What to expect at holiday office party?

Question

I've never been to a holiday office party before. What is appropriate atire? Jeans and a nice sweater? I work at a sports facility and this party is being held at an upscale Inn.

Also, what do I do with myself while there? I mean, I know to go around and say "hi" to everyone and wish them happy holidays but what about after that? I'm not all that close to anyone that will be attending (mostly upper management). I don't want to be standing in the corner by myself. Heck, I don't want to go to begin with but already told them I would. It would look really bad if I backed out now, huh? I backed out last year but I doubt anyone noticed.

Please help!

Answer 1

I was nervous about going to the Christmas party for work last year. But it turned out to be a lot of fun.

Just ask other people, "So, what are you wearing?" At our Christmas party, everyone mostly wore jeans with a nice shirt or something to dress it up a bit. But I've seen Christmas parties where people dress in all red and wear reindeer antlers. It depends on what kind of party it's going to be.

Even if you aren't close with anyone you work with, you can always find someone to chat with at the party. At least they aren't complete strangers. Plus, most Christmas parties involve drinking, so everyone should loosen up a bit anyway.

Good luck. :)

Answer 2

It all depends on where and when the party is, and how fancy it is.

If it's at an upscale inn, I would go more for slacks and a pretty sweater or something. That way, if everyone else is in jeans, you aren't really overdressed. If everyone else is a little dressier, you aren't underdressed. And unless they've stated that it's a coat-and-tie affair, you would be safe in a nice pants outfit.

At my husband's office party (at a country club, required the coat-and-tie for guys, nice outfit for women), there was a band and dance floor, food, a bar, and tables to just sit around and talk. See if it would be okay for you to bring a guest.

Also with my husband's office party, we really got to know some of his coworkers outside of their work, and they became friends. Don't be completely against sitting down with someone and shooting the breeze. Most of them won't want to talk about work anyway, so you may find you could actually have fun.

Don't back out, though. Bosses do notice that kind of thing (my dad is over several engineers at his work, and he notes who is there and who isn't.... I don't really understand why, but I do know that he appreciates someone actually coming.)

Don't commit yourself to the whole night, so that way if you go and are miserable, you just have to put in an hour and then beg off. Make sure you have a good story ("this party blows" isn't gonna help you any) and fake being really sorry about having to leave that early. :-D

Answer 3

Office parties can be fun. They can also be boring as hell. Since it's at an upscale place, DO NOT WEAR JEANS. This type of attire might be acceptable for the job you do, but not at a party like this. Dress pants and a nice sweater is ok. If you can, ask other ppl you know are going what they're wearing. Can you bring a friend to help ease the tension of being nervous? If not, have a drink or two, you'll be chatting up a storm in no time, lmao. I wouldn't worry too much about it, at least your boss is having a party, ours has a luncheon inside where we work during office hrs that we can't even take time from our job to enjoy. I hope you have fun and I hope it turns out better than you're anticipating.

Answer 4

Dear Lanie,

Thanks for your question. Not knowing when the date is for the office party, I would agree with you - don't back out now. At least plan on being there for an hour and have something fun planned that you can run off to once your hour is up (but make sure the alternative plan is not too fun - just in case you hit it off someone at the office party!)

Let me recommend that you talk to a few of the party-goers pre-event: ask them what they are planning on wearing and what happened at the last holiday gathering. Key: ask a few people. One person may think jeans are perfectly acceptable...where everyone else is still embarrassed for them from last year.

When you've got the great outfit all figured out, get brushed up on things you can talk about:

- ask about children, partners, family
- ask about vacation plans
- have them recommend trips to you

Keep asking and being intrigued. Don't let the conversation drop unnaturally. Say things like, "seriously? that sounds really expensive. Did you find a good deal?" or "I'm really jealous! So what are you going to do when you are in Cancun? I heard the water is gorgeous!" Showing that you have an interest in them will go a long way in keeping you involved in conversation.

Hope these tips help. Let me list them for you one more time:

- Ask what other people are wearing
- Have an alternate plan in case you want to ditch
- Use easy-to-ask questions and follow them up

Oh...and a few no-nos:

- Avoid drinking too much
- Avoid karaoke
- Avoid, avoid, avoid gossip

Hope these help! Good luck!

Answer 5

I personally wouldn't wear jeans. The nice sweater is OK.
Say hello and ask them stuff like what are you doing for the holidays......do you have children...are they getting excited?...the always popular, but kinda annoying, "Are you ready for Christmas??"
Just don't drink too much and you'll be fine. You don't have to stay for the whole thing, make an appearance. If it's lame leave after an hour and a half or so. Sometimes it's more noticed that you made the effort to attend than if you didn't.

Don't make out with anybody lol

Answer 6

if the invite says alcoholic beverages will be served then it probably calls for more formal attire. the safest thing to do is wear a nice pair of slacks with a button down shirt, and carry a blazer along. you can always ditch the blazer and undo a couple buttons on your shirt collar if its casual. if you're going to mingle with upper management read up on the current trends in the industry so you have something intelligent to talk about. be prepared to talk about your job and how you contribute to the company. think about some of the management heads you'd like to rub elbows with and think about how you will approach them. then when you do, you can say "hey, i'm so glad to have finally met you, blah, blah ...". you should see if anyone in your department is going to the party and ask to accompany them. chances are they have the same concerns.

Answer 7

get drunk immediately you get to the party,you'll be surprised
of how many people you knew,but never had noticed!!!

Answer 8

it'll be boring...