Most Philippine Christmas office parties are fairly predictable: lame emcees, poorly rehearsed dance numbers, cheesy door prizes, awkward silences after jokes about the size of the annual bonus. Not that there's anything wrong with these, but we're a long way away from the alcohol and mistletoe induced party debauchery depicted by Hollywood (and those have to be accurate, right?)
Christmastime at the foreign service home office has an added poignancy to it. Because personnel deployments usually take place at the start of the calendar year, Christmas parties often also double as despedidas. This makes for some pretty emotional gift-giving, especially when you realize your Secret Santa didn't get you anything and just left for a six-year foreign assignment.
(you can run Secret Santa, but I will find you...)
Last Christmas, two batchmates left for their postings: ORATE EAR to Kuwait and DRAGON LEE AX to Australia. I take it from their subsequent infrequent communications that they're very busy and happy where they are . . . or are just embarrased and want nothing to do with the rest of the batch anymore =)
This year, I gave warm season's greetings send-offs to two other batchmates, former seatmates and fellow U.P. lame lawyers. . .
. . . MASCARA ZERO PIT, who's off to Guam (Lord help the Baywalk Bodies if they try anything there again on her watch). . .
. . . and ABHORRENT ROTTEN ODD ASS, who's off to Israel (and enjoyed his last Papa-pose)
See ya around y'all! Can't wait for your Christmas cards!
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