Our Works do is a free bar and dinner affair. You're expected to dress up - this year's theme is Rock Star, so I'm thinking of going as Madonna circa 1984.

Apparently at the Summer do, they spent the bar tab, so our CEO kindly added another $6,000 to the bar. One of my colleagues (I refuse to use the word co-worker) passed out for about 3 hours on a work bench.

So, even in Canada, the work hard, play hard rule is alive and well... at least in advertising, or my company, which had a record year this year....

I'm really looking forward to my last Christmas party in the UK.
I gave my notice in last week and there are 11 of us going for an "intimate" dinner at the local pub. The atmosphere is terrible since I gave my notice as the boss is not talking to me anymore so bet you're all jealous you're not coming too!!
Oh well, bah humbug to her!!

That is how I see it too. I used to work for a cabinetmakers and the 23rd December was clean up and party day. The party was in the shop and we'd get professional caterers to provide the food. In the morning the shop got a thorough cleaning. My job was to buy the booze. As soon as the shop was clean (about noon) we would start eating and drinking. During the day local customers, suppliers, business contacts, friends and families would drop in and out. It went on until the last straggler left - often around 9.00 pm.

My role was to stay sober enough to remember how to lock the front door. No one else was bound by such a limitation.

We've just had our second Christmas party. The first one was just food, a raffle for some board games, and an extended lunch, and the second was a free bar with as much wine and beer as we could keep down - officially it was only a 2 hour affair, but it stretched over double that, until going home was a sensible idea. And then we have a paid for dinner and gamlbing night at the casino coming up.

Our Christmas party last year was epic, plan was to order aps, meals and open bar in a Irish bar in Fort Mac - we managed to order 2 trays of apps and then $12000 worth of alcohol - mainly shots and shooters. The evening ended when our project manager, his son (ex NHL player) and a couple of other senior managers picked a fight with the bouncers - we all got barred for life, they later realized how much money we spent in a week and relaxed the ban for most of us. On a different project this year and will miss the party as I'm rotating home, I suspect the same chaos will ensue.

Sounds like my sort of party

We have a winner!

I still kind of miss the UK Xmas office parties, complete with over-boozed colleagues and politically incorrect dialogues (for those who have seen the Xmas Special edition of UK 'The Office' you'll know what I mean).

The Canadian one's I've been too have been relatively Puritan affairs, with sober folks all to eager to rush back to their homes in suburbia.

Woah theyer who are you working for - we get Friday night at the Exec inn and Foggy dew in Burnaby - dinner and dance - oooooh!

We don't have an Xmas party because two of our staff are Muslims. The boss takes everyone out for 'lunch' in the New Year. I don't go, obviously.

I've been to a couple of Souvette's office do's, which have been held at people's homes. They are not exactly a bundle of laughs because everyone is on their best behaviour.

On reflection, I probably shouldn't have told that joke at the party on Friday.

How interesting! At my work we just have a Christmas lunch, we are only a small government department, 14 of us.

Last year - my first Christmas lunch - I was gobsmacked when before tucking into our Turkey dinner with mash (sure miss roast potatoes) we had to bow our heads in prayer. I am an atheist, each to their own but to have prayer before eating at a 'multi-cultural', 'ethnically responsible' government lunch? We also had a day out back in the fall and the lunch was provided by a church group, we ate in the room below the church and again had prayer! It does make me uncomfortable.

I quietly brough this up with my boss and his answer was 'he had never even thought about it' but that maybe it wasnt appropriate. We shall see what happens next week!!

My chrimbo party is in a swankie hotel first four drinks are free then a cash bar ..stuff that ill just put in on expenses.

Back in the UK we used to go down to docklands... resteraunt follwed by an allnighter down a lap dancing bar/club..our office girls liked it just as much as the guys

I can't be bothered to say something that won't get me barred... Well done for destroying what little faith I had left... Ho Ho Ho..... Wankie............