Office parties, being single, and feeling awkward

[katwoman]

Does anyone else deal with the whole awkwardness of seeing the flyer for an office party that says "bring your spouse" or something like that? I'm chronically single so as soon as I do the first though that comes to mind is - how in the hell am I going to get out of this one?
I don't really mind the whole office party thing, I actually really like my co-workers, but I hate the who panicky feeling of - I've got to find a date for this! But I don't want to find a date. And I either don't really have a good guy friend I would take or I don't want to find some random person to take just so I'm not the only one there who is all by themself. People really take pity on you at that point. Especially when you are the only single one in the office.
I know this is a part of life that is here to stay so does anyone have any input or suggestions?

[littledancerus]

I'm the only single person in my entire office. I'm pretty much single by choice though & am not looking for anyone currently... so it doesn't really bother me if everyone else brings their spouses to employee functions. The only way it bugs me is when people devote all their energy to their spouse at these kinds of things... but usually that doesn't happen. I'll get into coversations with co-workers or couples or whatever, so I don't really worry about it.

[WorkInProgress]

I think it would be more awkward for me to bring someone at this point...I'd really only bring someone if the relationship were serious.

[wordsmith]

There are usually only a couple of us in my office at at given time who are single (and most people are older anyway). But we don't do office parties, per se, or real work gettogethers, it's just not part of our individual workplace culture for the most part. We basically do a lame-ish staff dinner at a local restaurant for the holidays, but even that we haven't done the past couple of years. I've brought a date a few times when we have, but it's honestly not that thrilling, and I really only go to be cordial, not because it's such a blast. I'm sure an "outsider" could take it or leave it.