Canadian Christmas Office Party

If only there could be an office Christmas party every month — everyone gets to have a fine time, and the boss picks up the tab. This opening section is the aperitif zone, laden with homegrown tunes ideally accompanied by the clinking of glasses, especially Diana Krall's jazzy "Sleigh Ride" and Tom Cochrane's "Christmas All the Time" (evidently, he's a man after our own heart). Tunes for a Christmas dinner await you in Next Steps.

Now we've moved on to Christmas dinner, and if the cocktails have started to work on your boss, it just might be the time to pitch for a pay raise (if you're successful, get it in writing, on a napkin). To help your cause, cue up more Canadian goodwill ditties, like Loreena McKennitt's "Good King Wenceslas" and the celebratory strains of "What a Wonderful World" (Anne Murray). The office dancing, prancing, and romancing commences in Deep Cuts.

All bets are off now — anything can happen as the entire office hits the dance floor for a Christmas boogie. Throw out some elbow to "The Safety Dance" by Men Without Hats, brave those flailing limbs to Pat Benatar's "Hit Me with Your Best Shot" (written by Eddie Schwartz), and wave some tinsel to Cheryl Lynn's "Got to Be Real" (cowritten by David Foster — who knew he could be so funky?).

The weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful . . . and your boss' credit card is behind the bar. Hooray! It's time for the office Christmas party, and there's no better way to celebrate than with a flurry of tunes by Canadian artists. We've custom-grouped these Essentials into sections, to guide you from the first glass of eggnog to the last dance. So celebrate in style with the mellowness of Michael Bublé, the scrumptiousness of Holly Cole, the funkiness of Maestro . . . and much more.