之前說日本那邊要求我們歐洲這邊對於christmas party發表一篇文章，Deepak老闆就要我幫忙，年後我問他，他說他還是需要幫忙。

我寫了一篇，原本以為是要代表我們歐洲的，給D老闆改，他改成是以我的心得報告，也把整篇文章改的有好笑到...

以下是文章，刪掉比較敏感的部份和照片了...

08/12/12 XXXX Europe Christmas Party 2008

About two weeks before the real Christmas came in year 2008, the Continental European team had the so called “Christmas Party” a lovely event which is a combination of a meeting during the day followed by a real party in the evening.

On that day, all of us got together in a hotel in Wiesbaden. Where is Wiesbaden you might be wondering? It’s a small city in Germany, roughly half an hour drive to the north of Frankfurt. The meeting started on time at 11:00 AM. Since we met others probably after a long time, our mouths couldn’t stop. So, on the one hand there was the coffee and cakes, and on the other hand, the project related discussions as most of us are on different projects spread across North Western Europe,

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The meeting was indeed relaxing except for probably those who had to go to the front and give a presentation. We also looked at two films produced, directed, edited, and scripted by me for which I thought deserved a few Oscar nominations. That did not happen, but I think I succeeded in bringing a few smiles to many faces in the room. The first movie was about the project life, as we do not see each other often, and probably have no idea who is in on which project and what they are doing there. Thus, a small film connecting people with the work they are doing currently in a funny way. The second film was a mosaic of pictures and movies from past XXXX EU team activities. Glimpses of our first summer party in 2006, the inaugural XXXX Regatta – European Leg, archery competition in 2008 etc. took us for a trip down the memory lane. With all the events we had in the past, we believed that the event tonight will also be another highlight of the year 2008. Done with all the presentations, there was still quite a bit of time before the Real Christmas Party started. Thus a bunch of us headed to the town center for some shopping. Germany is especially famous for the Christmas markets where vendors sell gift articles, special drinks such as the Glüwine and traditional food which is perfect for this time of the year.

The night began at a historic monument minutes away from our hotel. With a welcome drink (the bubbly stuff) in hand, we were all rounded up for a group photo. We all took to the stairs (thankfully it was a wide one), but when all of us are together with partners, what you can see in the pictures are just lots of heads. That’s OK, we actually get paid for what’s in our heads, right?

Shortly after some time for exchanging pleasantries it was time to get seated and a good meal. A four-course meal awaited us – after all we needed all those calories for all the partying that followed later. Haven’t enjoyed the feeling to see so many colleagues since the summer party, for sure this was another time for us to go wild. In addition to the “wining and dining”, we also have a small activity to paint the sweet ourselves.

A good consultant is not always a good painter as we found out like the gentleman pictured to the left painted a Santa with a red moustache and orange hair.

Party with XXX in Europe, there is one thing that is always present which brings me to the “Kicker” table. Like kids are attracted to candy, our consultants headed straight to the kicker table to show off their talent or in some case the lack of talent.

With the music playing all night, the noise level kept on increasing. Unfortunately, there wasn’t any karaoke-ing but just dancing. A variety of dance skills were on display but who can be blamed for improvising on such a gorgeous night? At times, some of us just sat down and watched others performing even though it wasn’t anything like Dancing with the Stars. However, as people are from far and away and still had other commitments the next day people started heading back to the hotel. As a die-hard party go-er, I stayed until the wee hours of the morning. Oh, what a night!

It ain’t over yet. There is still the breakfast. Depending on what time one wakes up, you get to meet different people at breakfast. Also, an excellent time to analyse the party, the dancing skills, etc. etc. – you know what I mean! But it is also the time to say tot ziens, aufwiedersehen, goodbye, au revoir, and arrivederci :( . But, like always a start is always followed by an end. And the end is actually the start of a new beginning. After such a nice time together, with a heavy heart I did say goodbye but I am already looking forward to the next event to meet each other again.

Contributed by Ms. Yuting Liao, Business Analyst at XXX.