There is a time for all seasons, and one is a time to be happy.

My office had its annual Christmas party recently. It's a four-hour event that I look forward to each year and having been there 36 years, I have been to quite a number of them. It's a good time to interact with all of your colleagues, to learn of their goals and ambitions and discover their likes and dislikes. It is also an opportunity to see them in a totally different context, to view them in a non-working environment. Usually we play some type of icebreaker game that livens the party and you see the natural leaders and take charge type personalities come forth.

Do we really need liquor to have a good time? For some the answer is an unequivocal "Yes!" The great majority says, "It makes no difference to me, I'll go with the crowd." An infinitesimally smaller minority feels that it spoils this discovery, interaction process. While we're offered two free drinks, for some reason two is never enough and that seems to color the whole scene or make it tenuous at best. Indeed you do see others in a way that would normally not be familiar. You can be assured: what is spoken during these times is not hindered by constraint or inhibitions. This is raw feeling without boundaries. The kid gloves are off.

Of course for the latter group to even hint at this suggestion would be tantamount to being called a "spoil sport," "wet blanket" or "party pooper." It just won't fly. As the planners analyze the success of this event and begin to plan for the next, let us remember the real reason for this celebration. This time of the year is to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.

K.