Work's holiday party.

We had our "holiday party" for work this past Sunday. Wasn't all that bad, as far as holiday parties go. Actually, was the best one of the six I've been at the company for. This year, like the one two years go, the party was held off-site.

The last time the party was held off-site, we had a different manager. That party was pretty dull. We basically sat around and talked. Before dinner, during dinner, after dinner. I imagine, if you're higher up in the company and want/need to mingle, then it would have been a good party. For a group of people 18-30 (mostly), this was fairly boring. It did not help the atmosphere that both our manager and the manager over HR were not the approachable type. The food was okay, the desserts good, but a lot of us felt it wasn't worth what the company was paying for it. Quite frankly, the after party, in which about 50% of our coworkers went to a bar for karaoke, was a lot more fun than the party itself.

This time, like that time, the party was held at a hotel. Unlike last time, this hotel was within a mile of work. This was good, as it meant we did not have far to go. It was also right off the highway, so made it fairly easy to get to for those who weren't at work already. Unlike the off-site one two years ago, there was also ample parking, so no worries about that. This hotel had an actual bar in it, so the people who were interested could wander down the hall and catch the rest of the football game on tv, which no few people appreciated.

The contrasts continue from there. This time, we had an actual bar, so people could go and buy drinks. Last time, there were drinks, and they were free - but nothing had alcohol in it. Soda bar. This time, we had a little bar area set up in the hall where the food was going to be set up, and people could buy a beer and munch on the snacks while waiting for the food to be ready. (Snacks being cheese and crackers, veggies and dip.)

Dinner was later than people thought it was going to be (7:30 instead of 7), but we had the snacks to tide us over, along with whatever you wanted to drink, and water on the the tables (along with coffee) if that was your preference. Dinner was surprisingly good. 4 kind of salad, rolls, chicken with the stuffing inside, beef, a vegetable lasagna (which was good, as we had at least one vegetarian (my brother's wife) present), a selection of fruit and veggies, and there were desserts set up on a separate table (where the cheese and veggies had been earlier).

We had a DJ playing music (Frank Sinatra and similar, mostly) during the dinner, and after the dinner, four of the tables were cleared off the dance floor to open it up, along with prizes being drawn. Prizes were done in a nice fashion this time around - they put everyone's name into a bucket, someone would draw a name, and they'd go to the table and choose a box. There was a number in the box corresponding to a prize, and the winner would then draw the next name. I didn't win anything, but my brother won an ipod Nano (this is an upgrade from his Shuffle), and Mother won a gas barbecue grill (which is good, as the charcoal one we have is falling apart). This was done in two stages - half the prizes during the found round, the other half during the second round.

Interspersed with the dancing, we also had Karaoke. This was fun, though I missed most of it. Dad wanted to leave early, and Mom had won that grill, so I took Dad home in the Buick (we we'd elected to use to get there), and came back in the van, since there was no way the grill would have fit in the Buick. I changes out my book for my knitting when I got home, simple because there was no space for my book on the table, but I was getting bored with nothing for my hands to do. Came in during the prize drawing, so kinda missed that. Went to karaoke, then took a break for dancing. They played the Cha-Cha Slide, but it was only my third time hearing it, so I decided not to participate.

We left before it could go back to Karaoke, which I find unfortunate. They extended the dancing by 20 minutes, so the brother elected to head home instead of staying to participate in the Karaoke. I find this unfortunate, because if he had stayed, he would have done "The Masochism Tango." Given the looks on most of our coworkers faces at the song title, the reaction value alone would have been good. Maybe next time.

As it stands, it seems that the people who showed up for the party had a very good time this year. Hopefully the next one will be just as good. :)