Rep. Tim Burchett may be on to something here. The congressman who represents Tennessee’s 2nd Congressional District is hosting a 15-minute Christmas party this year. That’s it. Fifteen minutes from start to finish.
Olivia Beavers, a reporter for Politico, tweeted out one of the invitations to the party and took it as a joke. I did, too, when she first posted it. I chuckled and scrolled on. However, the congressman, or a staffer who runs his account, responded, “No, it’s real.”
No, it’s real. https://t.co/6ZyE3KVccI
— Tim Burchett (@timburchett) December 6, 2022
I chuckled at the idea and took it in the light-hearted way it was intended. However, the more I though about it, the more it sounds like a brilliant idea. Work-related holiday parties are a pain. Generally speaking, they can be stressful and often awkward. But this idea is genius. The time commitment is very short and there is no time to be bored or experience awkward pauses in conversation. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know most of the people there, by the time you say hello to everyone and get a drink, it’s time to leave. Wish everyone a happy holiday and you’re out.
There may (or may not) be musical entertainment and the possibility of refreshments looks dicey, at best. None of that matters. There is no time to fill with entertainment to keep guests upbeat and jovial, no pressure to keep people entertained. The entertainment mentioned on the invitation was “Louie Gohmert & the Hal Rogers Singers.” Burchett joked that it’s in Gohmert’s “contract” to speak for eight minutes, leaving only seven minutes to sing.
As Burchett’s chief of staff told PEOPLE, “the Congressman’s very real quarter-hour Christmas party is a first-ever event , but may well become an annual tradition.”
“Rep. Louie Gohmert is scheduled to play his guitar,” they added. “The Hal Rogers singers are TBD because, well, Congressman Burchett may have made that group up. Congressman Burchett often says, “although I don’t take my self too seriously, I take the job very seriously. “
Rep. Burchett joked about the choice of entertainment, too.
“”I was originally going to invite Kanye, but the morality clause in our entertainment contract makes that a no-go,” Burchett said in his statement. “Besides, I don’t associate with people who say nice things about Nazis. The dulcet tones of Louie Gohmert performing Christmas music is a much better option.”
His statement continued: “There’s no guarantee we’ll have refreshments, but if we do, they’ll be lackluster at best. It’s going to be the Christmas party of the year in DC.”
Good call.
Party animals wouldn’t like such an idea as a 15-minute party but those less outgoing might find it fun. And, no one has to worry about guests who stay too long. Everyone knows the timeframe up front. The invitation says it’s from 12:00 p.m. to 12:15 p.m. It’s all harmless Christmas fun. It still sounds like a good idea, though.
