Does anyone else not go to multiple Christmas parties?

[MagpiePi]

If you believed the newspapers and SM, December is a frantic whirl of Christmas parties and gatherings, and we are all frazzled at picking the next fabulous outfit and needing tips on how to not over indulge at the buffets and meals every night, not to mention how to deal with the hangover and lack of sleep, and drag ourselves into work the next day.

I might go to the pub with some mates, or we might gather at someone’s house for a coffee and a mince pie, but that’s about it.

Does anyone, apart from journalists and celebs, actually live this life?

The only party thing I ever go to at Christmas is my hobby group's Christmas meal and awards night. They sometimes do a curry night after the annual general meeting.

Dh doesn't work, so no Christmas parties there, and I don't have a permanent workplace so no-one there either.

We have family get-togethers but I wouldn't class them as parties so much as informal gatherings that don't need much planning, if any.

Nope. Meet up with friends that happened to fall in December, and bookclub meal. That’s it.

At uni and working in London in 20s yes then 30s on it was activities with the kids and a NYs party with maybe a work Christmas lunch / dinner / party or two. This year I've had a black tie dinner and a couple of concerts in past month but they weren't Christmas yet and for Christmas so far we have one street party and there's always a New Year's street party too.

Two work events - one lunch and one drinks.
One night out with husband (birthday) and one family party.
I went out last night with friends.

Feels more than enough to be honest!

We always say this! All the adverts for party food with people dressed in black tie and sparkles sipping fizz. Most people I know are eating that party food in their PJ’s.

I’ve had a work Christmas lunch and will do Christmas drinks with friends and trips to pub with DH (we don't have kids) but that’s it.

There's an open invite party at a hobby thing that I might or might not go to. That's it.

God no. I’m not going to any.

I had a lunch planned and Christmas market today but I’m ill, I also have a party this week so hoping I’m ok for that. I have two Christmas dinner party type things to go to, they won’t be wild affairs. When I was working in higher education for close to 30 years there was a massive Christmas do every year and always free. Then the hardcore would go off to the pub after.

The first time I really noticed DH properly was him singing karaoke at our dept Christmas party. We worked in a fabulous dept full of eccentrics, playing indoor hockey drunk, Burns night suppers, staff versus student cricket matches, one guy used to play an accordion along the corridors singing. Higher Ed has gone all corporate now and has changed a lot, for the worse. I have retired now and DH will join me in a few years. They have a sedate Christmas lunch these days. Maybe the young junior researchers still go out and have a wild time, I hope they do. Also had a ball every year, though it was summertime. One year DH and I had 5 black tie events as we worked in different Universities by then, fabulous days.

No, nothing.

Pre marriage and children, in the 1990s, I used to enjoy a meal with work colleagues but now I actively avoid the annual meal with my co-workers. I dont really have any friends I see anymore so Christmas is just a family thing. Sometimes I think a party would be nice but mostly I know I would hate it. I've never really been a party animal and I've become frighteningly introverted of late.

No, even in my twenties it wasn’t like that and I live in London and work in the media! The only fancy parties I’ve ever been to were work ones. I don’t know anyone who throws parties like that. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a black tie do in my life! I’m self employed now so no work party either

Not me. I will go out for meal/coffee with or two friends, that’s it. And with husband for a meal. Maybe I’m not too popular or christmas parties aren’t a thing with the people I know.

5 work events (1 is 2nd Jan) 4 events with different friends and then 5 with different family combos! This dues include Xmas & Boxing Day though.

Exhausting!!! And apart from 4 out of 5 work events... expensive!

But an opportunity to dress up and have fun. I love it!!

In my younger and wilder days there was quite a lot on this time of year. Including my best friends Birthday between Xmas and NY and of course NYE.

I was always out after work most Thursday's and Friday's anyway but this time of year I could easily have something on every evening. Wasn't always something mental - could be a festive film with friends, theatre, museum etc. But a lot of alcohol would be consumed in December. We used to get a weekend away for our works do back in the day (have done Berlin, Rome, Edinburgh and Madrid back when this used to be a thing)

I'm now in my 40's, 100% WFH, have 3 little people and am teetotal. How things change 😄

I don't usually go to more than 1 (work) but this year I seem to have several.

Three work dos on the same day - just changed jobs, so most recent old team, new team and new senior leadership team one after the other (that's going to be an interesting day 😬)

Then a separate directorate do (my new work seems to really love Xmas dos!!)

Then my old old old team whom I love very much, we all went our separate ways so catching up at Xmas is really lovely.

Then two separate ones with friends.

I'm exhausted reading that 😬

It's nice to be doing them in person. The online lockdown xmas dos were amongst the most excruciating experiences of my life!

I've got quite a few events. Had a family meal with 15 of us last weekend then girls night this weekend. Next weekend I'm out with school mam's then it's my husband's family party on the Sunday. The weekend after is my work do then just after Christmas we have another 2 family meals out. Plus loads of stuff going on with the kids schools and Carol concerts etc.

I am trying to use clothes I've already got though.

I went out to a Christmas activity last might. Great friends and we had a meal then on to the “thing” and we all decided to leave early. It was loud, noisy and bleugh. I only had 2 drinks.

i was in my PJ’s at 10:30. Should have stayed home with a glass of wine and a plate of chicken chow mein.

im not a party goer. I like being home and loathe shouty drunk women (the “thing” was 99% women).

Nothing! I don’t have many friends though. We know people, we had a halloween party with 16 adults and ten kids (people I’ve met at playgroups, a couple of families from dds school), but I’m one of those people, unless
I arrange something, we’re not invited to anything.

Dds school doesn’t even do a play or anything like that, they do no events.

So nothing at all. Making the most of NT passes over the next few weekends but that’s it.

Certainly not everyone, it very much depends. However the people that DO live like this fit the advertisers narrative so their adverts will always have this tone. Come to think of it it would be a refreshing change of pace to see an advert with a focus on your second paragraph - I bet it would go down a treat. A mince pie advert with a simple gathering of friends down the pub, or in someone's home, log fire on.. ☕🍷🔥

I don't think I have ever been to a Christmas party.

Unless you count the last class of the year at uni where we ordered pizza and stood around awkwardly asking each others plans for the holiday and played the worlds worst game of charades lol (3 bloody times we did it, never got better).

Is it not very much a 'office job' type thing to have Christmas parties?

Unless your talking dinner parties at a friends like posh people on M&S ads etc... then no, my friends aren't the type and non of us have suitable houses for hosting a posh get together.

Just a Christmas meal with my colleagues which we pay for ourselves.

Haven't been to a Christmas party since I was at primary school (I had a meringue Santa Claus and wore my horse jumper). Alas I don't own any sparkly outfits - but I do have an apron with Christmas puddings on it. Good to hear others are out there partying though!

I always have about six or seven - couple of works dos, meals with different friendship/hobby/volunteergroups and at least one of mine or Mr Monkey's friends will hold an Xmas party (they are not like the adverts - usually just a normal house party but with mulled wine and mince pies).

I it is self selelcting - media and culture types get invited to a lot of seasonal industry parties and events so they think everyone's life is like that.

Nooo. The days of multiple Xmas parties was limited to a brief period in my late teens / early 20s.

Usually just one Xmas meal at lunchtime, but this year 1 Xmas meal in the evening (which I will drive to, so no booze) and a night out .

I do usually go to a Xmas Market or craft fair

In my 20s this time of year was v busy socially but more with going out with friends. I did go to the annual Xmas works do but there was usually never more than one thing at work.

Now I’m early fifties, widowed and a parent it’s just a work Xmas lunch and probably a catch up drink with a friend that comes to the UK at this time of year!

A works christmas meal at lunchtime in a city centre chain restaurant, dinner-dance for DH's hobby group, and an evening at a cheap pub restaurant with my exercise class girls. No house parties with people dressed in crystal-scattered velvet or satin. Just our immediate family and parents for Christmas dinner and off to in laws for a day on something like 27/28th Dec. Lots of time at home, watching TV, eating refined carbs and snapping at each other.