Maggie May’s

If you’ve ever suffered the soul-crushing tedium of office work, you’ll know the mixture of dread and trepidation that comes with the office Christmas party. For me, most of the anxiety stems from the work that goes into planning an escape route. It is exhausting, concocting excuses to leave after two drinks. At the party itself, most of your energy will be expended trying to think of ways to drag the conversation away from work. It can be as mentally draining as the dullest nine-to-five shift.

In the last desk job I had (and hopefully will ever have), the annual December blowout was a constant source of conversation throughout the rest of the year. My ex-colleagues reminisced about their crazy antics even in the height of summer. Of course, listening to their dull recollections about these unremarkable shenanigans was even worse than witnessing them first hand. These things are rarely fun, and they are less so when dredged up months later.

One way to make the situation easier: convince the convener to avoid the organised fun of a party night and get the office together in a decent bar, simultaneously making it more bearable and easy to slip out unnoticed. While there’s nothing truly special or unique going on in Maggie May’s, it’s a great boozer with an overwhelming selection of drinks: time passes quickly in here. Indie and rock classics dominate the playlist and live bands can often be found jamming away in the corner, turning attention away from deadlines and onto the serious business of getting hammered and dancing on tables. And the pub’s cosmopolitan crowd provides the opportunity to avoid speaking to that boring guy from accounts all night: interesting people from a variety of backgrounds seem to congregate here. Which, I’ll bet, is definitely more than can be said for your office holiday party.

Clubbers' question of the week: What are you after for Christmas?

1. Scarlett Randle, 19, Glasgow Green

Favourite Club? The Polo Lounge

Favourite Bar? Maggie May’s

Favourite DJ? Peaches

Favourite Band? The Beatles

First Club? Saint Jude’s

What You Drinking? Disaronno and Coke

Describe Your Dancing? Low, Limmy-like and lanky

2. Kayleigh Brumwell, 19, Dennistoun, “I’d like my rent paid and a dog, please”

3. Billy Polydoros, 25, Greece, “A lottery win”

Debbie Patouha, 25, Greece, “A classic teddy bear”

4. Nadia Zanfardino, 26, Italy, “A new phone”

Valerio Parmigiano, 27, Italy, “A Fiat 500”

5. Luise Pollice, 21, Italy, “A boy called Carmine”

6. Voraphum Prayoonsuk, 24, Bangkok, “A motorcycle”

Qingwen Yang, 22, China, “Tickets to go home and see my family”

7. Anna Philliben, 20, Glasgow, “Tom Hardy, please”

Daniel McCrossan, 21, Glasgow, “Kaley Cuoco”

8. Witold Biermanski, 29, Finnieston, “Lots and lots of presents”

Nikolina Gencheva, 19, Finnieston, “Chocolate and cigarettes”

Leah Cathie, 20, Glasgow, “That’s easy: Witold”