The guys I play football with at work arranged a night out for Xmas at the same pub we always go to and gave spent two days on WhatsApp trying to rearrange the date so we can watch comedy instead.
I think I’d rather go out with the Media department instead.
Discuss your problems with popularity.
Not going to either the company wide one (in an enormous corporate barn that’s been vaguely tarted up to look a bit festive) or our team one (weeknight meal in a chain restaurant) because I’m genuinely busy for both. Would go to the team one, was a nice evening last time. The team next to ours where all the lads sit are having a proper tear up on a Saturday night, which would have appealed once but just seems like a waste of a weekend I could be spending with people I actually like.
If I’m lucky there might only be two I have to lie to get out of this year, but it could be 4+.
remember feeling so relieved when it turned out my leaving date at my last job fell just before christmas, because of the work party.
also remember having a massive faux pas the year before. had only just joined the company about 2 months before the xmas party, so didn’t know everyone in the department yet. was talking to a group of colleagues in the coffee room about the xmas party, and I asked one of them if they’d be going. He replied, ‘haha no, I don’t believe in Christmas’ , and I responded something like ‘oh yeah man, who fucking does. gotta go though to save face though!’, and then talked about how stressful buying presents was or something. Proper full on rant. turned out he was a Jehovas Witness, and was prohibited from attending because of his faith. Kind of felt a bit bad about that now.
Assumed ‘gave’ was a typo for ‘have’ but then thought maybe you’re ragging on a mate ‘Dave’ because they’re trying to get you all to go to comedy.
TBH not fully clear if you’re saying you’d rather go out with work colleagues (not something I can personally relate to but my wife’s work colleagues have always been great fun) full stop or you mean unless you can get them to go to comedy you’re not up for it?
I hate Christmas dos.
We have to do a stupid fucking secret santa
I quite enjoy work nights out but this one has already involved too much negotiation.
Last year was awesome, had so many unexpected couplings including one pair who were all over each other for the whole night in full view of everyone, had one angry little fella throwing glasses across the room at management, someone got so wrecked they pissed in the reception of the hotel we were in, then he slept in the hotel manager’s office and was found by a cleaning lady the next morning.
Well up for this year, even if I will be a ball of anxiety before and throughout.
Im on holiday when ours is 
Your memory of what went on is probably giving other people a similar level of anxiety too…
It’ll be an office party in some bar somewhere and I don’t have to commit in advance to going thankfully. I don’t mind who I work with but unless I’ve got nothing planned on the night I probably won’t go, plus it helps with the air of mystery I’ve developed around the office so it’s cool