Two Christmases

So this weekend I went to a Christmas party for each of my jobs and just had a few things to share.

Saturday night it was a party for the airport. Technically it wasn't the whole airport, just certain companies hired by DIA. It gets a little weird, so it's just easier to think of it as my DIA Christmas party. Nice little affair. Go to the Comedy Works, get your two drink tickets (which were randomly collected), eat at the buffet, watch the comedian and leave.

I struggled a little bit there just because I work waaaay away from all of those people. I'd seen a few of the faces before and heard the names, but couldn't pick any one of them out. For being a somewhat classy affair, the food service needed some serious help. Glasses of wine were FULL, to the rim and I think Malia got a Coke in a different size glass every refill. The food was ok. The green salad had two salad dressing choices, balsamic vinaigrette or none. Potatoes were either mashed or none at all. The vegetable option was creamed spinach and dessert was turtle cheesecake (no separate plates, so my cheesecake had a balsamic sauce on it). So while the sides were not allergy friendly (nuts on the only dessert choice) or appealing to the masses (creamed spinach?!), the main courses were either chicken or...beef? Couldn't really tell because neither tasted like anything. Seriously. Thankfully, someone got ahold of some salt and pepper shakers, so at least you could taste something. The comedian, I thought, did a great job. Pretty funny and didn't overstay his welcome.

So while it was a well put together party, the whole thing felt a bit sterile. People dividing into the same little cliques they have at the office. While some came to have fun, I think a lot came just to get a little face time in with the boss and make sure everyone knew what great team players they are.

The Chipotle party was the complete opposite. Since the budget for the party was around $None, it was a potluck at our own restaurant. Difficult to relax when you're sitting there watching strangers serve your regulars. One of the first things I noticed was how dressed up everyone was. For being a potluck, my jeans and Christmas T-Shirt weren't cutting the mustard. The second thing I noticed was that I only know a third of these people. Evidently, it was standard practice to bring your spouse and kids...and maybe another member of the family if they wanted.

Then came the gift exchange and that's when I started to understand what a big deal this really was to them. One guy broke out the camcorder and the squealing started. When you gave your gift, they had to come to the front, then you embraced, they showed off the present (with cheering and clapping coming from all sides) and then gave their gift out. And I don't want to offend any of my TJ friends here, but these were the nicest gifts I'd EVER seen in a secret Santa. One lady got a coat and a wallet. Another girl got Broncos gloves, hat and a scarf. I was told there was a $20 limit and I'm pretty sure MOST of the gifts blew that out of the water. And nobody said a word because they all broke the rules, and are already planning on breaking them next year as well.

Going to the parties in that order really made me appreciate the Chipotle part more. Sure it was cheap and borderline tacky, but it was a much more personal and intimate affair. They really care about each other and this was the one time a year they get to actually demonstrate that. You know, there's a reason I just can't leave this place, and I think Sunday I finally started to figure out why.