One-fifth of U.S. businesses are saying 'no' to end-of-year festivities this holiday season, according to a survey released on Monday.

Whether you love or hate your company's annual holiday office party, it may not even happen this year.

As a financial crisis roils world markets and fears of a deep global recession grow, about one-fifth of U.S. businesses are saying 'no' to end-of-year festivities this holiday season, according to a survey released on Monday.

That would mark the lowest percentage of office parties seen in the 20 years since executive search firm Battalia Winston Amrop began its annual survey.

If you're one of the lucky ones to keep on celebrating, be aware that only 71 percent of companies are offering booze this year -- a cruel and unusual punishment, perhaps.

"We've always looked at this as the year-end economic barometer," said Battalia Winston Amrop Chief Executive Dale Winston. "People will still have parties, but it's the mood of the country -- the mood of the country is not a celebratory mood."

This year, only 81 percent of companies are throwing a party, fewer than during the holiday season that followed the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, or during the recession of 1991.

Some 37 percent of companies blamed the economy for more modest party plans this year, the survey found, nearly double the number from last year.

公司每年的年终派对你喜欢也好，不喜欢也罢，今年很可能不再举行了。

本周一公布的一项调查显示，由于金融危机持续肆虐国际市场以及对全球经济衰退担忧的加剧，美国约五分之一的公司称今年不打算办年终派对。

这是Battalia Winston Amrop猎头公司开展该年度调查20年来，美国公司举办年终派对比率最低的一年。

如果你所在的公司今年仍将沿袭传统，那么你得做好心理准备，因为今年只有71%的公司会为员工准备大餐——这或许是一种残忍而不寻常的惩罚吧。

Battalia Winston Amrop猎头公司的首席执行官戴尔•文森说：“我们一直将公司的年末派对视为一年经济的晴雨表。现在大家也还会举办派对，不过目前全国的氛围就是这样，不是庆祝的气氛。”

今年美国只有81%的公司将举办年终派对，这一比例低于2001年世贸中心和五角大楼遇袭（“9•11”恐怖袭击事件）之后的长假季，以及1991年的经济衰退期。

此外，调查发现，约37%的公司认为经济不景气是今年年终派对计划从简的主要原因，这一比例比去年翻了近一番。

Vocabulary: 

executive search firm:猎头公司