Celebrating Christmas time in the city is a certain kind of magic not many can recreate elsewhere. It’s a certain kind of joy the man in red unfortunately doesn’t have a monopoly on, despite all the songs and carols we so often hear. But, in that same light, it’s the time of year for new romance, a certain skip of sorts in your step, and a chance or two to start over with the New Year so close upon us. After all, it is the season of the annual company holiday party or two, right?
Maybe with the season and the sense of something anew in the air is the reason one in seven women will find love this year at their respective company issued Christmas party, according to a study commissioned by CB12 First Class Breath. Perhaps it’s the weather instead, inducing some form of madness in us all that in by no means affected by the several glasses of champagne and bubbly we indulge in this time of year. But it’s a certain kind of magic unlike any other. The snow falling all around us can’t be anything less than a spontaneous combustion inside us, causing something new to happen during this time of year.
But what are the rules when it comes to the holiday party? Aren’t we told not to mix business and pleasure? Isn’t there some sort of risk involved if things end, dare I say, less than civil? Maybe that’s why we feel as though, with the crush we’ve been keeping an eye on all year, we can indulge a little bit without the feel of a watchful management eye or two over our shoulders. Romance is already tough enough to be found outside of the office walls so it makes sense we often find it in the cubicle a few rows over or even in another department. But that doesn’t make it feel any less taboo or risky.
Would that risk feel a little less, well, terrifying if I told you the same study done showed about 20% of those holiday party kisses are still together today, even with time passed, a new year sprung, and Human Resources informed? Or that the average £100 spent on holiday attire for about 3 Christmas dinners if you’re lucky will be well spent? Because often times that £100 spent on a look is to impress that office crush you’ve had all year in hopes of meeting them under the mistletoe at least once, potentially due to the indulgence in glasses of champagne. The numbers may not be record breaking but instead are a sign, showing that almost anything is possible during the holiday season, even at the company party each December.
But that’s not to disregard the fright we feel from potentially breaking company policy. After all, 21% of study participants mentioned they might not be able to relax enough while their boss was there. Or the 19% worried about having to spend even more time with colleagues you’ve already spent at least 40 hours with that week. That’s not even counting over time or working through lunch to meet that deadline. The holidays are tough, especially when there’s office protocol and HR watching with a seemingly strong eagle eye.
Maybe that 4.5 hours we’ll spend getting ready for the Christmas dinners and the holiday parties won’t be for naught in hopes of finding that cubicle crush underneath the mistletoe leading us into a season of having an answer for the relatives who thought you’d always be an old maid. If not, there’s a whole new year just waiting to be explored with our fingertips and our dreams, filled with more than a few celebratory glasses of bubbly hope with a joyous garnish or two.
