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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To ask how much you would willingly pay for your work's Christmas Party?

240 replies

Hohohonooo · 05/12/2018 22:19

I'm not going because of the cost.

Ours is £70 per person, which is for a 3 course meal and all inclusive beer and wine. AIBU to think that's way too much?! For context, I earn £25000 per year, which is fairly typical for my workplace.

How much would you be willing to spend?

OP posts:
Yinv · 06/12/2018 12:39

£70 is outrageous!
The only reason I’d pay it would be to keep the peace and not cause bad feeling. But I’d resent it.

AornisHades · 06/12/2018 12:44

When I was private sector the works do was free. Usually included a few drinks at least but decent managers usually paid for some extra drinks for their teams.
Public sector now and there's no employer contribution. In fact I think the big do has stopped now. I never went anyway.

HerRoyalNotness · 06/12/2018 12:53

Our company across the world charges $20 or £20 or whatever the currency is. They only do this to get commitment that people will show up, it used to be free. It’s generally very dressy in a swanky hotel with an mc, entertainment and a dj.

Last time I went we walked in to massive seafood platters and champagne as the arrival nibbles. They spend a fortune so I can begrudge the contribution to it.

HerRoyalNotness · 06/12/2018 12:53

*can’t

MakeAHouseAHome · 06/12/2018 12:55

I wouldn't pay anything! Ours is free and I have to gear myself up to go to that for a couple of hours.

As others have said if I was paying for a Christmas function I woulld be going with friends not work colleagues!

RavenLG · 06/12/2018 12:58

Work are arranging an 'xmas party' for our whole department on the last working day of the year, which will be a few bottles of prosecco and beers (not enough for everyone) then onto town. I'll be having a glass then slinking off. I would not pay anything for this.
Our team are going to play mini golf, which is £20 for the gold plus 2 cocktails. That will do.

crosstalk · 06/12/2018 13:05

£0. I think they're fine if you're single and like your workmates but otherwise it's another evening paying for childcare/taxis and losing an evening before Christmas.

backinaminute · 06/12/2018 13:19

I'm public sector so also always had to pay. This year ours is £40 per head at a lovely venue. I've also preordered a bottle of wine for £23 so it depends. I've not gone in the past because of cost.

Bumblebeans · 06/12/2018 13:24

We're going out after Xmas and paying £20 each for set 3 course meal in a nice restaurant in town. Then those who want to drink etc after can move onto a bar after. We're nurses and our dept tends to wait till after Xmas to celebrate that the Christmas madness is over.

mindutopia · 06/12/2018 13:40

The only time we ever actually had one, it was 16 quid per head for a 3 course (NOT very fantastic, I'll add!) lunch, plus a cash bar for drinks. For a decent meal (doesn't have to be 3 courses) and drinks, I'd happily pay 30, but only if I actually enjoyed the people I was working with.

skybluee · 06/12/2018 14:58

£30

divadee · 06/12/2018 15:18

I refuse all Christmas parties. Call me scrooge or the Grinch but i work with these people, I don't want to socialise with them, that's what I have friends and family for!

It doesn't matter if i have to pay or not I still don't go.

alleypalley · 06/12/2018 15:20

I've never paid for a Christmas party in my 25 years of working.

willywillywillywilly · 06/12/2018 15:20

Zero pounds

WeirdAndPissedOff · 06/12/2018 15:22

I'd pay up to around £35 - maybe up to £55 if it was a more personal party, or if there were activities involved, and I really enjoyed the company.
No way would I pay £70 - that's extortionate!

Hohohonooo · 06/12/2018 19:35

I'm suprised that so many employers pay for their Christmas parties! I've always worked in public sector. My current employer has over 1.5 million employees, so no room in the budget for Christmas parties!

I don't mind paying, just usually it's been 30 quid max. This is my first year in this particular job, and obviously they've got more expensive tastes than I'm used to! (Or more money than sense!)

OP posts:
MaggieAndHopey · 06/12/2018 19:37

£0. I hit 40 this year and have decided I don't have to spend any more of my life going to shit parties.

gamerwidow · 06/12/2018 19:42

£30 max. I work in NHS and we normally have to pay for food but the senior managers usually chip in for wine for the table.
When I was in the private sector the company I worked for used to pay for the whole team to go away for the weekend for our Xmas do. We had one memorable year when we went to Amsterdam. Those were the days!

Applepudding2018 · 06/12/2018 20:02

Public service so we have to pay for our own but also only go out as individual teams. In the past have paid around £30 to include meal and disco but more recently a meal which is not always 3 course 'festive menu' so people have the opportunity to just have one course if they are either hard up or simply don't want to eat too much

ThroughThickAndThin01 · 06/12/2018 20:06

Ours is £28. I wouldn’t want to spend more than that.

Aragog · 06/12/2018 20:09

I'd pay up to about £35-40 for the food/entertainment. We pay for drinks on top. We are a relatively smallish school team and on the whole get on well. It is entirely optional. Some times I go, sometimes not.

I work in a school. We definitely do NOT get a Christmas party paid for us. Heck, we don't even get a free hot drink during the school day, let alone a three course meal and a night out!

Can you imagine the field day the press would have if they thought school budgets were being used to pay for the teachers' Christmas bash!?!

NoWayNoHow · 06/12/2018 20:10

We have a organisational Xmas party which is fee, but we do pat for our departmental dinner out - we've got a 3 course meal for £35 this year, and director normally buys wine. I'm on a similar salary to you and I'd never attend something for work that costs £70. That's "special occasion" prices.

amy85 · 06/12/2018 20:10

This year I've paid £60 for a three course meal, a welcome drink and entertainment (DJ, carnival entertainers, fairground rides)...add on drinks and outfit and travel it's costing me a small fortune

PeridotCricket · 06/12/2018 20:11

Ours will be about £40 each. And as a senior manager I’ll have to pay for at least a couple of round. So another £60 - £70. Smal, team. Public sector.

Carolwithane · 06/12/2018 20:11

I work for a local authority so never any employer contribution. We have a Xmas lunch on 21st Dec at a lovely local Italian which is £16.95 Pout plus 10 of us are going to hotel overnight for a party night inc dinner, entertainment, breakfast, afternoon Christmas quiz etc..... It's £95 we save for it throughout the year and it's so good this is our 3rd time! Party starts with a few cans of cocktail on the 1pm train, it's this Saturday and I cannot wait! Grin

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