End-of-the-year gatherings haven't been a top priority over the past few years, but they are still an important way to show appreciation. All week long we'll be sharing ideas from real holiday parties and the people who plan them.

Photo: Henry Lin

Large-scale projections brought a winter setting to sunny Los Angeles for DirecTV's annual holiday party. Firefly LA and the Hand Company projected snow-covered forests, icicles, and other scenes onto a 120- by 140-foot tent on DirecTV's campus.
Photo: Courtesy of Firefly LA

Hargrove Inc. transformed the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's H Street headquarters into a rustic ski lodge complete with a 20- by 30-foot faux stone fireplace, a lifelike stuffed moose head, six-foot-tall wooden reindeer, and a massive Christmas tree.
Photo: Juan Carlos Briceno/FotoBriceno

Combining elements of Christmas and Hanukkah, Toronto's Regent Park School of Music staged a Chrismukkah benefit with a modern winter look. McNabb Roick hung oversize snowflakes, stars, and icicles while Westbury National Show Systems lit the room in shades of blue and purple.
Photo: Henry Lin

New York-based Internet company IAC hired Frank Alexander to capture the Viceroy Santa Monica's sophisticated cabanas with green and white rentals from Taylor Creative Inc. and colorful, arty lighting by Glow Design Group.
Photo: Allen Zepeda