Christmas is almost upon us. Less than a week away, the countdown is officially on.

Chances are, you’ve recently celebrated with your colleagues at your highly anticipated work Christmas party.

The festive work shindig is your one chance a year to see your co-workers outside of their natural habitat. As the prosecco starts to flow, a whole new side to your company rears its head.

Like Dickens’s Ghost of Christmas Past, we’re here to help you reminisce about your office Christmas party this year. We’ll be examining some of the staple caricatures that grace every work Christmas celebration.

Hold onto your Santa hats: this could get interesting.

The Worker Bee

With one foot always in the office, this colleague is guaranteed to be harping on about their latest project. Shaking their head and tutting in the corner of the room, the Worker Bee isn’t exactly the life of the party.

Unlikely to stay longer than the obligatory hour or two, they’ll keep their drinks to a minimum as they’re already planning on putting in some extra hours tomorrow to get a head-start on some work due next spring. No sore heads here!

The Any-Excuser

We don’t condone drug-taking, but there’s always one colleague who will end the night on a high (literally). Away from their partner and five kids, tonight is their one opportunity of the year to let loose and blow off some steam.

You’ll probably find them centre stage, karaoke mike in hand, and they may even resort to standing on a chair singing “I wish I could do packet every day”.

The Out-Of-Towner

During the festive period, London is teeming with people who come into the city once a year for their office Christmas party.

You can spot them from a mile off: in amongst a sea of moody commuters, this bunch are cheery and chatty, donning Santa hats and sipping on their M&S pina colada tinnies as they attempt to engage with the locals.

The event of the year, their office Christmas party starts out as a classy affair. Champagne on a boat ride down the Thames or at a West End musical. These occasions always end up far livelier than you’d ever have envisioned. By 3am you’ll find them at Be At One, wearing tinsel scarves and belting out cheesy Christmas anthems.

They’ll be in for a rude awakening when the train jolts to a stop at 6am the next morning in the middle of nowhere, or they find a hefty taxi bill on their credit card receipt.

The Over-Competitor

Some people will use any event as a chance to climb up the work ladder. In a bid to impress their co-workers and bosses, their shamelessness knows no bounds.

Flashing the Amex about and droning on about their latest accomplishments, there’s something a touch Grinch-like about these characters.

This lot will make a competition out of anything with their colleagues.

And they’re pretty ruthless. A Christmas game of Twister can easily get out of hand with this personality type around. It starts with right hand on blue and ends with a performance review, sure to bring some awkward conversations into the new year.

The Instigator

We all know the type. Drinking by far the most and yet somehow the least drunk. Immune to the effects of alcohol, this individual takes pleasure in pulling everyone’s strings and bringing out the wild side of all the people at the party.

The devil on your shoulder, they’ll convince you to get up on a table and make a fool of yourself or buy the entire team another three rounds of tequila shots.

They’ll sow the seeds and then gleefully watch the chaos of their own making unfold.

The Silent Assassin

There’s always a dark horse at the office Christmas party who surprises everyone. Quiet and lowkey in the office, this character is sure to have one too many mulled wines and come out of their shell on the night.

It’s never a dull night with this personality type around. You may have only exchanged a handful of words with them all year in the office, as they very much keep to themselves. But when the Christmas party rolls around, they’ll be sure to make themselves known.

Oversharing with the CEO, nicking cigarettes off the HR team in the smoking area, climbing onto the bar counter and performing a sloppy rendition of ‘Last Christmas’. Expect the unexpected.

The Pretender

Often an HR Director, these characters gush year-round about their diverse and inclusive hiring policy. They may spend much of the year waxing lyrical about how incredibly progressive their company is, but when Christmas rolls around, you’ll catch them at the most lavish and garish event around.

You’ll probably find them hosting a black-tie Christmas party at the Savoy. Go figure!

Champagne, hors d’oeuvres, ball gowns, string quartets. Great Gatsby, eat your heart out.

The Remote Evangelist

The Operations Manager who is constantly driving to improve efficiency and proclaims the benefits of remote working to no end.

You’re not surprised when they cancel the work Christmas pub crawl. They’re thoroughly convinced that working remotely is the best thing since sliced bread, and they use the annual festive celebration to make their point by insisting that it take place online.

Be prepared for cheesy online Christmas quizzes. No doubt you’ll be inhaling a glug of red wine to fill the awkward Zoom-induced silences.

The High-Octane Junkie

There’s always that one boss who loves the great outdoors, and will no doubt drag the company along with them on their adventures. Come rain or shine, the office Christmas party is bound to be activity-based. It’ll most likely involve rolling about in the mud in some capacity. Who doesn’t love a good old-fashioned team-building exercise? (Cue eye roll…)

At these office Christmas parties, it’s less about the booze and banter and more about the endurance and adrenaline. After all, nothing says ‘Christmas joy’ like hiking in a 3-degree blizzard in South Wales.

So now, we’ll put the question to you. Did any of these hit a little too close to home? Which character are you at the office Christmas party?