There are many Christmas customs in UK workplaces. Some are welcome, some not so. I will assume from the off that work-places trim up with at least a few decorations at Christmas. If you don't then read a Christmas Carol and move straight on to Easter.
Secret Santa: this gift giving spy ring usually happens within small teams. Gifts are usually personalised as a result and have a chance of at least being useful. Obviously the giver remains the secret of the custom's name. Men might get the beer they need for that evening and Ladies might get some chocolates and a vase. I'm generalising terribly of course and some gifts maybe be groundbreaking but I haven't had a vase yet. Budgets are usually set around the £10 mark I would say. Not everyone's cup of tea and for some a real pain in the Advent Calender. What about you?
Cards: these small oblongs of Yuletide cheer are on the wane at work I would say. People are opting to send an email explaining that they have given £20 to charity rather than send out cards this year. I suppose the usual one liner saying Merry Christmas from Beth or Albert or Cyril was low on originality but at least it was an inkling of seasonal cheer. This year I will probably lay down my pen and send an email explaining .....! What will you do?
Mistletoe: I haven't seen this in a while, the pagan rose strung over the photocopier room door thereby enabling a cheeky peck on the cheek from the office Lothario. A rite from another age perhaps these days. Given the headlines Ted Baker's boss is getting I imagine hugs will be off the Christmas agenda as well this year. Is yours a hugging work environment?
Bottles of something: these are often used as a way of saying thank you for services rendered throughout the year. They may be from the Department Head or the Team Leader or maybe even someone from elsewhere in the organisation who feels you have helped them climb a particular mountain of paper this year. These bottles of wine or prosecco are usually housed in those long gift bags from Clintons, which you can re-use throughout the year. Ask people not to write on the tags.
It would be very unusual to get anything from the CEO or the Principal in my experience unless you worked for Apple or Facebook or Minecraft where you might get a years extra salary or a new segway. What's your experience of gifts from bosses at Christmas?
The Office Fuddle, Buffet, Party or Night Out: these are in order of risk. Risk that you may embarrass yourself and damage your career irretrievably. The fuddle or buffet is the safest. A chicken leg shared with colleagues on the last afternoon of work is a fairly tame exchange even if old Fezziwig insists on opening a bottle of sparkling wine and giving everyone a plastic cup. My advice is to take your own non-alcoholic Schloer and leave after a leg and a vol-au-vent.
The Office Party is a different matter. The risk factor grows exponentially when alcohol is dropped in the mix. A free bar is like the M6 to a town called Awkward Situations. Off come the ties, the photocopier is abused and everyone wafts tinsel round each other's necks whilst singing I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day getting ever closer to your sweaty face as the song reaches the final Bells Ring Out for Chriiiiiistmassss! Only Wizard benefits from this debacle and the whole thing is to be avoided. Better to stay at home with some gruel and await three spirits.
The Office Night Out: don't even go. Say your sick because you will be if you go!
What is your experience of workplace traditions at Christmas?
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