The annual office party isn't the option you think it is

'TIS the season once again for the great irony known as the annual office party; a time when everyone is encouraged to let their hair down and not talk shop, and yet there is no shortage of reminders everywhere - your boss's face, for example - that it is, after all, a work event.

If it's your yearly struggle deciding whether to turn up, you're probably not alone. Chances are, most people don't really want to be there, even if there's an open bar or a fancy restaurant.

Look, I hear you. Work gatherings are probably an introvert's nightmare. And even if you're as social as the next person, I can imagine many other ways to spend an entire evening other than to hang out with colleagues you already see more than your own family.