Holiday Season with Co-workers, Clients both friend and foe

With so many parties, get-togethers, lunches and dinners with co-workers, clients, the Holiday season can feel like a small onslaught of wines, rich foods and sweets.  The last thing you need is to be bombarded with what I call “The Snob Effect”.   You know that person at the party who thinks they are so international and knows every word possible and how to pronounce it!   Well Bollocks on them!

Saying foreign words, under pressure, and under the influence, can be challenging and scary.  Walking around a Holiday party when you’re a tad rosy-cheeked, can be a tinder box.  Coming across, Mr. International, you feel like saying “Look dude, I’m just as knowledgeable as you are!  So JAM THE BLINTZ buddy!”.  BUT WAIT!!!

My advice is that the Holiday party time is not the time to pull out your Foreign Phrase Defense Program.  It’s really a time to feel good and have fun. So that’s what you need to do with any foreign words.  Be playful and enjoy hearing Mr. International sound silly.  If you think he’s acting like a jerk, then probably other people are too.

Also, as it’s the gifting season, you might want to buy or give away gifts of wine and cheese or other foreign foods.   Take some time to read the labels or tags, and  increase your knowledge.  So often wine labels, cheese labels, and other foreign food packaging are a treasure trove of words and new phrases that can increase your knowledge and present an opportunity to learn!

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be writing about many Holiday foods and words, so stay tuned!