5 survival tips for any holiday party, whether you love your coworkers or not
It’s that time of year when your calendar is possibly stacked with back-to-back holiday parties. Ugly sweater parties, white elephant parties, excuses to drink a lot of eggnog parties…you name it. Basically, all the free food and booze anyone could want! But if the party involves your coworkers, you might not be feeling as excited as you’d like. That’s ok! We get it!
Mixing work and play can get a little tricky, especially if you don’t have a great work environment. (Hey, not everyone is as lucky as we are.) Plus, who enjoys small talk with people that are responsible for their paycheck? Don’t worry, we got you! We put together this nifty guide of foolproof survival tips for any holiday work party. Follow these Go get ’em!
1 Wear what makes you feel good
If you have to spend one of your free evenings schmoozing with coworkers over hors d’oeuvre and small talk, it helps to feel confident and in control. Don’t give in to boring expectations of an outfit that might make you feel dead inside. Wear your fiercest (but still work appropriate!) outfit and own that party.
2 Watch your alcohol intake
It’s so tempting to drink all the booze when it’s free, or when you much rather be home cuddling with your heated blanket and watching The Office reruns. Remember, though, you still have to face your coworkers the next day so take it slow. Go for quality over quantity and try that fancy whiskey that probably costs as much as your weekly grocery bill.
3 Don’t talk about work
You spend enough of your time at work talking about work so enjoy your precious free time and keep the work talk for when you are on the clock. No one wants to discuss that HR memo Nancy sent out earlier. Have fun and keep it light.
4 Eat all the food
Clearly, the best part of any holiday work parties is the free food. Hopefully, it’s good free food. Let yourself go and eat those deviled eggs. And eat that candy cane cheesecake. And the spinach dip. Go nuts! Tis the season!
5 Keep an open mind
If you have trouble connecting with your coworkers during regular working hours, you may not be super thrilled socializing with them after hours. We totally get it. See if you can challenge yourself to keep an open mind for a few hours and chat with your coworkers about their lives outside of the cubicle. Connecting on shared interests will not only make the evening more enjoyable, it could also ignite a newfound work friendship. Who knows, maybe you will discover you both love Prince and wish butterflies were at your beck and call (hey, who among us, right?)
