We used to do our holiday party right. It was abig to-do, at night, at a nice hotel downtown with spouses and families. Ah, memories. Then budgets got slashed to nil, so now we have a holiday luncheon, no spouses. :^) It's still nice and people appreciate it, but it is no holiday party of old.
Our party is on a Saturday night. I commute to a town 65 miles away for work, and the party is at my boss's house in that town. It sucks. First, it means I have to drive there an extra day that week (2 hour round trip). I also have to give up my Saturday night. And while everyone else is getting shit faced, I have to stay pretty sober so I can drive an hour home at 1 am. I hate it. My husband does go, and he hates it even more. My boss's husband cooks the meat, and everyone brings a side. We do a gift exchange, etc.
My old firm had a catered lunch on a weekend day that spouses were invited to (no alcohol). It was lame, but now I realize that I would prefer that.
It's on a Saturday night and they'll actually fly me out and put me in a hotel if I want to go. I have to pay to fly DH, but he's invited. I think it's a pretty amazing policy.
Mine is lunch out on a Friday - we usually go somewhere nice and they close the office at noon. No spouses. It's always fun.
H's old company usually had a pretty tame dinner out on Saturday night with spouses. The invitation said "No alcohol will be served, come join us for a Christmas party" LOL Rumor has it that the Christmas party for his new job is going to involve a chauffeured party bus to a bunch of bars downtown.
It starts on a Friday at about noon. We have a lunch, drinks, and entertainment in the ballroom of a very nice hotel. It usually ends around 3-4, but a good portion of people continue on to after parties for the rest of the night. Spouses aren't invited to the day time event, but some of them show up at the after party.
Out of he 3 Christmas I have had we had 2 Saturday night parties where we could bring our spouse and the other was a during the day lunch. Honestly the lunch was much nicer and casual and I enjoyed it more than having to get super dressed up for a Saturday night party.
We work until 12 then go to a low-key banquet hall nearby for some apps and a buffet dinner and drinks. There are a few games with prizes (small gift cards), and last year they randomly gave out two iPads and cash gifts ($100 and $200).
We have drawings for prizes at ours (good ones typically ... iPads, big Amazon gift cards, etc.). Lawyers' names aren't put into the hat -- staff only!
Ours is always cocktails + dinner, Friday night, employees + spouses. In the past it's always been at a golf club; this year it's at a restaurant.
It's always perfectly nice, but boring. We've been trying to figure out what options might be better. I'm not sure whether the format is the problem, or if the problem is endemic to being a firm full of engineers-turned-lawyers. I'd be interested to see what people really enjoy at holiday parties.
It's always been on a weeknight, usually a Thursday night. Since I'm in a new office location, I have no idea but guessing it will be similar. Spouses were never invited before but my current office is small so there is talk of bringing spouses.
Did you change jobs? I know you weren't happy in the development role but not sure if I missed a move.
Yes, I am back at my old firm! Started in September and am pretty happy with my set up right now. First, I never knew there was even an Atlanta office. It's really small but it happens to be much closer to our new house, so it worked out well for me.
v, I definitely remember younger associates and even one or two partners partaking on the dance floor. That was mainly why I was so shocked, lol. Hopefully things have changed now but this was 2003 when people seemed to be more free. My current firm used to have much wilder holiday parties and things really tapered off after 2008. Hell, my first holiday party at my current firm was in 2006 and it was in the Jacob Javitz center with Maroon 5 as the band of the evening. Then it was two years in a row at the Hard Rock in Times Square and then party in the office. Talk about changing with the times.
Post by hbomdiggity on Oct 24, 2013 9:30:09 GMT -5
Ours is a Saturday night, spouses included. They've cut back the last few years and now it's like a happy hour with heavy apps and open beer and wine. It's generally a good time, my co workers are social and spouses all know each other.
Did you change jobs? I know you weren't happy in the development role but not sure if I missed a move.
Yes, I am back at my old firm! Started in September and am pretty happy with my set up right now. First, I never knew there was even an Atlanta office. It's really small but it happens to be much closer to our new house, so it worked out well for me.
v, I definitely remember younger associates and even one or two partners partaking on the dance floor. That was mainly why I was so shocked, lol. Hopefully things have changed now but this was 2003 when people seemed to be more free. My current firm used to have much wilder holiday parties and things really tapered off after 2008. Hell, my first holiday party at my current firm was in 2006 and it was in the Jacob Javitz center with Maroon 5 as the band of the evening. Then it was two years in a row at the Hard Rock in Times Square and then party in the office. Talk about changing with the times.
In 2003 and 2004, we were all way too scared to dance at firm parties. And really, with few exceptions (all of which were very PG), no attorney had no interest in doing so. Staff got DOWN though.
When my husband was at an accounting firm, his holiday party went from the Waldorf-Astoria (with spouses) one year to a two-hour party in the Merrill-Lynch cafeteria (that was the cafeteria in his building) the next.
He's now at an investment bank and their holiday parties are two-hour parties at the cafeteria in his building.
I didn't answer the poll because I'm not working at a company right now, but my last company where I worked for 12 years always had two parties - a potluck lunch the last day before Christmas, after which we were free to leave, and then a formal party at one of the owner's clubs the first Saturday after New Years. Which, honestly, is the last time of year I want to get dressed up and go to a formal work party - by January, I'm done with dressup and parties for the season. But they were actually really good parties once we got into the swing of things, and my group of work friends' spouses all knew each other, so that made it fun.
At my old BigLaw firm, we used to have a holiday party at some nice event space or hotel. It was always pretty good.. No spouses. Spouses, were, however, allowed to go to the summer party, which is always at the same place. Also, my department also had a smaller party, and invited spouses the last year I was there. I dragged my husband. It was awkward.
My now small firm had a summer party, spouses and kids included, during the day on a Friday at one guy's house in the burbs. Picture attorneys in bathing suits, in the pool, plus guitar playing by a partner, special counsel and associate (this partner who has admitted to me he's a huge pothead). All sorts of no bueno going on. But very relaxed.
Apparently the holiday party is a nice dinner somewhere, spouses also included, but this will be my first one. I imagine it will be just as awkward as every other gathering involving lots of lawyers in one place!
Post by wanderlustfoodie on Oct 24, 2013 10:20:41 GMT -5
At my law firm back in the day, it was also always the staff who really partied. The admin cluster women would be chattering for weeks in advance about what they were going to be wearing. It was like their Super Bowl.
My small company now has a dinner at a restaurant on a Thursday night, no spouses. It's always a lot of fun because we are all friends outside the office.
MH's company has their holiday parties in January because "venues are cheaper" - I kid you not. No spouses. His old fund had huge blowout parties at venues like the AMNH and NYPL with spouses included.
At my law firm back in the day, it was also always the staff who really partied. The admin cluster women would be chattering for weeks in advance about what they were going to be wearing. It was like their Super Bowl.
Hahaha -- same at my old firm. There would be a huge back-up in the office bathrooms right before the party, as staff did hair and makeup. And then again at the end of the holiday party, as they changed clothes and redid hair and makeup to go out dancing at the Copacabana afterwards.
But it was the only big, fancy party during the year that staff was invited to, so we always looked at it as more for them than lawyers!
My company does a good job; decent/nice venue, food/drinks, DJ, entertainment of some sort (photobook, dance lessons, poker). No spouses, 4-8pm on a Thursday
Post by pinkdutchtulips on Oct 24, 2013 10:32:27 GMT -5
09, 11, and 12 have all been lunch parties at a restaraunt. 10 was special b/c it was the firm's 10th anniversary and they had a cocktail attire saturday evening dinner - spouses/SO's included.
the afternoon holiday parties .. em'ees only. it doesn't bother when they are, i just care that there IS one period !
We always have our holiday party on a saturday night in mid January. Better turnout since the hustle and bustle of the holidays is over. The last 2 years we had it at the Marriott and had casino night. Everyone stayed until the end because it was so much fun. We raffle off prizes throughout the night and then have a prize for top winner. Spouses/guests are invited, tons of food and drinks, discounted rooms so a lot of people spend the night. My boss, coworker and I plan it so we make sure it's awesome
ETA- we also have a nice catered lunch in December in the office on the day we do the secret santa swap
FI's holiday party was cancelled this year because his boss got too frustrated when his assistant kept coming to him with planning issues.
I'm really sad about this because last year was fun. We had a cocktail hour at a delicious steakhouse, full dinner and dessert, open bar for a few hours, then an after party (again open bar) at another bar. I think it was on a Friday night.
The best part was when all the women received $250 Tiffany gift cards. Why did they cancel?!
DH and my office' holiday parties both fall on Saturday nights. It's the same night again this year, actually, but that's another vent/story.
My office likes to go to some of the best restaurants in town. For the most part there's cocktail hour, dinner and then after party at a bar nearby if you're still around. We can do this because we're a small office. I already know where we're going this year .
DH' company is a big public company, and they go all out with cocktails, dinner, live music, prizes, casino nights, resort hotel banquet rooms, etc. I expect nothing less this year; but I don't know where exactly yet.
We both can bring our SO's, and we get nicely dressed up for both (suit for DH, cocktail/holiday dress for me).
Ours is always on a Fri night, formal dress and spouses are invited. They usually have it at a hotel or nice event center. It includes buffet dinner, full bar but they only give you two drink tickets and DJ or band. They also have drawings and give away prizes like iPads, two plane tickets anywhere in the world..nice stuff. I typically go every year and it's usually pretty fun.
Ours is on a Saturday night at a nice restaurant,with employees as the entertainment. Yes, we are the entertainment. It sounds like it could be horrible, but everybody has a lot of fun foing it.