Christmas Un-Parties

It seems this year plenty of offices are cutting back on the Christmas galas. Apparently ABC News is one of those companies cutting the Christmas party entirely, The New York Times reports. Financial firms are also scaling back, perhaps unsurprisingly. As a caterer told The Times, “Everyone is very conscious of the fact that while Rome is burning, we shouldn’t be having a great time." A party planner says he's lost three large-scale parties from investment firms. My friend who works at Citigroup says she has to pay $20 to go to her holiday party.

In that case, why not just buy a couple bottles of cheap wine and hang out with your real friends?