Avoid that Christmas Party

While Kelvyn and I stopped for a coffee and toasted sandwiches at Kippa Ring Shopping Centre, I glanced through the free copy of Courier Mail where Renard Peters works. 

There I caught sight of a column written by Rod Chester. Apparently, in the name of common sense, he wants to see the end of office Christmas parties as they're organised these days. 

He harkens to the old days when office Christmas parties where time for the gathering of families - often picnics or barbeques held in the open with games and races as part of the day. You know the kind of thing the sack races, the three-legged races, the egg and spoon racers, employees not only getting to know each other better, but getting to know the spouses and the children. A little bit like the Pyjama Game 'Once a Year Day'. 

Now, it seems, the Christmas office party is a time to go 'blotto', 'legless', and seriously, 'over the limit'. 

So, says, Rod Chester, in the name of true Christmas spirit, boycott that office do and the 'one for the road'. 

Adjacent to this column, by accident or design, was an article on domestic violence. And just incidentally ‘alcohol is estimated to be involved in up to half of partner violence in Australia and 73% of partner physical assaults’, and as for traffic deaths ‘almost 1 in 8 deaths of people aged under 25 is due to alcohol’. 

So to rephrase that song by Johnny Cash, stay away from that office Christmas party, girls and boys. Your family or that other motorist on the road might have reason to thank you, even if they don't know it.