Google search for Christmas party? (404 not found)

If Google employees are hoping the search engine giant can still provide them a decent Christmas party, they better think again.

While known for throwing some of the biggest parties in Silicon Valley – which often draw crowds of over 10,000 – Google has said it will downgrade the annual Christmas do.

The company says it will encourage smaller departmental parties to celebrate together, encouraging team camaraderie. The parties will differ from the group’s previous efforts, which have included karaoke, virtual reality video game stations and ice sculptures of the company’s logo.

But the move may be fitting of Silicon Valley’s situation – companies including Hewlett Packard, Yahoo and Sun Microsystems have shed over 140,000 jobs in total over the last few months.

Related story: Cutting back on Christmas