Perhaps we forgot to mention this earlier, but DealBreaker is putting together a guide to holiday parties. The word on the street is that the nearly universal, if unfortunate, theme at holiday parties is: subprime bonus expectations. And this clearly is something we need to cover.

We won't be able to get to all the parties, but we want information about all of them. The where, the who, the what and the when. We want to share this information with you. But you know how this works. It takes two to tango, and whole room to throw a ball. So email what you know to tips@dealbreaker.com. Soon we'll publish our list. (Which will also be useful to plot your own crashing strategies.) Thanks!

Just a quick reminder that we're compiling a guide to holiday parties. Now, part of the reason we want to do this is that we'd like to crash the parties and report back to you. You know you're wondering what's going on at everyone else's holiday parties. Which analysts were the drunkest? Who had the most impressive location? Who had the most booze? Which bank's support staff sported the sluttiest outfits? And DealBreaker wants to let you know.

We won't be able to get to all the parties, but we want information about all of them. The where, the who, the what and the when. We want to share this information with you. But you know how this works. It takes two to tango, and whole room to throw a ball. So email what you know to tips@dealbreaker.com.

Soon we'll publish our definitive list. (Which will also be useful to plot your own crashing strategies.) Thanks!

Which is taking place tomorrow at Lotus. Yes, Lotus. The festivities begin at the usual time, but apparently the "real party is starting around ten,” which is when John Mack will be showing up, after having pregamed with us at Tortilla Flats, because, you know, when in Rome. Anal_yst will be TiVo'ing "Gossip Girl," and he doesn't even work at Morgan, so you know the expectations are high.

Let's be honest. The holiday party season is horrific. You have to go to lots of parties thrown by people who have no business throwing parties—people like your boss. It's perfectly natural to invoke the powers of booze to help cope with the season.

But we love holiday parties. Mostly because we love crashing the parties. We're pretty good at it. Our girl-about-town Bess Levin can chat her way into almost any situation.

But we need your help. We'd like to report on the parties, crash some of them, and generally let your fellow DealBreaker readers know all about the trouble that's coming. So send us the details of your holiday parties—the wheres, the whens and the what-to-exepects. Email us at tips (at) dealbreaker (dot) com. The anonymity of all tipsters will be preserved, of course. Thanks. And merry whatever.

With the passing of Thanksgiving, the fall social season has officially come to a close. Now the holiday season is upon us. For some of you that means Christmas trees, for some of you that means dreidels, for some of you that means [insert something associated with Kwanza here]; and for others [fill in objects related to whatever other religion you practice here]. Yes, this is a divisive time of year.

But take heart, for we can obviously agree that “the holidays” mean one thing to us all—free drinks on our bosses’ dimes (and if you’re lucky, other “things,” too). And since you’re reading DealBreaker, you’re clearly the type of person who gets invited to tantalizingly salacious parties circa December/January, or at least ones with the potential to be so. And in less of a “we’re going to publish pictures that will ruin you, professionally and socially” and in more of a “this is the kind of party that no one will be able to remember in the morning unless there’s photographic evidence of its awesomeness,” we think you should totally send invites to any and all of these events to us at tips at dealbreaker dot com. (Use the subject line: “Holiday Party.”)

What’s in it for you? Two words: Bess Levin. We’ll be sending her to as many of these parties as her liver, brain and our insurance premiums can handle. And don’t worry about possible law-related problems, as her driver’s license informs us that she’s legal to drink. But just barely.

So send us the invites, or at least the time, place and manner. As always, the identities of all tipsters will be kept in strictest confidence.

From the Freakonomics Blog - today is National Workaholics Day (or most paradoxical holiday ever), so... stay at work to celebrate? Workaholism is a disease, and workaholism awareness is spreading, especially among the financial community, with record enrollment in chapters of Workaholics Anonymous.

Are you a workaholic? Here are a few of the 20 questions you need to ask yourself, from the Workaholics Anonymous website:

- Do you take work with you to bed, on weekends, during elective surgery, on log flumes, and/or on vacation?
- Do you believe that more money will solve the other problems in your life?
- Do you get impatient with people who have other priorities besides work, like showering daily?
- Do you underestimate how long a project will take and then rush to complete it, in a short 72 hours straight?
- Do you think about your work while driving, falling asleep, masturbating, or when others are talking?
- Do you quit the game of Life if you don't land on the Doctor space?
- Do you work like, way too much?
- Are work you work thinking work about work work right work now?
- Work, workity work worked workly worker works workfore, worky working, work?

Here's a National Workaholics Day Greeting Card you can send to your deal team as a sarcastic reminder that you hate yourself right now.

And here's something that might keep you from falling asleep (and from failing a drug test).

And Today Is... [Freakonomics]
You Might Be a Workaholic If... [ABC News]
Workaholics Anonymous

Another financial firm opted to hold it’s holiday party in the presence of semi-wild animals. This one was the Southwest Securities Group’s Dallas office, which held it’s holiday party in the Dallas World Aquarium Zoo. We’re told by a source “familiar with the party” that it featured a januar, flamingos, sharks, a Mayan performance group and a mariachi band!

Rawr! Animal instincts and all that.

Goldman's London investment banking partners ponied up £6000 a piece for last night's Christmas party. It definitely must make the champagne taste a bit sweeter knowing that the party is coming out of a PMD's wallet instead of, say, being considered a firm expense therefore taking a chunk out of the bonuses available to the lower level troops.

Goldman Sachs celebrated its record year with a lavish Christmas party in London last night, paid for by its investment banking partners.

The US bank asked its 22 London-based investment banking partners each to contribute up to £6,000 towards it.

"The bankers paid for it as a thank you to their people," an insider said.

The party was for Goldman's investment banking division in London, after the bank's merger and acquisition deals hit a six-year high.

Remember to get your holiday party stories in to us at tips@dealbreaker.com. Those who submit the best stories will receive a copy of Winning: The Answers: Confronting 74 of the Toughest Questions in Business Today by Jack and Suzy Welch.

Goldman Sachs toasts record year [The Guardian}

We've been getting some good reports of holiday parties, and today's best came in the comments to our item this morning asking for more information about this years parties. Go ahead and leave more like this, or email your stories to tips@dealbreaker.com. The best stories will be promoted from comments into full DealBreaker posts. So, so 2.0.

First up, Eustacia Vye (named for our second favorite Thomas Hardy character) thrills us with a tale of Credit Suisse's holiday party from just before the tech boom came to an end.

The asset management division of Credit Suisse celebrated its simul-cuisitions of Warburg Pincus and DLJ in December of 2000 with a black tie affair at Chelsea Piers. I had just started in the business with a junior level analyst position - I skipped out on rent that month and squandered my salary on a knockout YSL dress for the occasion. large cap growth and tech paid the bills that year. Champagne flowed at every table, all night. A portfolio manager actually made out with his assistant on the dance floor. I got hit on egregiously at this and future parties...political incorrectness was definitely a fact of life - the fund guys referred to themselves as rock stars and acted accordingly.

Over the past 6 years, $80 billion in assets and 500 employees have walked out the door. The term "holiday" party was changed last year to "end of year" party because someone was apparently offended by the word Holiday. (Jehovas Witnesses, I think.) And in an hour, today, the annual party will actually be held in a CONFERENCE ROOM. I don't think there will be a carving station.

It's okay, though, because 75% of the guys who quit this place started their own hedge funds and I've been invited to crash three more parties. (Plus I still have the dress.)

Perhaps we forgot to mention this earlier, but DealBreaker is putting together a guide to holiday parties. The word on the street is that the nearly universal theme at holiday parties is: the return to decadence. And this clearly is something we need to cover.

We won't be able to get to all the parties, but we want information about all of them. The where, the who, the what and the when. We want to share this information with you. But you know how this works. It takes two to tango, and whole room to throw a ball. So email what you know to tips@dealbreaker.com. Soon we'll publish our list. (Which will also be useful to plot your own crashing strategies.) Thanks!

Just a quick reminder that we're compiling a list of holiday parties. Now, part of the reason we want to do this is that we'd like to crash the parties and report back to you. You know you're wondering what's going on at everyone else's holiday parties. Which analysts were the drunkest? Who had the most impressive location? Who had the most booze? Which banks support staff sported the sluttiest outfits? And DealBreaker wants to let you know.

We won't be able to get to all the parties, but we want information about all of them. The where, the who, the what and the when. We want to share this information with you. But you know how this works. It takes two to tango, and whole room to throw a ball. So email what you know to tips@dealbreaker.com. Soon we'll publish our list. (Which will also be useful to plot your own crashing strategies.) Thanks!

Let's be honest. The holiday party season is horrific. You have to go to lots of parties thrown by people who have no business throwing parties—people like your boss. It's perfectly natural to invoke the powers of booze to help cope with the season.

But we love holiday parties. Mostly because we love crashing the parties. We're pretty good at it. Our girl-about-town Bess Levin can chat her way into almost any situation.

But we need your help. We'd like to report on the parties, crash some of them, and generally let your fellow DealBreaker readers know all about the trouble that's coming. So send us the details of your holiday parties—the wheres, the whens and the what-to-exepects. Email us at tips (at) dealbreaker (dot) com. The anonymity of all tipsters will be preserved, of course. Thanks. And merry whatever.

The holiday season is upon us. For some of you that means Christmas trees, for some of you that means dreidels, for some of you that means [insert something associated with Kwanza here]; and for others [fill in objects related to whatever other religion you practice here]. Yes, this is a divisive time of year.

But take heart, for we can obviously all agree that “the holidays” mean one thing to us all—free drinks on our bosses’ dimes (and if you’re lucky, other “things,” too. *cough* strippers *cough*). And since you’re reading DealBreaker, you’re clearly the type of person who gets invited to tantalizingly salacious parties circa December/January, or at least ones with the potential to be so. And in less of a “we’re going to publish pictures that will ruin you, professionally and socially” and in more of a “this is the kind of party that no one will be able to remember in the morning unless there’s photographic evidence of its awesomeness,” we think you should totally send invites to any and all of these events to us at tips at dealbreaker dot com. (Use the subject line: “Holiday Party.”)

What’s in it for you? Two words: Bess Levin. We’ll be sending her to as many of these parties as her liver, brain and our insurance premiums can handle. And don’t worry about possible law-related problems, as her driver’s license informs us that she’s legal to drink. But just barely.

So send us the invites, or at least the time, place and manner. As always, the identities of all tipsters will be kept in strictest confidence.