That prayer to Jesus is inappropriate at a company party?

I think the clue is in the word Christmas. It is a Christian festival. Just as it would be appropriate to pray to the God of Judaism for Hanukkah and the appropriate Deities for Diwali.

If we are being historically accurate, it’s been a tradition to celebrate and drink at this time of year long before someone decided that Jesus was born on 25 December (he almost certainly wasn’t but this date was picked to coincide with the existing celebrations around midwinter, like Saturnalia).

It is disingenuous to state that any and all events relating to Christmas festivities need to centre Jesus, as it completely ignores the varied history of how this particular celebration has become as much about Santa as it has about Jesus, and how many people celebrate it in the secular sense in this country. Some Christians may bemoan this, but it doesn’t make it invalid.

A work Christmas party has never been a traditional event in the Christian calendar as far as I’m aware, and I don’t believe it has ever been traditional to pray at one. If it’s a company event, paid for or not, then all employees deserve to feel they have a place there regardless of their religion. I’m sure colleagues of other faiths (including atheists there) have no issue with attending a work Christmas party but should not be expected to either pray or to feel othered for not doing so.

(Do all the posters giving the history lesson on the origin of the festival REALLY think that others don’t already know that? 😂)

Wouldn’t bother me one bit, especially as it’s a Christmas party.

I went to a conference where that happened too - but it was a conference organised by the Latter Day Saints so hardly a surprise.

It's very inappropriate at a Christmas party. Christmas is not a religious occasion for many in this country and employers should be aware of that.

Exactly, thank you!!

It’s unusual but it wouldn’t bother me in the slightest, and I’m an atheist.

If you want to talk tradition, look at Pagan...

Christmas started as a religious holiday yes, it wasn’t to celebrate someone who wasn’t born in december, it was a Pagan religious event and very much existed before a small number of christians decided to move their celebration.

It wouldn't have bothered me as an atheist but I would have felt uncomfortable for any other people of different faiths in attendance. I went to a catholic school with a lot of Muslim girls and all of us were expected to join in with grace every meal time. We all used to laugh but looking back it was a bit weird seeing a sea of girls (none of whom were catholic) doing the spectacles/testicles/wallet and watch every meal time.

It’s not Christmas. It’s Advent. A time of penitence and waiting (clue’s in the name). Easy mistake to make if you’re not Christian

I’m betting this was a civil service department party

Never understand why people who dont believe in Jesus celebrate Christmas, it is literally a celebration of his birth!
It was a Christmas celebration, a prayer was said. If you dont like it, suck it up and forget about it and let those who are celebrating the real reason for Christmas say a prayer.
Jesus is the reason for the season!
Merry Christmas and God Bless you x

I mean it is, but it's been parked right on top of a much earlier pagan mid winter festival, with the dates aligned to encourage compliance in the new religion. So it's a valid festival time even if you don't subscribe to it being Jesus actual birthday (v unlikely)

I think the part of this that most irritates me, is that no other religious group would consider trying to force others to join in a prayer in this way, but because it's Christian it's suddenly ok?

If have no issue with an announcement to offer any religious group the chance to move to the side to pray together, but this way of handling it means that you either have to accept it or disrupt the prayer, which is an awkward situation in a work environment.

I couldn't really get worked up over this. Someone says a prayer, you bow your heads and that's it, you get on with the meal and enjoy the evening. No different to going to someone's house and them saying grace. It's really not a big deal!

The winter solstice was celebrated in many pre-Christian cultures and hijacked by early Christians.

Origins of Christmas

People of all faiths and none have every right to celebrate the start of the lengthening days.

If it was a personal act by somebody who has always had a strong faith, it's unusual but best politely ignored. If they've recently discovered religion, it's par for the course to be inflicted with proselytising.

If, however, it's a deliberate decision of management precisely because there are people of other faiths and of none present, along with people of other ethnicities who they are assuming the faith of, that's outright wrong - it makes clear that they see those people as other and could mean they also believe that they shouldn't be 'yoked' to those not of the same belief, which doesn't look good in career terms for anybody who isn't part of the same beliefs (and the specific church, not just denomination, frequently).

What other name should we use? It’s a cultural festival

Christmas was originally the Winter Solstice, which was stolen by the Christians, along with lots of other festivals.

As a recovered Catholic I wouldn’t like a prayer before a party at a work event, but I’d probably just roll my eyes and fill up my wine and forget about it.

Oh sorry… I must have missed the part where the OP said Mavis was packing a gun!

Just for reference, do you consider Easter to be a festival of the worship of Eostre the goddess of the dawn, that it's named after?

If not, maybe this isn't the watertight point you think it is.

Religious people may want to do that in their own premises, but most people see Christmas parties at work as a get together, not a religious celebration.
the woman was way out of line in my opinion -
completely inappropriate

It was originally a pagan festival celebrating the longest day of the year. Christians hijacked it when christianity was forced on us so "he" was not born in December (if he was born at all). We're all steadily going back to our roots and celebrating the Season, not the myth!

But you're celebrating the birth of Jesus? You're at an event that has his name in it, but it never occurred to you that it's a Christian festival, so you think a mention of him is... inappropriate?! At Christmas?

That's spectacular.