A Holiday Party

Friday night, I hosted a dozen friends at my third annual holiday party.

This year, along with the usual spread of cold hors d’oeuvres, I brought in White Castle sliders and pigs in a blanket. Hot comfort food goes a long way when the mercury drops -- even my trainer Crystal was all for the caloric indulgence.

Celebrating The Season: (from left) Cindy, Rachel, me and Jason

Travel was one of the hot topics of conversation. Galpal Cindy and hubby Jason filled me in on their upcoming trip to Costa Rica, while my friend Prince shared his plans to visit Tanzania after the new year. My 2010 travel resolution -- see more of the U.S., especially cities with a happening singles scene.

Fellow dating blogger Lost Plum and I talked about mining the past for material during present romantic droughts, and she also told me about the stalker who wants consent to use her likeness in his upcoming book. Only in New York.

Toward the night’s end, pals Andrea, Rachel and I settled in for some kvetching about singlehood in NYC.

As we shared stories and a few laughs, I was reminded of how lucky I am to have such great friends -- friends who make the holiday season something to celebrate.

What's your favorite part of this time of year?

Singles Event Pick: Contacts & Cocktails Holiday Party

When it comes to hosting first-class events with young professionals, nobody does it better than Contacts & Cocktails. Which is why I was excited to hear about the group’s Third Annual Holiday Party.

Scheduled for Tuesday, December 15th, the event will feature complimentary peppermint martinis from 6-7pm, and live jazz from 630-930pm.

Admission is free. Advance registration and business cards are required. To RSVP, click here.

A Holiday Soirée

One of my favorite things about this time of year is sharing it with good friends. Friday night, I had about 15 of my closest compadres over for a little holiday soirée.

All Decked Out: A bevy of candles added a nice touch to my Christmas decor

While enjoying cocktails (white wine and vodka mixers) and assorted snacks (mini chocolate cupcakes, chips and dip and a cheese platter), I caught up on everyone’s news.

Editor/tango dancer/diva extraordinaire Heidi mentioned her new weekly gig as a vocalist with the Steve Marshall Band at Mr. Biggs Bar & Grill. Fellow PR maven and blogger Lyla introduced me to her delightful husband David, and filled me in on their interfaith holiday festivities (she’s Jewish, he’s Catholic). And travel writer Amanda told me about the progress she’s making with her upcoming book, The Lost Girls, and plans to spend Christmas with her boyfriend in his Kansas hometown.

That’s What Friends Are For: Celebrating the season with Amanda and Jonathan, good buddies since we all went to Barbados on a press trip back in ‘05.

The only downside of the evening -- my eternal worry as a hostess that there was enough food and drink. I invariably tend to overcompensate, putting out a bigger spread than necessary (and somehow managing to get a post-party refund from the supermarket when I return liters of soda and bags of chips).

Once again, there was plenty left over. This time though, I didn’t mind. I knew my friends were too busy having fun to overindulge.

As the party winded down around 1am, my dear friend Tiffany stayed behind to help me clean up, and talk about our plans for Christmas Day. Let the seasonal merrymaking continue!

Celebrating The Season With My Colleagues

Thursday night, I attended Quinn & Company’s delightful holiday party, held upstairs at Angus McIndoe’s, a cozy restaurant in the heart of NYC’s Theater District and just a few blocks up from our office.

As always, it was a treat to kick back after hours with my colleagues, a truly fun and spirited group of people. An added bonus was getting to see my good friend Morty, who left Q&C a few weeks ago to pursue his phD in psychology.

Pick Me Up: Morty’s arrival at Quinn & Co’s holiday soiree elicited big cheers and hugs all around

One of my favorite things about Quinn & Co’s holiday soiree is getting to know a little more about the people I share my work week with. I learned that real estate PR whiz Steve has an Aussie boyfriend and that fellow travel publicist Ashley is a master at crocheting.

The award for best anecdote of the night goes to the always affable Li, when he was reflecting on the consequences of working in an estrogen-heavy environment (35 of Quinn & Co’s 40 employees are female). He recently found himself spending time with Steve and real estate VP Greg -- at Saks Fifth Avenue.

Once we settled in our seats for a delicious three-course dinner (I chose the Caesar salad, lasagna and chocolate cream pie), our fabulous president Florence gave an inspiring speech about the challenges of this year and her confidence in the talent and creativity of everyone who works at Q&C.

Group Shot: Me and my travel colleagues. That's our president Florence (in purple) on the right, and behind me (in red) is Q&C partner Carla, the person responsible for me entering the blogosphere!

Following a few more speeches from the higher-ups, it was time for the annual tradition of Secret Santa. My boss John surprised me with London in a Bag building blocks and a greeting card cutout of the London skyline.

As John spoke about my passion for travel and for a handful of cities in particular (Sydney, Rome and Paris round out my top 5), I felt a surge of delight. Not only do I work for someone who knows me very well, I get to do my job in a place that allows me to follow my bliss every day. What a perfect gift to be reminded of at a company holiday party.

Holiday Shopping For Romance

This morning, for the umpteenth time, I saw a Christmas-themed “every kiss begins with Kay” jewelry ad. As I watched the canoodling TV couple, I couldn’t help thinking about real-life romance during the holiday season.

My good friend Tiffany believes this is the perfect time to be on the prowl. Between holiday soirees and other festive functions, she says, there’s no better season for scoping out the dating marketplace.

Tiffany's perspective gave me food for thought, as December has always found me either on a dating hiatus or ensconced in my romance du jour with Mr. Right For Now.

During past relationships, the holidays have generally fallen safely within the honeymoon period -- i.e., 4-7 months into dating someone. Having been like that kissing Kay’s couple (minus the surprise diamond) more than once, I’ve come to associate this time of year even more with nurturing established ties rather than forging new ones.

With my 35th birthday just five weeks away though, maybe it’s time to rethink the potential of Christmastime for surprises that have nothing to do with unwrapping gifts. After all, I’ve always believed that a new year brings with it new beginnings. Why not get a jump start on that by enjoying some holiday mingling?