We were in the office this morning (yep Sunday) talking about plans and traditions at this time of year. Friends and colleagues are heading all over the world for Christmas. Thailand, Florida, California, Ohio (reluctantly), Spain, France, and of course I’m heading to London.
Other than the family and traditional over indulgence (which seems universal), this time of year means different things all over the world. From my experience Christmas tends to be more raucous, often involves regrettable incidents at company Christmas parties and good times with friends.
My brother works for the police and the weekend before Christmas is their busiest weekend of the year. The cells are overflowing with people over doing it and making poor decisions.
Company Christmas parties are typically an excuse to drink too much and create stores that will do the rounds until someone in accounting eclipses it next year. It’s almost like a get-out-of-jail-free pass is given to act like a fool and the only consequence is everyone in the office get’s to laugh at you. According to the Daily Mail half of those who attend company party in the UK will be hungover the following morning.
One of the things behind this is that the bosses are expected to provide an open bar, and seeing as the company provides the drinks, the feeling is the company accepts the consequences. The stories are legendary and can be a large part of the brilliant self-depreciating British humour.
Other than Australia, I don’t think I have been anywhere that loves a drunken party as much as the British.
I’ve spent Christmas in a few places around the world, Switzerland, Italy, USA, Canada and of course Britain. While the Swiss and Italians enjoy a drink, they act in a much more controlled way. While Americans are downright civilized and getting drunk at the Christmas party is frowned upon, drinks are expected to be drunk in moderation.
Yes, I once left a hotel by the back entrance after someone went drunk butt surfing down a flight of stairs made slippery by their own vomit. But that was an isolated incident.
At a British Christmas party everyone would laugh, she would be called a lightweight and the party would carry on. But here we went out through the back of the hotel down the fire exit and onto the street so no one would be wiser. Far more civilized, but also restrained.
Why do the British do this? Unquestionably the stereotype is of a rather civilized, reserved image of the British, the other side is often glossed over and ignored.
There is a definite drinking culture, that’s not news to anyone. British can be very staid and conservative, but the pressure still needs to be relived, and no one sees anything wrong with a couple of drinks to help that process.
It can be a pint on Friday lunchtime or blowing out at the Christmas party. A pass is given and while there are consequences, no one feels the need to sneak out the back of the building.
As my brother and his full cells at the police station will testify, there is a dark side to this partying culture. Binge drinking means that it’s hard to walk through the center of any big town on a weekend night and not come across groups of drunks leaving the pubs at closing time. It all seems rather unpleasant when you are the sober (or relatively sober one), but despite the outrage of the vocal minority little seems to be done to stop it.
When you grow up where it’s OK to blow off a little steam after a long year, you do miss it when it’s not there.
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