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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Work holiday parties- non-clicky poll
Does your company have a company holiday party?
Does your spouse's company have a holiday party?
Are spouses/SO's invited to either or both?
What time of day is the party?
Is alcohol served and if so is it open bar?
If you have worked at your company for multiple years is it always the same type of thing?
My answer- DH's company is having an employee only holiday party, 5-8:30 pm. In years past spouses were invited.
When I worked in finance we always had employee only evening parties w/ open bar and typically an after party where someone always got out of hand.
Re: Work holiday parties- non-clicky poll
Does your company have a company holiday party? Yes
Does your spouse's company have a holiday party? Yes
Are spouses/SO's invited to either or both? No
What time of day is the party? Usually late afternoon
Is alcohol served and if so is it open bar? No
If you have worked at your company for multiple years is it always the same type of thing? Yes
Does your company have a company holiday party? Yes
Does your spouse's company have a holiday party? No
Are spouses/SO's invited to either or both? No
What time of day is the party? late afternoon
Is alcohol served and if so is it open bar? No booze
If you have worked at your company for multiple years is it always the same type of thing? I have only worked for the company for one holiday season, but apparently the parties they do now are way downsized from what they used to do. It used to be a fancy affair with spouses, at a hotel downtown, catered food and lots of booze. Now its a potluck at one of the offices and its employees only.
But they do a party for us in the spring/summer that is bigger - this past year we had a crabfeast and that was a lot of fun.
Does your company have a company holiday party?
Yes, we have a firmwide party on-site - late afternoon/evening, employees only. There is normally an after-party at a bar (that can get ugly) one of the partners normally picks up the tab.
Does your spouse's company have a holiday party?
n/a - its the government, so if anything, they'll have a potluck.
Are spouses/SO's invited to either or both?
no
What time of day is the party?
see above
Is alcohol served and if so is it open bar?
normally there is beer and wine and maybe 1-2 signature cocktails.
If you have worked at your company for multiple years is it always the same type of thing?
No - the party used to be off-site/evening affair - at a hotel, starting in 2008 (when they did layoffs, we switched to an on-site party). Other law firms I've worked for before, had Saturday night, fancy - 4 star hotel ballroom, w/ full buffet, band, employee plus guest parties.
I always thought they were kinda silly - I'd rather get more money in my bonus than have a prom party for grown ups.
(since I switched jobs a couple of months ago I'm answering for both)
Old job had a fancy, catered, spouses invited, open bar affair at the big boss's giant beautiful house. they tried something different one year, everybody hated it, and he vowed to never change it again. Until he retires. Which he is supposed to do next year.
New job appears to be really up in the air. There is some sort of holiday celebration, but the budget fluxuates year to year and has been low lately. last year was a bowling party. This year they are talking about going to a casino. I'm assuming spouses included, and both casino and bowling say booze, but no open bar to me but I don't actually know. I think before the economy crashed it used to be a fancy dinner out kind of thing.
Spouse's job does an onsite, work day, pot luck holiday lunch. They throw an annual spouses invited, open bar, dressy hotel bash in the spring that sorta takes the place of a holiday party in terms of the apparent need for a grownup prom and do a summer crab feast BBQ, so I'm certainly not complaining about the lack of fancy holiday party.
My Goodness...another food blog. Featuring: Macarons from a old post with a photo taken by my mom for a break from my crappy food photos!
Does your spouse's company have a holiday party? Yes, every year usually at The Manor Tavern.
Are spouses/SO's invited to either or both? Yes, spouses/significant others are invited.
What time of day is the party? It's a Friday night usually around 6:30pm.
Is alcohol served and if so is it open bar? Yep.
If you have worked at your company for multiple years is it always the same type of thing?Almost always the same thing - switched up a few times but has remained consistent the past few years.
Someone's getting a little brother!
Does your company have a company holiday party? yes
Does your spouse's company have a holiday party? yes
Are spouses/SO's invited to either or both? Yes to DH's, no to mine
What time of day is the party? DH's is usually at Fogo on a Thursday night, mine is during the work day.
Is alcohol served and if so is it open bar? Mine, no. DH, yes open bar
If you have worked at your company for multiple years is it always the same type of thing? DH has worked for his dad since he started college and it's always been this way.
Does your company have a company holiday party? Yes
Does your spouse's company have a holiday party? Yes
Are spouses/SO's invited to either or both? Both
What time of day is the party? Evening
Is alcohol served and if so is it open bar? DH: Open Bar; Mine: Beer/Wine
If you have worked at your company for multiple years is it always the same type of thing? Mine is usually 3-4 hours and includes cocktail hour w/appetizers followed by a nice dinner, white elephant gift exchange and dessert. I have been there for five years and we have had parties at Les Folies, Severn Inn, The Chop House, Stoney River and this year it is at McCormick & Schmidts.
DH - his company always does big events. They always do something different and fun. One year they rented an entire Piano Bar and had open bar, giveaways and a full buffet. Last year they rented an arcade and had open bar, games & buffet dinner again. This year they are renting an Irish Pub in Old Town Alexandria I think.....DH usually gets invited to the corporate party and the Chesapeake Virginia regional one. Both are usually top notch and a good time. We usually only go to the corporate event.
Does your company have a company holiday party? I'm not sure about my new company, I think they have a dept party and a company party.
Does your spouse's company have a holiday party? Yes
Are spouses/SO's invited to either or both? I think my company party invites spouses but the dept party is during the work day so I don't think they will have spouses. DH's party is during the work day and spouses can come but many don't.
What time of day is the party? see previous
Is alcohol served and if so is it open bar? The evening one at my previous job always had open bar.
If you have worked at your company for multiple years is it always the same type of thing? n/a
Does your spouse's company have a holiday party? YesAre spouses/SO's invited to either or both? Spouses are invited to mine, not to his.What time of day is the party? My office's party is from 7-10pm, his is a luncheon.
Is alcohol served and if so is it open bar? Mine is open bar.If you have worked at your company for multiple years is it always the same type of thing? Somewhat. The first year my office party was in Annapolis and on a Saturday night. Then, last year it was in DC, but on a weeknight. This year it's in DC and on a Friday night.
Does your company have a company holiday party? Yes
Does your spouse's company have a holiday party? Since he works with all men, I think they just go to the bar and that is their holiday party.
Are spouses/SO's invited to either or both? He would be invited to mine, and if I wanted to go to the bar I would, but usually I don't
What time of day is the party? night
Is alcohol served and if so is it open bar? for his it is a bar, and for mine it's a BYOB usually
If you have worked at your company for multiple years is it always the same type of thing? they have since changed the party to it being at someone's house. They used to have it at a bar in Fed. Hill or Fells. I kind of liked that, but with the way times are with money, it's a lot cheaper to do it at someone's house.
Does your company have a company holiday party? Yes
Does your spouse's company have a holiday party? Not sure--he started with this company about 2 months ago.
Are spouses/SO's invited to either or both? They are invited to mine but it's in the middle of the work day so none really attend.
What time of day is the party? Lunchtime
Is alcohol served and if so is it open bar? The dept head makes a spiked punch and they might buy some beer or bottles of wine but few people partake and if they do, it's like 1 cup.
If you have worked at your company for multiple years is it always the same type of thing? ALWAYS. Potluck, some sort of lame poke-fun-at-the-important-people skit or slideshow then karaoke. I can't imagine it being any worse except I'm hearing grumblings of wanting to introduce cultural entertainment (Americans are in the extreme minority), as in, people will perform songs from their country or share cultural holiday traditions. I'm all for learning and becoming more worldly but the holiday party is not the place for a lesson. I can't think of anything more boring than watching a bunch of scientists try to play traditional Argentinian Christmas music with the intent of educating everyone.
Our Share of the Harvest:How a couple cooks from a CSA share. Pick Up Day Week 15
Does your company have a company holiday party? Our boss takes out to lunch, but it's not really a party after hours.
Does your spouse's company have a holiday party? I'm not sure.
Are spouses/SO's invited to either or both? n/a
What time of day is the party? Christmas lunch between 12-4
Is alcohol served and if so is it open bar? yes we buy alcohol.
If you have worked at your company for multiple years is it always the same type of thing?Yes the same thing for the past 5 years.
Does your company have a company holiday party? Yes
Does your spouse's company have a holiday party? Sort of. It's a lunch at work.
Are spouses/SO's invited to either or both? Yes to mine, no to his
What time of day is the party? Mine 7pm on a Friday, his during lunch hour
Is alcohol served and if so is it open bar? Yes to mine, no to his
If you have worked at your company for multiple years is it always the same type of thing? Yes, but it's always to the 9s to it's awesome! Nice place, great food, open bar.
Does your company have a company holiday party? Yes, but they call it an awards ceremony appreciation luncheon. Since I work for the state, we basically cannot have holiday parties.
Does your spouse's company have a holiday party?I doubt it. He is with a new company and drives around to fix machines. When he is not fixing stuff, he works from home.
Are spouses/SO's invited to either or both?No
What time of day is the party? Afternoon
Is alcohol served and if so is it open bar? No
If you have worked at your company for multiple years is it always the same type of thing?Yes. There is a dance floor and dancing, but none of the higher ups ever dance.
ETA: The company-wide party is the awards ceremony and our department usually has a potluck with a white elephant gift giving, which is a lot of fun. We also do some other game, i.e. guess the baby in the photo...
Does your company have a company holiday party? Yes.
Does your spouse's company have a holiday party? Yes.
Are spouses/SO's invited to either or both? DH's is a fancy dinner party I think and spouses are invited but neither of us have ever attended.
What time of day is the party? Mine is in the afternoon.
Is alcohol served and if so is it open bar? Mine is often at a restaurant, so yes, there is alcohol.
If you have worked at your company for multiple years is it always the same type of thing?Pretty much. I work for a very small company and the first couple years we just got Famous Dave's or something in our conference room and played silly games. The next few years we had lunch at Eggspectations or went to Dave & Buster's. Last year there was no party (I think due to financial issues).
BFP#1: 01/10, M/C 6w -- BFP#2: 06/10, M/C 5w -- BFP#3: 09/10, DS born June 1, 2011
BFP#4: 07/12, M/C 5w3d -- BFP#5: 12/12, EDD 08/18/13
Decorate This
Does your company have a company holiday party?
current co: no new co: yes
Does your spouse's company have a holiday party?
no
Are spouses/SO's invited to either or both?
Yes I think he'd be invited
What time of day is the party?
IDK
Is alcohol served and if so is it open bar?
Yes and Yes
If you have worked at your company for multiple years is it always the same type of thing?
n/a...it'd be the first one.
? Does your spouse's company have a holiday party? N/A He is self-employed
Are spouses/SO's invited to either or both? Employees are free but guests are $10-15.
What time of day is the party? 6pm-11pm
Is alcohol served and if so is it open bar? Everyone gets two drink coupons then you have to pay.
? If you have worked at your company for multiple years is it always the same type of thing? No. Two years ago was a casino theme at the Hilton. Last year was a swing dance theme at AVAM. This year, they are bringing back the casino theme.
It's always catered and a lot of fun. There are giveaways like TVs, cruises, weekend B&B packages, etc. DH won a BlueRay player two years ago.
Does your company have a company holiday party? My branch does
Does your spouse's company have a holiday party? Not sure - this is his first year at this firm
Are spouses/SO's invited to either or both? To mine, no - its at lunch time ha
What time of day is the party? lunch
Is alcohol served and if so is it open bar? nope
If you have worked at your company for multiple years is it always the same type of thing? Yes - always a pot luck type of thing
~ Kelsey Jean ~
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