“We were just having such a good time at the party, and didn’t want it to end. So of course we agreed. But as soon as we walked in the door, we realised we had made a mistake.”
The kick-on is an Australian institution. Everyone has a wonderful time at the staff Christmas party, and decides it would be a shame not to keep the party going.
Almost by definition, the staff Christmas party will involve a wide range of ages. So the selection of a kick-on venue is a tricky business. However, anecdotal evidence has already emerged this year that record numbers of kick-ons are taking place at wildly inappropriate venues, usually being whichever place the drunk new girl yells out at the top of her voice.
Morgan Peterson (45) and his accountancy practice had their Christmas Party yesterday. He informs the Coastal Tribune that the choice of kick-on venue was “atrocious”.
“I blame my PA Lily. She’s a little lunatic. I think she confused her middle-aged coworkers with the group of 19 year old kids she takes pingers with on the weekend. Because otherwise I can’t see why she loudly announced that Queen’s Palace would be the perfect bloody venue for us all to go. I think she gave literally no thought to anyone who isn't basically an infant.”
Morgan is not exaggerating. Queen's Palace is what the younger folk at his accountancy practice would describe as a "loose venue full of loose units". It's not the sort of place that Morgan and his ilk can slide into and attempt to blend in. In fact, Morgan advises that he was flat out asked by a couple of randoms what he was "doing there". He would respond by pointing at Lily and saying "Ask that idiot over there."
He explains that he received weird looks the whole time.
"Yeah the worst thing about going into a place like that, with all these young girls not much older than my daughter, is that I think a lot of people there think I'm some gross old guy looking to hit on young girls. I mean, that is what I ended up doing. But that's just because there wasn't much else to do at that place."
It seems that perhaps he is exaggerating how bad a time he had. We couldn't help but notice a little smile and glint in his eye when he "complained" about the venue. We think he had a pretty ok time, and that he will manage to survive if he is dragged there again after next year's party.