Office Christmas party themes, part 3

Swinging sixties, groovy seventies or new-wave eighties? Take your pick

A party with a focus tends to be a lot more fun. So, if you want to make your Christmas work do a bit special this year, read on to find out what you can do in the third of our Christmas office party blogs. 

You’ll be sure to impress the majority of your colleagues, especially if you cover a wide age range, with a 1960’s, 1970’s and 1980’s-themed party. By concentrating on not one but three decades, you should be able to please almost everyone because most people will probably have some connection with one of these periods and be keen to relive it again – even if it’s just for one night.

There’s so much you can do around this theme too. You’ll be spoiled for choice with the music. Just make sure that it’s not the songs of one particular era that get played all night. Rock and pop will go down well for the 1960s, with tunes from the likes of James Brown, the Hollies, the Beatles and the Beach Boys. For the 1970s, choose anything by ABBA to Al Green, Rod Stewart to Stevie Wonder. And when it comes to the 1980s, any of the hits by Michael Jackson, Wham!, Madonna or Duran Duran will ensure the night is one to remember.

You’ll really add a sense of fun to the event if you make it a requirement to dress up for the occasion. And there’s no excuse not to because there are so many looks to choose from. If a fan of the 1960s, go hippie with a flower power costume or be a cool dude in patterned trousers and waistcoat. When dressing for the 1970s, become the rock star that you’ve always dreamed about being or strut your stuff like John Travolta in a disco fever outfit. And if, like me, it’s the 1980s that’s the decade you remember most fondly, reinvent yourself as Boy George in a new wave pop star costume or bare all in a gold bustier and skirt in a fun Madonna-style 80s pop star ensemble.

To create the right atmosphere, decorate the venue with disco hanging swirls and a disco ball. And why not add a disco couple lifesize stand-in cutout at the entrance to provide a great photo opportunity. It’s sure to put everyone in a party mood.

Guy Fawkes Night

Remember, remember, the fifth of November

When the first firework you light on 5 November lights up the sky, falling to earth like a shower of colourful rain, will you be remembering the man who turned this date into an annual celebration in the UK?

His name is Guy Fawkes and in 1605 he tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament. However, he got caught before he managed to put his plan into action and was subsequently executed. He didn’t act alone, however. He was one of a group of 13 young men who wanted to assassinate King James I and his followers at the state opening of Parliament.

When Guy Fawkes was discovered, so were 36 barrels of gunpowder. These were stacked in the cellar directly below where the king would have been sitting. As to the huge quantity of gunpowder, Guy Fawkes explained it was needed ‘to blow you Scotch beggars back to your own native mountains!’ The irony, however, is that the gunpowder was believed to have actually decayed. So, if it had been lit, it may not have even exploded. But, of course, we’ll never know for certain because Guy Fawkes and the other conspirators got caught before trying to ignite the powder.

To commemorate the failure of the Gunpowder Plot, as it has become known, people have been lighting bonfires for almost 420 years. The practice started on the night of 5 November 1605 to celebrate the safety of King James I. By the 19^th century, effigies of Guy Fawkes started being placed on bonfires. And today the tradition continues with the addition of fireworks, to remind us of the gunpowder that Guy Fawkes hid in the cellar of Parliament.

But one questions remains. When you do set light to that first firework on Bonfire Night, will you be celebrating Guy Fawkes' execution or honouring his attempt to do away with the government?

If you're looking to enhance your Bonfire Night celebration, why not get in some sparklers? They're sure to add to the fun at any fireworks party. And it won't just be the children who love 'em!