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My husband just called and said "they" needed to know if we are coming to the Christmas party Friday night. I said "no", because they all sit around talking about work, and laughing at inside jokes that some of us have no idea about. Like you Sunny, we are at a restaurant, so it makes for a long evening of just sitting there, not saying a word. If you try to change the subject, it gets right back to discussing work. I don't enjoy it and my husband and his co workers go out to eat lunch together every day, so he doesn't mind.
why would you sit there and not say a word? Go talk to people, circulate, choose your topics of conversation...best way to start a conversation is to extend your hand to someone and firmly grip their hand and say, Hello, I'm so and so....so and so's wife...how are you? What time did you get here? Much traffic? And your off....ask them if they saw a movie your interested in, and if the person isn't responding excuse yourself and move on....
I always make friends at my husbands work Christmas party. I enjoy getting to know new people. After reading the posts on here I think I am weird.
No, your not weird!!! I love my husband's work Christmas party. We moved out of state this year so we will be missing it. It was alot of fun, they had Santa and Mrs. Claus there and took photos, cookie decorating for the kids and all kinds of activities. He also has a party in the summer for the adults at a hall or a restaurant. I always have a great time.
I don't work now, but when I worked for a Law firm, we had the best parties. We had a summer picnic and then we went out one of the attorney's boat after. Then we had a Christmas party at a restaurant. These were alot of fun. No spouses, just employees!
I think that there is an art to throwing a good or great employee party. Not all employers have the hang of it. So one can't generalize about them. It seems like employers should have at least two employee parties, one with the spouses and one without. If there could be a third party, one with the spouses and children can also be fun and a good bonding experience with ones fellow employees.
When I worked at the hotels, the annual hotel employee party was for for bringing the whole family, it was at Christmas and complete with a Santa Claus. My banquet department usually had a smaller unofficial gather for the employees only.
I wonder if your husband could suggest to whomever is planning the party that they could shuffle the seating arrangements? I mean to separate husbands and wives and coworkers so that everyone is forced to try harder, not just the clueless spouses.
If not, I would sort of make a game out of trying to get a conversation going that is not work related. Sometimes I really just treat it as a challenge to do this (make my own fun). Believe me, I've been to some dinners and receptions where I felt like I had just run a marathon trying to get some bore to talk about something, anything. All you need to do is find something they are interested in, and it's blah, blah, blah.
The last time this happened to me, after I got home I realized that the folks who I got talking about themselves hadn't asked me a single thing about myself all evening....service above and beyond by a wife. So I punished my husband big time. I made him go with me to someplace he didn't particularly enjoy...like maybe shoe shopping during football season or something.
We went to my clinic's big holiday bash last night and my spouse tried repeatedly to engage with the other spouses with poor results - the other spouses looked like they were awaiting the electric chair! I networked and danced - if I am still there next year I will not ask him to come unless he wants to - most of the Directors and even the owner did not bring spouses so I can only guess it makes no impact if you go stag. The best part for my spouse was seeing the hall - an overly done ornate affair that has been there since the beginning of time, which we both loved - and seeing in action the colleagues' personalities which often mystify me. I may be a bit co-dependent but my good time was not as enjoyable knowing he was not having as good a time.
J.
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It was alot of fun, they had Santa and Mrs. Claus there and took photos, cookie decorating for the kids and all kinds of activities. He also has a party in the summer for the adults at a hall or a restaurant. I always have a great time.
Well it wasn't all bad - for me...
