holiday party was put together and held in one of the most toxic work environments I have ever worked in. Only a Christmas miracle could save this party. There were no remarks from leadership which I believe allowed all that toxicity to seep into the party. The party was broken down into two camps. I belonged to the first camp that came to dance the cupid shuffle and have fun. The second camp consisted of a group that spent the party flanking the festivities and covering their Six. There was no kissing under the mistletoe for these two camps.
Buddy The Elf
“Does someone need a hug?”
Throughout the year at this client site, there was a really nice lady in the office that would bake goodies at home, bring them to the office, and go cubicle to cubicle sharing her creations. They were delicious and to be honest I was never certain what she did in the office. To be polite, I always accepted whatever she offered. My cube-mate Carla never did. So, I asked Carla why? She said, “People are nasty! Do you know that she has eight cats? There’s cat hairs in that”. I couldn’t argue with that and after that exchange, I stopped accepting her treats. At this particular holiday party, I heeded Carla’s cautionary advice on people being nasty and did not eat anything at the party from the pot luck. Not even the chili bar with all the fix-ins could sway me. After this disaster of a holiday party, there were rumblings of rampant diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pains, and other food borne illnesses. If alcohol was served at that party, I’m convinced there would’ve been a brawl and mayhem would’ve ensued. This created an even more toxic work environment for a couple weeks afterwards as people started pointing fingers and engaging in all types of passive aggressiveness, innuendo, and rumor-milling. I ditched out of that party early and met up for oysters and drinks with a friend at Old Ebitt’s next to the White House.
Buddy The Elf
“I’m sorry I ruined your lives, and crammed 11 cookies into the VCR.”
Today, I look back at the holiday parties I attended in DC with nostalgia. It is my sincere wish that holiday parties can continue to bring people together in the spirit of the season. I think we need to get back to that after being remote and disconnected for so long. I hope organizations make the effort to understand the importance of empathy, kindness, and giving during the holiday season. Some people may have lost a love one during the year or may wake up Xmas morning without their kids for the first time after a contentious divorce. Some people can’t make it home to see loved ones. A holiday party says a lot about an organization’s values and it’s an opportunity to see where and how you fit in. If you go to a holiday party and everyone is getting into the groove like the holiday parties I attended while at Grant Thornton, you’re with a great organization. If you go to a holiday party and everything feels off, trust your instincts. You may be working for a company that may not be a good fit. This may be a good time to update your resume, make a new year’s resolution to find a better fit and you’ll hopefully find yourself at a better holiday party like me.