Ah, so here it (almost) is merry Christmas everybody’s (apparently) having fun.

So it’s that time of year again. The shops are already filled sky high with chocolates and the coffee shops have changed their cups over so it must be Christmas! We know that for many people, the Christmas period can be an utter nightmare to navigate and for that reason we’ve created this guide to help you make the most of the festive season, or at least get through it in one piece!

 

The Office Party

Ahh the office party, the one night of the year that you can do unimaginable harm to your career prospects and credibility in one evening. But the office party doesn’t need to be a career destroyer, quite the opposite. The office party is an exceptional opportunity to enhance your relationships with your colleagues. If there’s one thing that alcohol is useful for, it’s as a social lubricant.

For those who are prone to enjoying themselves a little too much, here’s a handy little guide as to what is and what is not acceptable at your office party:

What is acceptable

• Telling all of your colleagues repeatedly how great they are and how much you love them
• Being a horrifically bad dancer (everyone else is as well)
• Buying a kebab on the way home (yes they’re disgusting, but for some reason drunk people love them!)

What is not acceptable

• Attempting a drunken cuddle with a member of senior management. You may be drinking, they may not be!
• Drunkenly attempting to do any form of dance apart from a mildly noticeable side to side movement that looks like the equivalent of standing on a moving train
• Arriving at work the next day still worse for wear and smelling like last night’s ill thought out kebab

Stick to these golden rules of the office party and you should be fine. Just try not to do anything that you are likely to regret the next day and the office party should be an enjoyable shin dig with your colleagues.

 

Buying Presents

For some people (men), buying presents is a horrific experience. They genuinely have no idea of what people actually like. Even when they do, the chances of their present buying going horrifically wrong are exceedingly high. This is why you need a plan of attack and as much time as possible.

While clearly we can’t actually tell you what to buy, there are some tested methods that may actually avoid your present buying escapades turning into a horror show:

• Ask the recipient’s best friend (this is golden and should give you a very quick answer)
• Ask the recipient (yes we know this is potentially an awful idea, but at least they’ll get what they want!)
• Buy a charitable gift (many charities offer the option to buy a gift on someone else’s behalf)
• Worst case scenario buy a gift voucher (ok so this could also go wrong, but at least they have a chance of getting what they want)

Hopefully there’s something in there that helps, if not, best of luck!

 

The Big Day

Now of course there’s the big day itself! Like most things, a successful Christmas day is going to rely on planning. Meticulous preparation will help you to make the best of it. Make a checklist of things that you need to make the day successful, if you haven’t got one, borrow ours below:

• Turkey
• Stuffing
• Potatoes
• Veggies (especially Brussel Sprouts even though a vast majority of people despise them)
• Gravy
• Christmas pudding or cake (heathen)
• Alcohol (mostly for the chef)
• Tin foil

Hopefully that covers the vast majority of your needs for the big day. Even if you are cooking, it’s important that you enjoy the day as well so try to make cooking a family effort. Slaving away while everyone is enjoying themselves is a recipe for disaster, so this year make it a family occasion.

We hope that this guide gives you a helping hand to get through the Christmas period in one piece. Here at Spaceway we hope all of our customers old and new have a wonderful Christmas and happy new year.