IT’S that time of the year again when you see random smiles everywhere, and the air seems lighter. You see friends and families dining out, people enjoying the play of lights at the park, and more party invites thrown than you can catch.
Throwing a Christmas party is a long-time tradition in most companies to celebrate the holiday season. It promotes camaraderie and boosts employee morale.
Corporate Christmas parties have evolved through the years. There are now themes when what used to be one is just required to glam up. Themes can go from dressing down to dressing up, depending on the organizers. And it's now all about costumes.
And just when you think you're finally over with field demonstrations, you're now required to perform during office parties.
I'm not a big fan of doing performances during parties because I feel like I've had enough of it from grade school to high school. And now I still have to do it when I'm already working? My concept of a party is eating, dancing, and drinking.
Or maybe I got traumatized when I joined a dance presentation, and my toddler son cried while I was dancing on stage? Adding insult to injury, our visiting boss from head office was there and made a joke that my son was crying because he was ashamed.
This mindset changed over the years of working with various companies. It seems it's a corporate culture. I realized it's not all about performance. The practices uproot you from your daily work routine and make your mind wander to do something creative and fun.
If Christmas parties have evolved, the same goes for the performances, from the conventional to extravagant. It used to be as simple as ABC. Now, they hire choreographers, and costumes are more creative. It's not even about the prize. It's the bragging rights and the competitiveness of each team. You would think the prize pot is big. It's not, not even close.
Team performances play significant roles in most parties. It livens up and creates a competitive spirit among the group. The practices create rapport, build friendships, and relieve stress.
Parties wouldn't be complete without the games. Just like performances, they also leaped to a higher level. Gone are the days of cute parlor games. It's now a Hunger Games kind of competition.
I, for one, was caught in this at our recent Christmas party. Poise gone, as one would say. What else could you do when your teammates suddenly swooped you off your feet and brought you to the other side of the room? My only thoughts then were about my heels and the embarrassment if and when I accidentally fell off. Being hurt never crossed my mind. It's all about saving face.
That's how competitive we are. All in the name of the game. And we didn't even win.
It is also during this time that hidden talents get unleashed to form bands and dance groups. And these are talented people, crème de la crème. The kind that you would be willing to get tickets to watch and listen to.
And that's when I ask myself, where was I when the heavens showered talents?
