Spanish Holiday Traditions: Company parties

Since I will be spending another holiday season here in Spain, I have decided to do a series of posts about holiday traditions that are important when celebrating. Some of them are similar to those back home, others are quite different. I hope you enjoy learning a bit about what we do here to celebrate the season!

English team
Company parties

 Admittedly company Christmas parties probably happen all over the world. But they are especially important here in Spain. I think this is a really nice thing that companies do for their employees, usually offering a lunch or dinner as a time to celebrate the season. 

 Both of the places that Jose and I work had a Christmas party this year (Jose's allowed spouses while mine did not). I had a really nice time at both events. At left you can see Jose with a few of his co-workers, all part of the English team. We are really lucky that not only are they great, but their wives are as well! It means we always have a great time together. My company's Christmas party was only for the people we work with and we had a really nice time eating some great food.
With my boss, bet you can't even see my braces!
In our experience it is also common for businesses to offer their employees a small gift (in Spanish a "detalle", like a nice detail) around the holidays. This year my school gave us all a box with a lot of different food. Jose's sent him home with seafood. Yum! Here some workers can also expect to receive a Christmas bonus (pago extra). This has been something that for a lot of folks was eliminated, reduced etc. We realize that we are quite lucky and that the financial crisis isn't affecting our "extras" as much as it is some people.

 It is interesting to note that with all the Christmas parties happening during these weeks that the police really crack down on people driving under the influence. There are lots of controls set up in order to find intoxicated drivers who are heading home from company events. The fine can be up to 1000 euros so it is better to have a designated driver!

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