Ullensvang Christmas Party

Published: 08.12.08

Omega kicked off the Christmas season with a weekend-long get-together at Hotel Ullensvang in Hardanger and it's fair to say their was no shortage of Christmas cheer.

When snow boots just won't do

Stepping off the bus and into the lavishly decorated foyer of Hotel Ullensvang, many of us felt a sudden and distinct desire to change out of our snow-friendly boots and jackets and into something a little more like the neck-to-toe, red velvet number our Omega host, Ina Grayston Isachsen, was wearing.

A change of clothes and a stroke of mascara (for some) later and most of Omega's 274 Christmas party participants had settled into their seats at the dinner table and were enjoying Ina's tales of Omega's hunt for her elusive true love (who they assured her must be living in the general vicinity of Omega HQ) and the perils of "mountain" climbing with colleagues who were possibly a little more familiar with Omega's exercise calendar than she was.

Omega's Stavanger contingent arrived a little late but certainly in good spirits, ready to join us in taking on Friday's four-course meal of grouse, tuna, veal and super-smooth chocolate cake.

If you can't sing, swing!

Anyone who thought a dinner of that magnitude was going to weigh us down need only look to the stage an hour later as Omega's "Christmas Jam" talent search took off. An all-Omega blues band donned their shades and belted out a few tunes to get the evening started. Following a stage-side warm-up, systems man Håvard Matre summoned his nerve and his voice to deliver crowd-pleasing versions of Dolly Parton's “Jolene” and Pixies' “Where is my mind?”.

Confident they couldn't match the earlier talent, the majority of the Omega team opted to showcase their talents on the dance floor. Those who weren't singing were swinging, and those who weren't swinging were being swung into the wee hours.

Time for action

It's fair to say the freshest faces on Saturday morning belonged to the (very well behaved!) babies who were along for the ride, and those team builders who had already ferried a cup of coffee or two back to their breakfast table.

Despite the slow start, stretches and yawns were soon replaced by huffs and puffs as the more enthusiastic members of our team competed in tennis, squash, and bowling competitions. Those who weren't keen to stretch their legs took the opportunity to stretch their grey matter in the quiz.

Not surprisingly, a Saturday afternoon nap was on many agendas. Those who were lucky enough to have a balcony facing the fjord, drifted off to sleep to the sweet sounds of cherry pits being propelled across the lawn below as our “Hardanger Pakke” group did their best to spit, yes spit, their way to victory.

The very very low budget show

If Friday night was about talent, then Saturday night was about food; but before we were getting anywhere near the buffet we would have to contend with the evening's entertainment – “The very very low budget show”. The key to the show...we were the talent. Unassuming audience members gladly joined in the fun, being dragged on stage for a song, a dance, or a set of loaded questions.

A willing group of entertainers (who admitted many man hours went into their project) from Omega's Stavanger office donned wigs and delivered a “Super Duper Flott Fantastisk” song. Audience members were pleased to see that the act was in keeping with the low budget theme, with reported sightings of a price tag still attached to at least one of the wigs. We can only assume the guys got their money back from Nille on the following Monday.

Sheep's head tastes good

Grumbling stomachs were soon drowned out by an eager stampede towards the buffet. Unlike the entertainment, there was nothing cheap about the food!

All the Norwegian classics were all in place – pinnekjøtt (salted lamb ribs), ribbe (crispy pork ribs), lutefisk (dried cod prepared in lye) and even smalahove (sheep's head). A table of Norwegians eagerly awaited a Lithuanian colleague's opinion as he drove his knife and fork deep into the cheek of his chosen sheep: “It's really good!” he concluded. However, when he passed the same judgement having tried lutefisk, his fellow diners started to wonder if, as one person put it, “this guy just likes everything”.

Whilst rømmegrøt (sour-cream porridge) may not have been top of mind with all the salty, crispy meat on offer, many were convinced to squeeze in a bowl due to the adorable little “rømmegrøtnisse” who rang his bell and batted his eyelids with a “please, just try it – I made it myself!” look about him.

With plates empty and appetites absolutely sated, the team resisted the urge to head for bed and instead hit the dance floor, putting sleep aside to spend the night ringing (and again, swinging) in the Christmas season in true teambuilding style.

Thanks go to the Omega Service Centre and the Christmas party committee for organising a fantastic weekend in Ullensvang.