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Socializing over the holiday season? It could end up costing you $50,000, according to new research.
A recent study found that millennials have a bustling social life between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve – and the costs add up. On average, they host or attend 24 events and dish out more than $800 each holiday season.
Multiply that figure to reflect an adult’s lifetime, and you’ll see $46,984 invested in holiday socializing between Thanksgiving and New Year.
The study, sponsored by the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council and conducted by OnePoll, surveyed 2,000 people aged 21-34 to find the cost of pursuing holiday spirit.
Digging deeper into their social calendars, the study found that millennials will attend four house parties, enjoy six meals with relatives and have four impromptu nights out on average during the holiday season each year. In addition, they’ll host or attend an additional four dinner parties.
Of course, no celebration would be complete without documentation. Millennials also said that over the course of the holiday season, they take 149 pictures – and pose for an additional 130 selfies.
A good toast makes for an excellent photo opp, and many holiday festivities feature special drinks or cocktails- millennials enjoy 96 drinks during their social season and raise their glass 77 times to say Cheers or offer holiday well-wishes.
They’re not afraid to stir things up, either: they treat themselves to a brand-new cocktail or drink they’ve never tried on four occasions.
Hosting brings its own pressures and more than half of millennials want to impress their guests with their food and drink offerings.
Alison Sweeney, a spokesperson for US Highbush Blueberry Council which commissioned the research, had some advice: “The holidays can seem overwhelming with visiting family, shopping, hosting or attending parties and more. Take care of yourself and your family by finding little ways to save time each day.”
“Instead of spending hours in the kitchen on a side dish for a party, grab some seasonal spices and blueberries to add to your cocktail or mocktail for a beautiful, colorful and refreshing drink that’s sure to please.”
But, do they know what their friends are looking for in a cocktail or mocktail? About one-third say that they want a drink with fruit to add a bit of natural sweetness, and following close behind are about 31 percent who say they like something bubbly.
Only one in five are looking for warm drinks, despite the cooler weather. Sour drinks, however, proved to be the least popular – only 13 percent of respondents prefer them.
Millennials are a social bunch, and one-third say that at a successful gathering, they will get to meet new people. But, they also say that nearly 100 times throughout the season, they’ll get stuck in a dull conversation or find themselves fake-laughing at something that isn’t funny.
They try to create an inviting atmosphere, too. More than a quarter of those who have hosted in the past got their creative juices flowing and made their own decorations … only to see their DIY masterpieces literally fall apart.
Another third say that they find an event memorable if the menu includes new ingredients or dishes to try. And, nearly half of millennial hosts say that their event is a success if people ask for seconds or drink refills.
A third had even tried to recreate food or cocktails from Pinterest for their event, but the results didn’t exactly mirror the inspiration. One in five had tried to mix things up with a new, refreshing cocktail; for their efforts, they ended up with a drink that tasted odd or packed a little too much of a punch.
Overall, millennials should take heart. While there are always a few hiccups here and there, they’re better hosts than they realize.
Only one in ten said their first dinner party was a failure or that they had a bad experience hosting a Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving dinner party.
And, just one in six cooked for a partner for the first time at the holiday season and had it go badly wrong.
SIPPING THROUGH THE SEASON – THE 24 SOCIAL EVENTS FOR MILLENIALS (THANKSGIVING-NEW YEAR)
6 Meals with relatives
4 House parties
4 Dinner parties
4 Work parties/after work socials
4 Nights out with friends
2 Tacky/ugly sweater parties
HOLIDAY SOCIALIZING BY NUMBERS (THANKSGIVING-NEW YEAR)
149 x photos of events/guests
130 x selfies
101 x saying hello to someone new
94 x snapchats
94 x worried you forgot someone’s name
96 x drinks
96 x jokes heard that aren’t funny
77 x glasses raised for cheers or toasts
7 x Facebook tags at an event/ updated status
6 x sleeping in late
3 x spilled drinks
4 x trying a brand-new cocktail or drink
4 x flirty conversations
3 x items lost – earrings, umbrellas, gloves etc.
TOP 5 HOSTING FAILS
1. Burnt food
2. Boring event
3. Inappropriate conversation topics
4. Poor food and drink
5. Someone made an awkward toast
TOP 5 GUEST FAILS
1. Didn’t help clean up
2. RSVP’d and didn’t show up
3. Telling awkward jokes/conversation topics
4. Making too much mess
5. Spilling a drink
TOP 5 SEASONAL STRESSES FOR MILLENIALS
1. Money -cost of socializing and keeping to a budget
2. Time- fitting everything in
3. Hosting- planning everything for friends and family
4. Potlucks- deciding what to bring when attending
5. Outfits - finding the right clothes and enough new outfits for each event
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