Not having Christmas at work this year

[superbagpuss]

AFAIK we are not having Christmas at work this year. It has been a tough year with redundancies and moving office so I guess we are cutting back

No Christmas party
No secret santa
No Christmas meal
No decorations in the office

Is it going to be really dad on Monday or a break from the madness?

Should I still put up my fairy lights on my desk?

I would and wear a Christmas hat for the day before you leave for Christmas break.

Well no secret santa is a blessing.

Couldn't you buy some cheap decorations/bring some old ones in from home?

Also, couldn't you arrange a Christmas meal out somewhere with only the people you like?

You know, some people might be grateful to not have to fork out for lots of meals and parties. We used to have a lunchtime curry or chinese meal out which was easier for those who lived a long way away or didn't have babysitters in the evening. It worked out a lot cheaper especially if not drinking lots of overpriced wine. Or you could have similar at one of your homes with takeaway food which can sometimes be cheaper if the food is collected.

And as observed above you only need to celebrate with the people you like.

it was all paid for by the company which is why I guess we are not doing anything

yes yes to wearing Christmas hair things .

I'm in the public sector - we've never had paid-for Christmas parties, though back when the office was busier the senior managers in the building would sometimes chip in money each to pay for a lunchtime buffet food selection. Haven't had that for a few years now since restructuring. Teams get together and arrange and pay for their own Christmas meals and secret santas if they want to. There's one official office Christmas tree that gets put up mid-December; otherwise again, it's up to teams to organise themselves. But we can't have anything electrical, or anything hanging from the ceiling, or anything draped over computer monitors. I bring in some tinsel and put it around our desks, plus some glittery window stickers. The staff social group arrange for a Christmas quiz over lunch on one day, and we usually get to go home a few hours early on Christmas Eve - that's as jolly as it gets!

I'm public sector too. As givemushypeasachance has said, we have never had paid for Christmas.

I was going to say the same - in the nhs we never had anything paid for.

I know it's a shock from what you're used to, but it hardly means Christmas is cancelled, does it?

Organise your own meal out, either in the evening or in a lunch hour. Or, if people are struggling for cash, which is fair enough at this time of year, just do a fuddle one lunchtime - put up a list of what food/drink needs bringing in, and people sign up for what they want to bring in

:)

There's nothing in the public centre and a lot of them have to work at Christmas. I think you and your colleagues need to change your mind set and make your own fun.

I'm in the private sector, and we just have a Christmas tree in reception. That doesn't stop us decorating our desks, wearing Christmassy jumpers and dodgy earrings, doing secret Santa, and going out for Christmas lunch (might only be McDonalds as lunch break isn't very long), and we have a great time each Christmas.