Written by Melissa Bailey special to The Pensacola News Journal
Cocktails and appetizers are perfect for holiday parties. / Tony Giberson/tgiberson@pnj.com
I must say Christmas is my favorite holiday, from the decorations to the smell of a fresh-cut Christmas tree being decorated by the family. To me, the house just feels warmer and more welcoming with the scent of baked cookies and the glow from the fireplace as it crackles during dinner.
The best part about this holiday is that you can celebrate all month long. Between office holiday gatherings and gift exchanges with friends over wine and old black-and-white Christmas movies, there are several ways to celebrate the season. This week I would like to offer you a few ideas on how to celebrate with friends and co-workers throughout the month.
As you may know, I am in charge of holiday celebrations at the Fish House and Jackson’s Steakhouse. With the variety of rooms we provide and the types of events that I have planned and executed over the years, I’m inspired to share some of my best ideas with you. Whether you work in an office of 10 or 100, there are lots of different ideas to make your co-workers feel special.
If you are working in a small office, I suggest a low-key but entertaining sit-down dinner. Most of the law offices we cater to, for example, enjoy using the Bait Shop, a private dining room at the Fish House that accommodates anywhere from 10 to 20 people when hosting a holiday sit-down. When planning your office party, get with the chef and coordinator of the venue you’ve chosen to see that the menu is holiday-inspired. Most places, including ours, love to create custom menus for smaller groups. It is a great idea, depending on your budget, to do a wine pairing with each course. To make the night even more entertaining, have everyone bring a wrapped gift (under $20.00) and play Dirty Santa during the dessert course. This is a great game for smaller offices where all know each other pretty well.
If your workplace has more than a handful of employees, a cocktail and hors d’oeuvre party is just the ticket. This allows everyone to mingle in an “out of the office” setting and get to know each other better. You can even theme the party to make it more festive. I love the “ugly sweater” theme myself. Everybody wears the ugliest sweater they can find, which breaks the ice right away, generating immediate conversation.
Large events can be pricey; however, there is something you can do to save your pocketbook (or your boss’s if you are in charge of the planning). Instead of hosting an open bar, provide beer, wine and a signature drink. For example, a party I planned last year featured our house wine and beer, and we created a Cranberry Fusion Martini for the girls and a mixed drink called The Rudolph for the fellas. Both drinks were Christmas red and tasted like holiday cheer!
The time of day that you throw your party will determine the type of food you should order. If the party is, say, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., you can get away with five or six passed items, because your guests can have dinner on their own after the party. If, however, your party runs from 7 p.m. till 9 p.m., I suggest heavy appetizers with the addition of a few action stations — because the party is falling right smack into dinnertime. Fun action stations I just love are the “Grits à Ya Ya Bar” we do at the Fish House and the “Stir-fry Station” that Atlas, our sister restaurant, does for our large cocktail parties on the deck. These stations allow guests to customize what they want. All the seafood lovers and meat eaters are happy, having the choice of either/or at both stations!
If spending time with your co-workers isn’t your thing, no worries. Gather five or six or your closest friends and pick up a few bottles of vino. My girlfriends and I like to do cookie exchanges and take the delicious varieties home to our families. (Truth to tell, by “take them home to our families” I mean taking the cookies home and hiding them in a secret drawer.) All you need for a holiday “girls’ night in” is wine, cookies and conversation — but especially the wine.
Until next time, friends, Happy Holidays.
Tags: Fish House, Happy Hour, Melissa Bailey, Melissa Martin, party planning, Things to do
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Let well (enough) alone.
I just want to say that i have been looking forward to going to the fish house for a long time, since i saw it on the bizarre foods with andrew zimmern. where the chef met with andrew out on the pair and served him fried grouper throats and gazpacho salad made with hardtack that is made there.. We were in Florida and called to make reservations and the hostess said they don’t serve grouper throats or gazpahcho salad, it was just for the show. I am very very very very and did i mention very disappointed. We made our reservations elsewhere to say the least. I am very sad not to be able to taste fried grouper throats and gazpacho salad. Judy Evans