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November 26, 2014

Submit your Embarrassing Christmas Party Stories!

Filed under: Christmas & Holiday Party Tips — PDWriter @ 9:16 am

Submit your Embarrassing Christmas Party

Have an embarrassing Christmas story? We want to hear it!

Whether its an drunken office party foul, family dinner gone awry, or a childhood memory that evokes fear and humiliation, we want it.

Go ahead, don’t be shy! Submit and we’ll publish and choose a winner right before Christmas.

Come on, you know you want to.

[gravityform id=”2″ name=”Embarrassing Christmas Stories “]

To get the creative juices flowing, here are some funny examples:

  • I showed up to our annual Christmas party wearing the same tie as another guy. (I’m a girl). So much for fashion forwardness.
  • I thought I was going to an ugly sweater party but it ended up being a formal party. I was too far to go home  and change , spent the whole night explaining what I was wearing. Very embarrassing.
  • We were having a little work gathering at a bar/restaurant for Christmas.  As I was getting up to leave, I put my hand on the corner of the small table to push myself up as I stood.  The table wasn’t that secure, and down we went!
  • I was young and went to a Christmas party with coworkers, and never have drank hard alcohol before.  I got tipsy and told a male coworker I had a crush on him.  He told me he was involved with someone, and he was not.
  • Years ago I was at a Christmas Party and I was talking to one of the most handsome guys that I had ever seen. We were talking and he said something funny and I laughed and when I laughed I farted out loud by mistake.
  • I got so drunk at my Husband’s Christmas Party that I invited everyone to meet at my house after the party… I got in bed throwing up sick and the doorbell starts ringing…My Husband says, “Who is that, did you invite people over here”?  I said, “Maybe I did”…I was so embarrassed and my Husband was so mad… they just kept ringing the door bell, saying “Hey let us in, lets party!”

Now Submit!

 

November 20, 2014

5 Lavish Ideas for your Company Christmas Party

Filed under: Christmas & Holiday Party Tips — Tags: , — PDWriter @ 2:24 pm

marina

There is an old saying that “being kind helps your bottom line” and that’s especially true at Christmas.  Christmas parties are the perfect time to show your appreciation and build bonds of loyalty with your employees.  They’ve worked hard so why not surprise them with one of these lavish ideas for the company Christmas party?

Rent a Museum or Art Gallery

If you are looking for a sophisticated and stunning setting for your next Christmas party, consider renting a museum or art gallery of the evening. Many of them have stunning, one-of-a-kind spaces they are willing to rent for parties and other gatherings at incredibly reasonable rates.

Rent a Boat

Harbor lights are gorgeous over Christmas and if you live in a place close enough to enjoy them, consider renting a boat for your next party and share the wonder.

This lavish idea for the company party is great for sharing time in a completely relaxed atmosphere while rejuvenating company spirit.

Country Club Party

There is just something so refreshing about putting on your finest and enjoying an evening completely away from work—even if it happens to be with workmates!

A country club is a wonderful setting for the perfect company party because it is already set up for luxury entertaining. In fact, most of the work is already done for you so you can concentrate on making sure guests have a wonderful time.

Casino Royale Party

A Casino Royale party gives your guests the perfect opportunity to dress to kill while enjoying an extravagant experience, a la red carpet and martini glasses.

Focus on Food

foodAnother lavish idea for the company Christmas party is to follow the foodie trend. Great food is an important part of any party, and many successful parties make it the highlight and part of the entertainment.

Find a celebrity or popular chef in your area and work with them to develop ideas. You can even hire two chefs and have a meal that is a Top Chef Duel style!

Industry pros all echo the sentiment that holiday parties are not just a courtesy, but an essential part of building a successful company culture. With these ideas for a lavish company parties, you do not have to spend a fortune to make a huge impression on your guests.

November 18, 2014

5 Out of the Box Ideas for Your Company Christmas Party

Filed under: Christmas & Holiday Party Tips — Tags: , — PDWriter @ 2:19 pm

Formal dinners and cocktail parties are great, but they are not for everyone. If the traditional company Christmas party just doesn’t fit your company culture, it may be time to think out of the box.

Celebrating the holidays can be even more fun and memorable when you mix in a bit of the nontraditional and even a little wacky into the festivities.

Unique ideas for the company Christmas party:

Joy

Host a Murder Mystery Party

Murder mystery parties are always enough to pique interest, but add in elements of Christmas and you have a winning theme! You can make it as serious or as silly as you desire and even have sub themes, like CSI, Monk, or Psych.

Christmas Karaoke

For an office Christmas party full of laughs and plenty of YouTube ops, try a Christmas carol karaoke party. Select the season’s best jams and get let the festivities (and the hilarity ensue).

Campfire Christmas

party-hatNothing brings a group together like a campfire, so why not set up camp and celebrate?  The theme lends itself to less fussy foods and an outrageously great time. You can even set up tents for those who might want (or need) to sleep overnight.

A Christmas Story

Center your Christmas party theme around one of the most beloved Christmas movies of all time, A Christmas Story.  Set in the 1940’s the movie theme elevates traditional ideas and makes them even more meaningful and nostalgic.  Don’t forget the leg lamp.

Speak Easy

Give your party a feeling of being forbidden with an underground or speak easy theme. Choose a secret location, give guests a necessary code word for entrance, and keep the lights low and the party seductively elegant. You can even have a “copper” break up the party and uncover contraband—cool employee gifts!

Now, with our unique ideas for the company Christmas party, you will want to get the Christmas party invitations out early and get set for an awesome time!

November 14, 2014

6 Free Santa Letter Templates from PaperDirect

Filed under: Office Fun — Tags: , , , — PDWriter @ 2:45 pm

We are excited to present 6 free Santa letter templates for penning your message to the big guy in time for Christmas.

Writing a letter to Santa has been a tradition in America for over a hundred years. Whether you decide to use these templates for your school classroom or just print one out for your kids at home, we hope your kids get the response (and presents) they want this year.

Santa Letter Template #1:

Santa Letter 1

Santa Letter Template #2:

Santa Letter 2

Santa Letter Template #3:

Santa Letter 3

Santa Letter Template #4

Santa letter 4

Santa Letter Template #5

Santa Letter 5

Santa Letter Template #6

Santa Letter 6

Whether your child is just learning to write or can fully scribe a letter, we’ve got a template for them. Simply click the image of the template you like to be taken to the print page.

Where should you send your child’s Santa letter? The United States Postal Service has a yearly Santa program you can check out here.

Be sure to view our other elegant holiday border papers. These are great for Santa letter writing, Christmas invitations, or anything else you can think of! Merry Christmas from PaperDirect.

ROI On Sending Christmas Cards

Filed under: Designing Your Business Communication — Tags: — PDWriter @ 2:11 pm

Holiday Greeting Cards by PaperDirectThe e-revolution has changed quite a few things in the business world. One of them is the reliance on ecards in the place of hard copy greeting in the small business world. Some argue the ecard value by saying they are free and fast, and you can send out as many as you want instantly. Now that e-greetings have become as commonplace as an advertisement (and deleted just as often and just as frequently), businesses have found the true value in sending Christmas cards to their customer and contact base.

As a small business owner, there are some really good reasons to make sending Christmas cards part of your overall marketing strategy, and here’s why.

Personal Touches Trump All

In an age where consumers heavily rely on the internet to conduct business and communicate, greeting cards stand out as something deeply personal. Customers understand the time it takes to write a short greeting and send cards and that effort truly stands out.

Demonstrates You Value the Relationship

Just like everyone else, customers like to be valued, not just sold. A physical Christmas card and small note says that you remember them and realize that every business depends on each individual customer. It shows you value the customer enough that you invested personal effort on their behalf.

Real Cards Invite them Into Your World

Personal cards make the occasion feel special, and invite the customer into your world as a welcomed guest. That feeling of being valued translates into a deeper customer relationship where the customers feel personally invested in your product or services.

Gains Attention and Recognition

During the holiday season, consumers are swamped with business promotions aimed at getting people through the door. With so many choices how do consumers decide? They go with the one that comes to mind first as being most valuable to them, not necessarily the business with the best sales. When you take time to recognize your customer and client base, they take notice.

Meets Expectations

No matter the business, customers expect to valued, important, and recognized beyond the simple “hello” when they are conducting a transaction. Sending Christmas cards meets the client expectation of mattering outside of the value they bring to your business.

Builds Loyalty

Holiday Greeting Cards by PaperDirectCustomers want to connect with a business that they can call their own and recommend to friends and family. Sending a personal greeting goes a long way in building loyalty among your client base that lasts all year long.

While it fell out of vogue for a short time, sending Christmas cards is back and adding more value than ever to the small business. Be sure to check out Paper Direct’s line of beautiful cards, all perfect for adding that personal touch to your holiday marketing.

November 11, 2014

Small Business Tip #6 – Promotion Ideas

Filed under: Marketing & Sales Promotion Techniques — Tags: — PDWriter @ 9:30 am

Santa Vinyl Banner

Christmas candy displays line supermarket aisles while tinsel and twinkle lights dominate craft and hobby stores.

So, what are you waiting for?

Now is the time to start promoting your holiday specials, sales and services.

Most retailers launch holiday promotions in October or November — some even earlier. So grab the calendar and start mapping out your methods of spreading holiday cheer.

Here’s a few things to pencil in the coming days:

1. Design, write and schedule holiday-related social media posts and emails. 

You can do this right on the Facebook page. This way, you won’t forget to amplify your next promotion- just be sure to check your page periodically for comments and user-generated content.

Facebook scheduling

2. Order holiday giveaway items for customers and seasonal signage for the store. 

Having a promotion next week? Order a vinyl banner to hang in your window. This will grab driver’s attentions and encourage them to stop in.
3. Schedule holiday advertising online, radio, television and in print media.

Find out where your audience is then go there! Whether it be online, radio or print media, get in front of your audience.
4. Design bag stuffers to use in-store and postcard mailers for online customers.

postcards

In all sales leading up to Christmas, show a little love with some simple bag stuffers or postcards. Design and print a holiday message or coupon offer and slip it in their bag. when they get home and revel over their newly bought items, they’ll see the offer and be more apt to make a return visit. All for the cost of postcards.

5. And of course, don’t forget to order a few goodies for your hard-working employees who help make the holiday season a success.

week6-onThis week enjoy 20% off employee gifts including custom designed coffee mugs, mouse pads, memo pads and so much more.

Enter code WCRT1014B at checkout to get this limited-time offer.

View our entire guide to holiday promotions here.

 

November 10, 2014

Christmas Party Planning Tip #6 – The Drinks

Filed under: Christmas & Holiday Party Tips — Tags: , — PDWriter @ 4:23 pm

The drinks

Celebrate the holidays, but do it safely! Since most Christmas parties include alcoholic beverages, have an action plan in place to keep employees out of harm’s way.

Things to Consider:

  1. Use drink tickets. Give each guest a set number of complimentary drinks via a ticket system to limit them to two or three beverages. If they want more, they will need to pay (which helps keep your budget in line) and make their own personal decision if they can handle more alcohol.

  2. Schedule a taxi service. Arrange a pick-up service with a few local taxi companies. Let guests know that taxis will be parked outside the party at a specific time to help them get home safely. If the budget allows, make this a complimentary service to all employees.

  3. Offer festive alternatives. Not all guests will want to sip the bubbly. Have the bartender whip up a virgin mocktail with fruit juices and soda for party guests who wish to abstain from drinking but want to carry around a colorful drink.

  4. Have a “Drink of the Night.” Let it either be thematic to your company or festive to Christmas and the holidays. For example, offer a Gingerbread Apple Christmas Cocktail. Recipe here:
  • 2 ounces of ginger liquor
  • 1 ounce of vanilla vodka
  • 2 1/2 ounces of Apple Cider
  • Twist of Lemon
  • Agave Syrup
  • Orange Zest

Or one of our other favorites the Christmas Cookie Shot. Recipe here:

  • 1 oz peppermint schnapps
  • 1 oz Kahlua® coffee liqueur
  • 1 oz Bailey’s® Irish cream

Keep the party lively by presenting each employee with a small keepsake gift as they enter the party. Try tucking drink tickets inside a water bottle or tote bag.

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