Fuss about the holiday party..

For the very first time, my company decided to have a "holiday party" this year. This is a new president's suggestion; and it's so japanese that the upper management could not say no even though there is no budget for it! (Japanese really cannot say NO?!)

It's just a dinner party. Formal attire is required, but not really necessary to wear an evening gown or tuxedo. But somehow, there is already some fuss about this party.

First of all, attendance.
Everyone is invited and is expected to be there (sort of), but one girl is refusing to come. She claimed she lived too far; she would not go home and come to the party because traffic would be bad. She also said she had nothing to wear. Of course these are just excuses. She sure has lots of time to go home, change and come. She just does not want to come. So she gave people some lame excuses. I think it's fine. I get it that she does not want to come. But for some other people, it was not acceptable somehow. They try to convince her to come; offer her a ride; told her she could just wear a nice pair of pants and a shirt...

Secondary, what to do at the party.
Maybe this is due to a cultural difference between american and japanese. Japanese people (not all) keep telling that we should have some games at the party. One suggested a bingo game. When americans heard that, it's like "No way!!". Americans are expecting to have a nice dinner and mingling with people. It is absolutely nuts for them to play games at a nice party! Some are expecting nice music and dancing... then of course japanese are too shy to dance in public, so they wouldn't.

I don't know what is going to happen. Maybe some people play games, then maybe some other will dance. I volunteered to be in a committee, so I have to help to figure out... oh well...