As we enter the thick of the corporate holiday party season, here are some ideas and resources to keep a group entertained, fed, and rewarded.
1. As part of its month-long Treats Tuesday program, Wolfgang Puck Catering will deliver seasonal sweets on December 22. Items include gingerbread men, chocolate peppermint brownies, chocolate chip cookie lollipops, pumpkin cheesecake squares, mini pecan pies, and other desserts. The one-day service is $25 a person with a 20-person minimum. The items come packaged so recipients may take them home for their own holiday entertaining or share within the office. Five days advance notice is required, and orders can be made via email to [email protected].
2. Fig Media's video e-cards provide an alternative to company-wide holiday cards or emails; they can also serve as party invites. For $395, Fig staffers will make a 90-second film, which can be posted to social networking sites or sent out to employees and clients. The videos can be turned around in a week, and may be straitlaced or quirky—Fig's sample video shows its employees singing and sporting antlers. The films are typically shot in Fig's Edgewater studio, though staffers can travel to other locations for additional fees.
3. Marwen's holiday cards are designed by underprivileged high school students who benefit from the organization's free art classes. This year's line offers 10 new images, which depict everything from a snow-blanketed Grant Park to the city skyline lit up in Christmas lights. For a minimum order of five boxes, the cards can be personalized with messages, signatures, and corporate logos. Orders for customized cards can be placed at Marwen's online store until 5 p.m. on December 4; non-personalized options can be ordered until December 21. The five-inch by seven-inch cards are sold by the dozen, and each pack costs $18. All proceeds benefit Marwen.
4. With its Redmoon for Hire program, Redmoon Theater brings surreal entertainment to offices or event spaces. One option is a customized opera performance, dubbed the "Bombastic Momentary Opera." For $5,450, as many as 20 performers serenade guests with a song that's written especially for a company or event; the troupe can also wear masks of employees' faces. Typically, the theater prefers at least two weeks notice for bookings, but inquiries with shorter lead times are welcome.
5. For morning receptions, Blue Plate's "Hair of the Dog" package includes a breakfast spread and a design-your-own Bloody Mary bar. Along with vodka, the company brings in tomato juice and spicy Bloody Mary mix; garnishes can include baby pickles, olives, shrimp, pepperoncini, and Provolone cheese. Accompanying breakfast items can include eggs, New-York-style bagels, and cinnamon-raisin brioche casserole. The packages start at $15 a head, can be tailored to groups of any size, and can be delivered to offices and event spaces in the city and suburbs. Five days' advance notice is requested, but Blue Plate can also accommodate shorter lead times.
6. Botanicals' holiday flower arrangements can be used for gifts or festive office decor. The company's 10-inch holiday trees are conical towers of fresh-cut chyrsanthemums, topped off with contrasting satin bows. Bouquets of white lillies and fragrant wintergeens, wrapped up in birch cylinders and tied with red satin bands, are also available. Each arrangement costs $85 and can be delivered to offices in the city and suburbs with 48 hours advance notice.
