The tricky thing about nostalgia and ‘retro’ concepts is that anything qualifies for viewing through rose-tinted glasses. It all depends on when the observer was born. This year’s hairstyles might one day hold the same distant reverence as the 2000s bands now considered ‘dad rock’.
The festive season has a monopoly on nostalgia, perhaps because the same themes, songs, and messages crop up year after year, ensuring that Brits forever associate Die Hard with Christmas. That’s despite what a recent survey from the British Board of Film Classification had to say.
It’s a bit harder to describe a retro party. Yet, as nostalgia takes over the media this season, everybody is taking a shot.
Festive Outings
Surprisingly, festive parties are fairly well-documented among small businesses, as their expenses are included in financial reports.
ANNA, a business banking service, claims that companies across the UK will spend £108 per employee on the Christmas party, totalling £1,353. However, the same source notes that costs could fall by 10%, as firms grow more cautious about spending money.
A December YouGov study revealed that Britons will likely spend £60 per outing on festive markets and attending Christmas parties. What shape does the latter actually take these days, however?
80s-themed
Good Housekeeping likes the nostalgia theme. As hinted at earlier, though, that could mean anything. It means mid-century in home furnishings and floppy discs in computing. We’ve already mentioned what it means to Hollywood, i.e., Bruce Willis’ Christmas Eve in Nakatomi Plaza.
Gaming has its own unique ideas about what constitutes ‘retro’, too. The ‘classic’ category at a slots casino often includes fruit machines like Luck O’ The Irish: Strike, Joker’s Jewels, and Double Heat Crown. These titles tend to be simpler than their modern counterparts.
Good Housekeeping has an unusual take on what a ‘retro’ Christmas party entails, hinting at a blow-dry, a sequined jumpsuit, and an absence of food. This 80s-themed party is perhaps a bit risky for the workplace, given the writer’s craving for an evening when “all the rules can be bent”.
Then again, a piece of research from Trade Union Congress discovered that 11% of festive revellers had made a faux pas in front of their bosses.
That may truly be all in the past now. There’s evidence that the traditional office party has fallen out of favour for more structured entertainment. The Guardian mentions murder mystery experiences, “aerial tree-trekking” at Centre Parcs, and even giant board games as ideas for alternative festive fun.
The popularity of the latter stems from some very high-profile proponents – Facebook, Amazon, and the Premier League. These ‘experiences’ might actually come in less expensive than the £60 per head usually spent by Brits on outings, at £40 each.
Likely Attendees
The question is, are people still interested in attending Christmas parties? Naturally, the media offers so many opinions that it’s hard to find an answer. The consensus is mostly positive – but interest varies by age group.
Research from Raconteur suggests that the most likely attendees at Christmas events are both the young (18-24) and more senior workers (65+), with interest diving in between.
Retro remains a fun theme for work events, whichever decade the concept lands in – yet many bosses seem to want a more sensible, responsible season, rather than something that might have repercussions for months to come.
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