<p>I’m a recent graduate from electrical engineering working at my first full time position (i’ve held a few internships in the past).</p>
<p>For my company’s christmas party I’ve been asked to bring a ‘guest’. I’m younger than the next youngest person by almost 10 years. Everyone else is married except 1 girl who has a serious bf. I’ve never been good with girls and I’ve asked 6 ‘friends’ to go with me so far only to come up with rejection after rejection.</p>
<p>So how bad is it if i show up alone for the chirstmas party?</p>
<p>And pick someone sympathetic to ask – perhaps an older woman in the office.</p>
<p>I suggest “The girl I’m dating can’t make it to our company Christmas party, and I feel funny about asking someone else. Would it be awkward if I showed up alone?”</p>
<p>It’s very nice of your company to allow people to bring their significant other, but it’s not required. I would go by yourself if you don’t have someone you would like to bring.</p>
<p>It this is a large party, it is very likely that you won’t be the only one without a date.
Sometimes a babysitter falls through and only one of a set of parents can come.
Sometimes your spouse has a business trip or obligation at his or her own job and you come alone.
Just because the older folks are married or otherwise paired up doesn’t necessarily mean they will all have a partner in tow at the party.
Go and have a good time.</p>
<p>(It sounds from your other posts that you would like to meet more women your age. Maybe one of your older female co workers has a niece or next door neighbor’s daughter they’d like you to meet. Some people find matchmaking fun. )</p>
<p>What kind of a party is it? If it’s a sit-down dinner, then I’d try harded to get a “date,” saying to your friend, "Hey, I really need a plus-one for this thing, for professional reasons, but absolutely no strings attached. Can you come? The food should be great.</p>
<p>Is this job in the city where you went to school? I bet some smart female engineering student would love the networking opportunity!</p>
<p>If it’s just a mixer-type thing, then go alone, no biggie at all. Have fun!</p>
<p>As a spouse who has attended these parties, traditionally what you will find is that the employee still lands up socializing with their peers, and the spouse is standing on the sidelines twiddling their thumbs as they talk shop.</p>
<p>The reason this occurs is because in most companies you do not socialize outside of work and due to that fact when you attend functions like this work is a common bond. Also since you don’t socialize outside of the office, spouses and SO do not know each other, so they are really there for their mate.</p>
<p>If it is a sit down dinner don’t worry, there is always a spouse like me who chats it up with you since you don’t have a date.</p>
<p>It only becomes awkward at the end of the night if they have a band because now the couples are dancing. However, that is also the time where those who don’t have a date seem to find each other around the open bar. This is a positive aspect since now you will meet people like you, who are not in relationships, and that will expand your social network.</p>
<p>As a spouse who has attended these parties, traditionally what you will find is that the employee still lands up socializing with their peers, and the spouse is standing on the sidelines twiddling their thumbs as they talk shop.</p>
<p>I agree- I bet lots of people go alone- I haven’t had to go to a work party lately. but at my recent high school reunion very, very few people brought spouses or dates.</p>
<p>It made it less interesting from my perspective but I can see their point!
;)</p>
<p>Additionally, many people who are in the early 30’s and married, opt to go alone because babysitters are not cheap. The company may pick up the tab for the party, but for the married couple with 2 toddlers, they could be looking at a 50 buck bill for the night. In this economy, people are not splurging on what they deem unnecessary costs.</p>
<p>At my 20th it was like EK stated, the majority of them attended without their spouse. As a matter of fact, we (Bullet and I) were the only couple (he graduated a yr before me). The rest came stag and they were all married for eons.</p>
<p>I would def. go, because this is also a time to shine from a social/personal pov. They know you in a corporate atmosphere, use this opportunity for them to get to know you, the person. Climbing the corporate ladder regarding promotions is not always just based on business, sometimes it is based on personality. The more they know you, the more they can place a name with a face.</p>
<p>Honestly, you must work for a successful company, because Christmas parties held off site at night are a rarity these days. It is seen as a cost/expense issue with little morale return compared to having it catered at work and giving 1/2 day off for the employees.</p>
<p>I think you should feel no pressure to bring a date or suggest you have a girlfriend who could not make it. Perfectly normal and even very popular people are often between relationships.</p>
<p>thanks for the advice. I’ve never managed to get a relationship before making me insecure about the situation. I’ll try to get a date but if i won’t feel to pressured. </p>
<p>"It only becomes awkward at the end of the night if they have a band because now the couples are dancing. "</p>
<p>Don’t give it another thought! Go alone and have fun. My husband and I never go together. The non-involved spouses are always bored silly or drinking too much.</p>
<p>Wife of engineer here…who has attended LOTS of company parties. Believe me…the engineers (and spouses) will NOT all be dancing. They just won’t be. </p>
<p>I go every year to my husband’s office events. They are sit down dinners always. They are lovely but honestly, the conversation is really for the employees. I only see the spouses and other guests once or twice a year. I honestly can’t even remember all of their names. Each year we reintroduce ourselves like we’re strangers.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry about bringing a date regardless of the format of the party. Personally, I wouldn’t bring an almost stranger with me to the event.</p>
<p>Don’t stress about it. It’s a work thing, not the high school senior prom! You won’t be the only one alone, you won’t feel awkward, and people will still respect you and not see you as a friendless loser even if you don’t make excuses to them about something that they probably won’t even notice.</p>
<p>Don’t worry about it at all - it’s not required to bring along a significant other and it’s not unusual for people to show up at these things as a single. My W didn’t even go to my last work Christmas party just because she didn’t want to and it didn’t matter at all to me. Similar to what another poster mentioned, she only knows a few of the people at my work and only a couple of the wives so it’s not always that thrilling of an event for the SO. Even for those planning to bring a SO, sometimes the SO is sick or has something else going on so they can’t make it so the worker shows up alone.</p>
<p>This one isn’t worth stressing over - just show up, try to enjoy yourself, and hope you win a door prize if they have them. </p>
<p>
I usually use that as my cue to leave. I don’t dance and neither do some others whether they have a SO with them or not. By the time the dancing breaks out you’ve already put in your appearance, usually have eaten your food, won your door prize (I hope), so you can bail. You likely won’t be the only one taking off then.</p>
<p>earlier another mom suggested that one of the wives meeting you might decide you must meet her (neighbor, nieice, daughter) - I go with dh to a meeting out of town twice a year and make it a sport to befriend the single guy at the dinner - if we were in our hometown I would definitely be using this as an opportunity to match make!</p>
<p>Just went to my H’s work annual dinner. At our table of 10, there was one single female who went without a date and a married male whose wife didn’t come.</p>
)</p>