15 Stories About Christmas Parties That Prove Disasters Never Take Breaks

Around the globe, around 2.3 billion people celebrate Christmas, which is roughly under 1/3 of the population. One fun fact about this period of celebrations is that in Japan, over 3.6 million families eat fried chicken on Christmas Eve. While this tradition is very specific, something that is not as specific and a bit more global is that many people and companies have parties. Whether they are at work or home, these parties don’t always turn out great.

• We always have a game where the winner gets $500. A couple of years ago, the game was a math-related game where you had to use 10 seconds to answer and it went around in a circle. So it was down to me and 2 other people out of about 20. I answered correctly and right after I answered my boss makes the buzzer sound and says, “Too late!” literally 2 seconds after I answered. I was pretty drunk and it was for $500 so I got pissed. I proceeded to flip out on my boss in front of his entire family and all of the employees. I stormed out swearing and yelling. Most of us are cool now but his wife and his brother clearly still hate my guts. It’s one of those moments you never stop cringing about when you think about it. Dextrofunk / reddit
• At the beginning of December, approximately 2 weeks before the Christmas tree installation at work, our management prepared the base for it by collecting snow with the help of bulldozers. During these 2 weeks, I was like a child, fantasizing about what a huge tree it would be. This is the result. ShiroglazyiAziat / pikabu

• Two lads got thrown out by bouncers as they started arguing and getting aggressive towards each other. Found out the next day that they were arguing about Lord of the Rings. LexLuthorsFortyCakes / reddit
• My dad’s employer booked an empty warehouse as a Christmas party venue. So picture about 500 people packed like sardines into a dimly lit, way too small room, unable sit, with all of their winter gear on, desperately trying to move around to stay warm but also trying not to bump into each other because you had less than a foot of room between you and the next person. There was food, but I refused to eat it. I didn’t trust them to not mess that up too. So after spending 3 hours in the 9th Circle of Hell, I left absolutely starving on top of everything else. unknown author / reddit
• I showed up in my tackiest holiday sweater. No one told me the dress code was formal attire.omgitsallieb / twitter

• My husband had to go to a Christmas party at work, so I jokingly wrote on his chest with a marker, “This is my husband, if you touch him, you’ll pay for it.” He came home in the morning, loaded. I undressed him and while putting him to bed saw the reply on his back, also written in marker, “Alex was dancing on the table! Alone!” Palata #6 / VK
• My employer decided that, on that particular Christmas and for the first time, staff could bring along their wives/husbands/SOs. One of my close colleagues, slightly over-refreshed, nudged the woman he was standing next to, nodded at a male and a female colleague, both out on the dance floor, and said: “He’s been having an affair with her all year.” The woman he was talking to was the guy’s wife. There was “a scene” in which my colleague had his lights punched out. Company never invited SOs again. MisterShine / reddit
• Kids were invited to my dad’s office Christmas party. They had a Santa. Suddenly our co-worker came in and said, “Why is Phil dressed up as Santa?” ChazMyMan17 / twitter

• It was hosted at a really nice restaurant. We all arrived, started chatting and joking around. Then the CEO arrived and promptly called us all to attention. We assumed he would just be congratulating us on a great year and wishing us a happy holidays, but instead he announced that we would not be receiving bonuses that year and that there would be layoffs in the near future. HorseMeatSandwich / reddit
• I went to my boyfriend’s company Christmas party that was being held in the event hall of a nice hotel. We got there a bit late and tried to sneak in the back door since everyone else was sitting at their tables listening to the CEO give a speech. I immediately proceeded to trip over one of those signs that was propped up on an easel and knocked it over. Everyone turned around to look. Super-smooth.Jenk911 / reddit
• I took a blind date to my office Christmas party and went around introducing him as Bill — his name was Bob. schmeckpepper1 / twitter

• My parents’ boss asked all the employees to write a letter to Santa Claus. A month later at the Christmas party, he, dressed as Santa Claus, read all these letters aloud and fulfilled the wishes. In his own way. My father asked for health, so the boss came up to him, clapped him on the shoulder, and said, “Be healthy!” A girl from the accounting department had written that she wanted to enjoy sea and sand on Christmas. Santa Claus handed her an 8×10 picture of a beach. The funniest moment of the party was the letter from a guy who worked in the warehouse. He asked for a lot of money. The boss gave him an envelope with a lottery ticket inside. Subman1981 / pikabu
• My granny got excited at our work Christmas party and danced herself into the tree! She went down and took the tree with her. R_D_Copeland / twitter

• HR had booked us into the function room of a hotel (one of these big, out of town places that do wedding receptions). Everyone had to pay £50 per head to attend, £75 for plus ones. When we arrived, the room we’d booked already had another party in it. They’d double-booked the room and just assumed that one company wasn’t going to turn up. So there’s 300 people trying to share a space meant for 200 at the most. Not enough chairs or tables and no room to move. Shas_Erra / reddit
• I had the flu for one Christmas party so, obviously, I couldn’t attend. The next year the GM didn’t invite me because “I didn’t make an effort to attend last year.” I told a few of my friends, “I guess I’m not going, no biggie, I’m not going where I’m not wanted.” Being a small office, word got around, and other co-workers said they wouldn’t go if everyone wasn’t invited. Eventually, it turned into the whole office not going to the Christmas party, and then the GM blamed me for ruining Christmas. daveyhh / reddit

Have you ever had such a disastrous experience at a Christmas party? What happened exactly, and how did you handle it?