HR 101: The history of the office holiday party

Welcome to HR 101. Class is now in session. Today’s discussion will focus on the history of the office holiday party.

The history. Employers have long thrown office holiday parties as a way to show their appreciation for their employees’ hard work and strengthen relationships in the workplace. But the office holiday party as we know it is thought to have been born in Victorian England—specifically, in 1843, according to New Castle News. That year, Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol took readers on a journey through the past, present, and future of Ebenezer Scrooge, including a Christmas party hosted by his former employer, Fezziwig.

“In came a fiddler with a music-book. In came all the young men and women employed in the business,” Dickens wrote. “In came the housemaid, with her cousin, the baker. There was cake, and there was negus [a hot toddy], and there was a great piece of Cold Roast, and there was a great piece of Cold Boiled, and there were mince-pies, and plenty of beer.”

Fast-forward. Since Fezziwig’s party, office celebrations have evolved tremendously. Some have gone on to become the stuff of legend.Some have gone on to become the stuff of legend.

In 1976, Boeing made headlines with an extravagant holiday party at what was then Seattle’s Kingdome stadium. The event, which featured aerial circus performances, lion and tiger exhibitions, and a parade with Santa Claus, was so massive it needed to be held in two 90-minute parts over the course of a day, according to History Link.

Other employers who’ave taken the “go big or go home” approach to holiday parties have included Yahoo—which in 2014 threw a Wizard of Oz-themed bash complete with a performance from singer-songwriter Janelle Monae, Business Insider reported—and Baltimore-based commercial real estate firm St. John Properties, which gifted its 198 employees $10 million in bonuses during its 2019 holiday party, according to Good Morning America.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, employers were forced to take their holiday parties remote or put them on hiatus. But now, on the other side, many are gathering employees once again. For HR pros planning their company’s holiday parties, the Society for Human Resource Management has some tips to ensure it’s both fun and safe, including starting the party right after work (so employees don’t pre-game) and offering ride-share vouchers.

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