The 1922 office Christmas party, in one photograph
Long before Slack invites and $25 caps, the Buzza Company put its staff in a hall, hung decorations from the ceiling, and took a photograph.
Upload a photo + a few interests for each person → we draw names and hand every Santa gift picks they're more likely to love.
Start with photos →In December 1922, the Buzza Company, a Minneapolis printing and greeting-card business, held its Christmas party. Someone hired a hall, decorated a very large tree, and gathered the staff on the dance floor for a photograph. The picture is now in the Hennepin County Library collection, via the Digital Public Library of America.
What the photograph shows
It shows scale. Dozens of people, mostly in suits and dresses, arranged in rows on a polished floor. A stage at the back. A chandelier and garlands overhead. A tree so tall it looks like part of the architecture. Nobody is holding a phone; nobody is holding a gift. The gift, in 1922, is the room itself.
The Buzza Company made greeting cards, so it had a professional interest in Christmas. But the photograph is not an advertisement. It is a staff photo: employees, managers, maybe families, all in one place. The archive title is simply "Buzza Company Christmas Party."
Why offices did this
Company parties were not invented in the 1920s, but the decade was a boom time for the idea that a business could build loyalty through social life. A Christmas party was a way to say: you are not only a machine operator or a clerk. You are part of this group. It was also a way to manage the group — who was included, who was not, who behaved well.
That double nature is still with us. An office party can make a workplace feel human, and it can also remind people exactly where they sit in the hierarchy. The photograph does not resolve that. It just shows the room.
Upload a photo + a few interests for each person → we draw names and hand every Santa gift picks they're more likely to love.
Start with photos →What changed
Almost everything else. Modern offices have budgets, alcohol policies, dietary requirements, remote colleagues and a much more careful conversation about who is included. The Christmas party has shrunk; the Secret Santa has often replaced it as the low-cost, low-stakes version. The draw can happen in an app, the wishlist can be a link, and the gift can arrive by post.
The scale has changed, but the social question has not. Who is in the room? Who is expected to buy something? Who is left out because they do not celebrate Christmas, or because they work remotely, or because $25 is not small to them? A good organizer answers those questions before the draw, not after.
What a modern office can borrow
- Make it opt-in. A party is not a mandatory meeting. Neither is a Secret Santa. Let people choose, without asking them to explain why.
- Set one budget and say it out loud. The price is the rule. A $10 or $25 limit is kinder than a vague "something small".
- Give people a way to be known. A short wishlist or three profile questions does more than a quiz or a forced game. It gives the Santa something to work with.
- Keep it short. The 1922 photograph is a moment, not a marathon. A 30-minute exchange can be enough.
The room matters, but the rules make it fair. Use the office checklist for the timeline, and the rules page for the draw. To get started, use the generator.
Sources
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Questions
Was this a real office party?
Yes. The photograph is dated December 1922 and labeled as the Buzza Company Christmas party; it is held by the Hennepin County Library.
When did office Christmas parties start?
They predate 1922, but the 1920s were a period when large firms invested in social events as a way to build company loyalty. The Buzza photograph is one example.
What can a modern office learn?
The room and the rules both matter. Make the exchange optional, set one clear budget, give people a way to share what they like, and keep it short.
Upload a photo + a few interests for each person → we draw names and hand every Santa gift picks they're more likely to love.
Start with photos →Updated October 28, 2026