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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Christmas Party in February?

29 replies

ThereforeIAmWhat · 04/08/2023 19:17

So for the last two years my team has done the Christmas party in February and want to do it again this(/next) year.

The reason being everyone is busy in December and we get more for our money.

Aibu to think this idea is shit. They do it on a weeknight anyway (usually a Thursday) so I’m sure there’s one Thursday in December people are free. And it’s not a Christmas party after Christmas - plus I wouldn’t say you get that much more for your money and the company give us a budget of £75 each anyway so the majority isn’t coming out our own pockets anyway

OP posts:
greenteaandmarshmallows · 04/08/2023 19:20

Terrible idea and I'm surprised the company agree to fund it. Just go to a spoons.

StillPerplexed · 04/08/2023 19:21

I'd be going to other parties in December anyway, so spreading gatherings out a bit over the year seems like a good idea to me.

pigsDOfly · 04/08/2023 19:25

Weird idea.

Do you still do all the Christmas type stuff, with crackers and Christmas dinner? Can't imagine you do if you're in a restaurant.

As you say, it's not a Christmas party. It's just an evening out in February so why call it a Christmas party?

DelHenney · 04/08/2023 19:26

My company used to do this (hospitality) saying that we were ‘too busy’ in December …. no we weren’t. We used to get £10 per head and top it up ourselves.
Covid hit and that was the end of parties, staff moved on and nobody can be arsed now. Not sorry tbh, we were usually barred from places we’d previously visited🙄
Cant honestly say I miss them.
I agree, February is not Christmas!!

Rocknrollstar · 04/08/2023 19:36

When I was a school governor we always had our Christmas meet up/ dinner in January. Everyone was far too busy in December and no one wanted yet another meal.

BarbaraofSeville · 04/08/2023 19:37

Why not? They're paying and it's something to look forward to in the dismal new year.

NuffSaidSam · 04/08/2023 19:40

I think it's a great idea. It's clearly not a Christmas party, but who needs another big meal/night out/celebration in December. Do it in February (the worst month) and have something to look forward to. I wouldn't need the party tbh, they could just give me £75 and an early finish and I'd be happy.

Hufflepods · 04/08/2023 19:41

They do it on a weeknight anyway (usually a Thursday) so I’m sure there’s one Thursday in December people are free

Disagree. This December there are only
2 reasonable Thursdays before Christmas, that hardly leave lots of choice.
Why see you so hung up on it being a Christmas party? It’s just a work party, arrange a night out with your friends in the run up to Christmas if you want festivities.

YallaYallaaa · 04/08/2023 19:44

We usually do this and I think it works well. We tend to have a busy December for work, and everyone has a tonne of social and family stuff.

Original poster
ThereforeIAmWhat · 04/08/2023 19:44

NuffSaidSam · 04/08/2023 19:40

I think it's a great idea. It's clearly not a Christmas party, but who needs another big meal/night out/celebration in December. Do it in February (the worst month) and have something to look forward to. I wouldn't need the party tbh, they could just give me £75 and an early finish and I'd be happy.

January is the worst month.

OP posts:
DoThePropeller · 04/08/2023 19:45

Nothing more depressing than a Christmas party in January/February

Original poster
ThereforeIAmWhat · 04/08/2023 19:45

Hufflepods · 04/08/2023 19:41

They do it on a weeknight anyway (usually a Thursday) so I’m sure there’s one Thursday in December people are free

Disagree. This December there are only
2 reasonable Thursdays before Christmas, that hardly leave lots of choice.
Why see you so hung up on it being a Christmas party? It’s just a work party, arrange a night out with your friends in the run up to Christmas if you want festivities.

It doesn’t have to be a Thursday. My point was that it’s done on a weekday when we still have work the next day,

OP posts:
JudgeJ · 04/08/2023 19:45

Rocknrollstar · 04/08/2023 19:36

When I was a school governor we always had our Christmas meet up/ dinner in January. Everyone was far too busy in December and no one wanted yet another meal.

At one school I worked at we did our 'Christmas' night out in February one year, simply because by July most big enough places were booked up. It was great, it also gave us something to look forward to during the most dismal time of the year.

Notonthestairs · 04/08/2023 19:46

If you want December suggest it.

But your Op suggests everyone else prefers February.

Hufflepods · 04/08/2023 19:47

ThereforeIAmWhat · 04/08/2023 19:45

It doesn’t have to be a Thursday. My point was that it’s done on a weekday when we still have work the next day,

Show quote history

So don’t go if you don’t want to then? You’re moaning about basically every aspect of kit.
Our work parties have always been on weekdays, I’m not using a Friday or a Saturday night on work colleagues.

Danikm151 · 04/08/2023 19:49

The best xmas party I went to was in August!
The boss rented a pub out- we had xmas dinner with crackers. A free bar tab, entertainment and an activity during the day. Coach there and back the only thing I spent all day was my taxi home after the coach dropped us off.
We worked in a bar so xmas was our busiest time.
Usually was had them In January/Feb time- nobody wanted to miss out on tips!

NuffSaidSam · 04/08/2023 19:52

ThereforeIAmWhat · 04/08/2023 19:44

January is the worst month.

Show quote history

No, in January you get the first day off, decorations up until the 6th, you've got loads of goodies left over from Christmas, you've got the mad belief that you're going to be a different person because of the new year and you're tired of all the socialising from Christmas so happy to be cosy at home.

By February you can't believe it's STILL winter. Christmas is a distant memory, food all gone. New Year's Resolutions and any hope you had have fallen to shit. You did cosy January, so now you're bored and want to see people but still poor from Christmas (and you've had to do a big shop because you've finally finished all the Christmas food). It's the month of the two most pointless celebration days of all (Valentines Day and Pancake Day). The only solace is that's it's the shortest month. And maybe.....a work funded night out?

Original poster
ThereforeIAmWhat · 04/08/2023 20:13

Hufflepods · 04/08/2023 19:47

So don’t go if you don’t want to then? You’re moaning about basically every aspect of kit.
Our work parties have always been on weekdays, I’m not using a Friday or a Saturday night on work colleagues.

Show quote history

Youre reading it wrong and I can’t be bothered to explain what I mean. Some of my best friends I’ve met through work, I’d hate to have your mentality

OP posts:
Original poster
ThereforeIAmWhat · 04/08/2023 20:14

NuffSaidSam · 04/08/2023 19:52

No, in January you get the first day off, decorations up until the 6th, you've got loads of goodies left over from Christmas, you've got the mad belief that you're going to be a different person because of the new year and you're tired of all the socialising from Christmas so happy to be cosy at home.

By February you can't believe it's STILL winter. Christmas is a distant memory, food all gone. New Year's Resolutions and any hope you had have fallen to shit. You did cosy January, so now you're bored and want to see people but still poor from Christmas (and you've had to do a big shop because you've finally finished all the Christmas food). It's the month of the two most pointless celebration days of all (Valentines Day and Pancake Day). The only solace is that's it's the shortest month. And maybe.....a work funded night out?

Show quote history

I’d say it’s uncommon for people to have their decorations up until January 6th …

OP posts:
Judellie · 04/08/2023 20:15

January is definitely the worst month and it doesn't help having 'Dry January' and 'Veganuary' shoved at you all the time, that just makes it a bit worse.

Hufflepods · 04/08/2023 20:15

ThereforeIAmWhat · 04/08/2023 20:13

Youre reading it wrong and I can’t be bothered to explain what I mean. Some of my best friends I’ve met through work, I’d hate to have your mentality

Show quote history

And yet it’s a mentality clearly most of your coworkers have!

NuffSaidSam · 04/08/2023 20:17

ThereforeIAmWhat · 04/08/2023 20:14

I’d say it’s uncommon for people to have their decorations up until January 6th …

Show quote history

Would you? I don't think it really matters whether it's common or not. If you keep them up until 6th January, January will no longer be your worst month. February will be. Then you'll appreciate the work night out. Problem solved.

NuffSaidSam · 04/08/2023 20:18

Judellie · 04/08/2023 20:15

January is definitely the worst month and it doesn't help having 'Dry January' and 'Veganuary' shoved at you all the time, that just makes it a bit worse.

It's definitely February.

PollyThePixie · 04/08/2023 20:20

Danikm151 · 04/08/2023 19:49

The best xmas party I went to was in August!
The boss rented a pub out- we had xmas dinner with crackers. A free bar tab, entertainment and an activity during the day. Coach there and back the only thing I spent all day was my taxi home after the coach dropped us off.
We worked in a bar so xmas was our busiest time.
Usually was had them In January/Feb time- nobody wanted to miss out on tips!

I recall a time when people held their Christmas parties in July just for the fun of it. The craze only lasted a few years and the papers liked printing a story about one but I haven’t seen it done for a long time now. People seemed to be having a great time.

ShakeYourFeathers · 04/08/2023 20:20

My dms work did this ... thought it was great. December was sooo busy and everyone is skint. Where as February nothing on apart from a half term week and valentines if either applied to you that I. So it was a something different to look forward to