Holiday Parties

Now here is a topic that frequently gets bad press.  Holiday parties (especially office holiday parties) are often portrayed as times of drunken lechery or worse.  While I am sure that must happen somewhere sometime, I can't remember ever having suffered through one . . . or even in my very much younger years enjoyed one.  Do you suppose television's situation comedies and/or B movies are to blame?   

This topic occurred to me as I was driving home with David from a party held by a group of which he is a member.  We've been going for years.  It always follows the same format, and we have a grand time every year.  I'm sure that part of our pleasure comes from that predictability.  After all, sometimes it is all right to know what to expect.

However, the real reason we like this particular holiday party has to do with the people and the manner in which they conduct themselves.  First of all, there is a cocktail hour.  I noted tonight that even though no one over indulged, we are not the only couple that has a designated driver.  Generally speaking, I would guess that the average attendee drank 1 - 1.5 alcoholic beverages.  The purpose of this part of the party is to allow people the chance to chat, get reacquainted with the spouses of friends, talk to people one won't be sitting near at dinner, and allow everyone to arrive before sitting down to the meal.   There was laughter and happy chatter, but no one made anyone else uncomfortable.

Next we sit down to eat dinner and chat more.  There is also a very brief business meeting (to which most people listen politely) with some awards given (everyone claps and congratulates the winners).  Then we eat dinner and have our coffee and dessert while anticipating the next, favorite part of the evening. 

The organization holds a blind auction every year after the holiday dinner is finished.  Each member is expected to bring at least one (preferably more) item for the auction.  All the items are wrapped in appropriate winter or holiday paper so no one, not even the auctioneer, can see what the item is.  Some packages are decently covered while others are quite attractively presented.  The pretty ones usually receive higher bids, but that's no surprise.  It's also no surprise that the auction starts slowly, and sometimes the first several items go for a song.

That doesn't last long.  Soon there is good natured rivalry in the bidding.  Each person tries to outwit someone else by slipping in a surprise high bid.  There's laughter, quips are traded between bidding "opponents", comments about the possible contents of the mystery package being auctioned, memories of previous auctions exchanged, and finally someone wins.  To the delight of everyone, curiosity is satisfied immediately as the winner is obliged to unwrap and display the item won.  There have been gag gifts in the past, but I don't remember that there were any this year.  I think that most people were quite pleased with the contents of their packages.  David was, and one item in particular really captured his fancy.  It was something he'd never seen before, didn't even know it existed, and he was fascinated.

Here's the nicest thing.  At the end of the auction, everyone goes to the treasurer and pays her or his tab.  I've never heard any complaints, and people pay without argument.  You see, all the money goes back to the club to help defray the cost of next year's guest lecturers/demonstrators.  By spending money in this light-hearted atmosphere, the members of the club ensure their enjoyment of next year's meetings.  They make it possible to engage top speakers on topics about which they want to hear learn.  All this while having a great, unexceptional time.

Hmmm . . . I wonder if there's actually a lesson to be taken from a holiday party that might apply to our daily lives?