The holidays are closing in fast, and for those of us living the corporate American dream, it means one big date on the calendar is looming—the office holiday party. The holiday party is many things, but certainly never-to-be-missed. We’ve seen our share, from over-the-top and insanely decadent to low-frills and high on fun factor.

To honor the occasion, we’ve compiled a list of some of our most memorable holiday office parties from film. And when we say memorable, ohhhh these are memorable. So sit back, grab your favorite holiday cocktail and Caavo remote. Unlike Scrooge, we’re all about sharing, making it easy to access and search across your content to find these holiday office party classics.



Desk Set (1950)

The research librarians at the Federal Broadcasting Network are going wild at their annual Christmas party. Led by Bunny Watson (Katharine Hepburn), their “inspiration” for heavy drinking, dancing and singing on a stolen piano, is the threat of looming unemployment. A new computer, created by Spencer Tracy’s character Richard Sumner, will replace their jobs. Our favorite line? “How does champagne go with Four Roses, scotch, martinis and Bloody Marys?” Way to go out with a bang, ladies.

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On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1960)

No one said holiday parties had to be fun. Amazingly enough, this Bond flick includes a Christmas party where the shared presents are actually hidden vials of biological warfare chemicals created by the evil Blofeld (Telly Savalas). These are gifts, and a party, we’ll want to avoid at all costs.

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The Apartment (1960)


Jack Lemmon plays C.C Baxter, and ambitious bachelor climbing the corporate ladder. He lends his fully-stocked apartment to insurance company Consolidate Life for their holiday party, and things get crazy real fast. We’re talking big crowds, copious dancing on tabletops and happy employees enjoying free-flowing booze from water coolers. While there’s of course drama on the side, this wild office party takes center stage.

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Scrooge (1970)

Young Scrooge’s employer, Fezziwig, throws an all-out Christmas bash. There’s singing, there’s dancing, there’s merriment and there’s fun. Enjoying a warm, love-filled, sweet party like that, we’re still a bit hung up on how Scrooge (Albert Finney) wound up being so...Scrooge.

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Trading Places (1983)

Two brothers decide to conduct cruel experiment at the expense of their star employee, Winthorpe (Dan Aykroyd), who’s a little on the stuck-up side. The brothers show him the door in favor of the street con artist Billy Ray Valentine (Eddie Murphy). Billy Ray quickly catapults to success while Winthorpe turns into a psychotic, office-party-crashing Santa. His office party highlights including wearing a disgusting, filthy Santa suit and stealing food off the large party spread only to shove it all under his beard. We’ll pass on that party, that shrimp didn’t look fresh anyway.

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Die Hard (1988)


This classic movie features one classy holiday party hosted by the Nakatomi Corporation and includes string quartets, amazing 80’s glamour, drugs and one really, really bad guy (played by Alan Rickman) intent on pulling off a mega Christmas heist. Until he meets John McClane (Bruce Willis), a New York cop who plays the “monkey in the wrench” to the entire affair. Cue the action, banter, and explosions. We just want to get in on the canapes and in one of those party frocks. Yippee-ki-yay.

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Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001)


Bridget Jones (Renée Zellweger) spends her holiday office party drinking, smoking, and pining for a boyfriend. In an awkward and horribly mortifying move, she takes to the karaoke stage, wearing rabbit ears and woefully singing “Without You.” She’s also the only employee partaking in the karaoke, and we’re sad for you Bridget.

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Office Christmas Party (2016)

When word gets out that the employees of their branch will most likely be let go before the end of the year, district manager Clay (and hard partier himself) is relentless in his efforts to throw an office Christmas party that puts all others to shame. He’s also trying to attract a client’s business to save the branch and believes the party is the ticket to doing so. Needless to say, the event is epic, and may even scale our research librarians from Desk Set to soooo “medium-impact.”

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