Celebrating New Year’s Eve at the Office

Celebrating New Year’s Eve at the office may be the biggest oxymoron going. Let’s face it, New Year’s Eve is all about partying and celebrating and being at the office working is well… not. But if you are stuck at work on this celebratory holiday, make the best of it and celebrate office style:

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Break out the sparkling cider. Personally, I’ll take it straight from the bottle but it does look nice and pretty in a champagne flute, even if you only score the plastic ones.

Have some fun appetizers. New Year’s Eve is all about hors d’oeuvres. Ask your co-workers to make something at home to bring in or if you are really stuck grabbing something at the office, make the best of the tuna salad and crackers from the vending machine, yikes!

Make your own New Year’s Eve falling ball and decorate your desk like Times Square so you can count down like Ryan Seacrest. Here are several ways to do it: http://www.ehow.com/info_12196863_make-new-years-eve-falling-ball.html Bonus: once constructed, you can use the same ball for all those disco parties you’ll have in the future.

Kiss your co-worker! Everyone needs some to kiss someone when the new year rings in, right? On second thought, let’s scratch that. Face time or Skype your spouse or significant other to wish them a Happy New Year and tell them how much you miss him/her. Of course, if you don’t miss him/her and would just rather be at work anyway, you may have bigger problems to tackle.

Either way, you’ll have fun however you celebrate but let’s hope the boss appreciates you working on this holiday and gives you a day off soon! Happy New Year!

Company Christmas Cards – To Sign or Not to Sign

If you have a staff of more than a few people does it make sense to pass each and every company Christmas card for signing? Well, the answer is yes…and no.

Wintergreen Christmas Card
Wintergreen Christmas Card – Design A8RJS

My husband, upon hearing this, would immediately accuse me of being deliberately obtuse. I am hedging my bets a bit but hear me out. There is usually logic, granted sometimes, hidden and a bit hard to find. It lurks in a dark recesses of my over burned brain. It can usually be found under thought about that pile of unopened mail on my kitchen table and whisper of a memory of when I was a care free youth. Ahh…but I digress. Something else I am often accused. Guilty as charged. Now back to the matter at hand.

Ok, cards should be hand signed always (unless you opt for a signature plate to be made) if you are the main act in the service industry. What do I mean by this? I mean that if you are say an insurance or financial agent and you service customer accounts and you want them to go straight to you for your insurance and financial needs then by all means, sign the Christmas cards. That personal touch goes a long way. Now there are also time when you want staff to also put their John Hancock in the sparkly pretty thing you just spent hard earned cash on to keep your name in front of your client or even patient. Say you are a dentist, doctor or lawyer. Let’s face it you staff is a key ingredient in your success and may spend more time interacting on a regular basis with your client or patient then even you do. So in this case I recommend they take the time to sign. You’d be surprised how people notice this and appreciate the time it takes.

When should you not bother to have employees sign? Well let’s face it, it takes some time and effort and if you are late in ordering and Christmas is just around the corner, I suggest the owner, manager etc sign only. Or, if you have an unusually large staff and the task become impractical. Another reason is if your work environment is messy or risks getting cards dirty etc. then it is best to leave them clean and unsigned.

I hope this helps in guiding you on who should sign your company Christmas cards. Now go find a good felt tip pen and have at it!

Christmas Cards for Your Financial Firm

My husband has been in the Financial Industry for over 30 years. He has worked for major firms in both New York and New Jersey. Ten years ago he, along with three other colleagues, started their own firm. Every year since, he has sent out Christmas cards to all of his clients to spread some holiday cheer and well wishes and to also show his appreciation for their continued business.

Jingle Bells Christmas Card
Jingle Bells Christmas Card – Design 57IJS

He has found that at The Gallery Collection there are many Christmas cards for your Financial Firm to choose from. The cards are a bright and fun way to celebrate the holiday season, and they are a nice change from the usually serious nature of their business. His clients seem to really appreciate getting the Christmas cards and each year they tell him how beautiful the cards are. You expect cards from your friends and family but not from your financial consultant. It is a nice gesture that people will definitely remember.

Gallery Collection Scholarship Contest – Seventh Round Winners

 

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Congratulations to the winners from the Seventh Round of voting in the Gallery Collection Scholarship Contest!

10 Designs moved on to the finalist round as a result of them finishing in the top 10 in voting, plus, our scholarship team also used our 1 save available to us on the photo submitted by Emily Mckenna. A beautiful scene of a cardinal sitting on snow covered branches.

Check out the top 10 vote getters and the saved design that are moving onto the finalist round in the gallery below.

Business Holiday Cards from a Catalog

Looking through the piles of greeting card catalogs I receive for the upcoming holiday season I noticed something unusual. Most of the catalogs are featuring the same card; not a similar card but the exact design. Each catalog has a different company name so I thought maybe an artist was selling their designs over and over. Don’t know the answer but I must say it gets boring to see the same thing; I wanted to find a greeting card company that could come up with unique cards that would make my company look different from the rest.
 

Holiday Ribbon and Stars Card
Holiday Ribbon and Stars Card – Design H2MCX

My wish was granted when I received a catalog from the Gallery Collection, there were no knock offs, nothing similar to another company’s look; each design was one of a kind and gorgeous. I want my Business holiday cards to represent us as a business with class and style; choosing the right card can do just that. There is nothing worse than send a flimsy card in a cheap looking envelope. I was very pleased with my Gallery Collection card and the customer service was excellent. I would recommend Gallery Collection to anyone that wants quality with distinctive designs focused on business because they know what they are doing.

Christmas Cards That are Perfect for Doctors

I always send my Doctor and his staff a Christmas card. After all I trust him with my life! I know I can talk to him about anything. I gossip with his staff; who’s having a baby, where did you go for vacation? We’re not close friends, but we are friendly.

Health and Happiness Christmas Card
Health and Happiness Christmas Card – Design 55JJW

The past few years he has been sending Christmas cards for Doctors to some of his patients; I am on his list. He sends these beautiful cards by The Gallery Collection specifically designed for the medical field. The one that catches my eye is Health and Happiness Christmas card. It is so cute! In the center is a red plaid apple! The saying on the front of the card reads, “Peace, Happiness & Good Health.” At the bottom the doctor’s or the practice name can be printed. It is such a sweet card that everyone would enjoy receiving from his doctor. And we all know, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away!”

There is also a card with a stethoscope on the front. It has red and white stripes like a candy cane! Candy Stripe Christmas Card is light, whimsical and fun!The background of light blue with dark blue lettering adds a bit of holiday flavor. It reads, “Happiest Holidays and wishes for a healthy new year.”

The doctors’ who send either of these card designs to their patients and colleagues will show their kind warm hearts and holiday spirit!

Christmas Cards for Your Construction Company

If you want Christmas cards for your Construction Company you’ve come to the right place. I’ve ordered holiday cards for my husband’s construction company from Gallery Collection for years and have always been more than satisfied. We’ve had tons of compliments on them and it’s been pretty effortless to come back and order each year. They keep track of our previous orders so we don’t repeat ourselves and the quality and service have been consistently excellent. These cards are well worth the cost.

 

Circular Greetings Holiday Card
Circular Greetings Holiday Card – Design A6UJS

I was really excited when I looked online and found they have 54 designs specifically for the Constuction industry. They’re varied and there’s lots of excellent choices for the greeting inside. We can add our company name to the front of the card – something new for us and great for name recognition – and I can see what the card will look like on their website before ordering.

We’ve had such success staying in touch with previous customers with our Christmas cards and have gotten quite a few referrals out of it. I try to order early in the year to get the best discounts and then I over order so there are always extra cards available in the fall for mailing to new contacts – all potential customers!

There’s even a few cards where you can add a photo of the crew or a completed job you’re really proud of. It was surprisingly easy to upload a photo and preview several different cards. My husband liked having so many cards to pick from especially since they were all geared to his business. He considers it part of his advertising budget and thinks the cards are well worth the time and money to send. We’re sure they’ve been part of our building a successful business.

Greeting Card Highlight – New Year’s Cards

No matter how hard I try or early I start, I never seem to get my holiday cards in the mail in time for Christmas. So this year I am giving in to my procrastination and sending out New Year’s Cards! One slight problem- I cannot decide which design to use because I seem to have 5 favorites. And best of all, these designs are all customizable with your own personal information on the front and inside in an array of endless fonts, sizes and colors of text!

Dated Wreath New Year's Card
Dated Wreath New Year’s Card – Design 58WJS

Colorful New Year Holiday Card (A4CJS)- The bright colorful letters on a royal blue background littered with confetti is a fun card to look at. And what is more fun than bringing in a New Year with friends and family?

Dated Wreath New Year’s Card (58WJS)- The numbers 2015 are highlighted with a red and green holiday wreath depicting the zero. Set on a black background, this card looks very classy for bringing in the New Year in style and still alludes to the holiday season with the colorful wreath.

Bubbly Holiday Card (A3PJS)- The 4 fluted champagne glasses each contain a numeral for 2015. The cocktails look deliciously whimsical filled with intriguing drinks set against a polka dot night sky. Get together with 4 friends and enjoy!

Cheers to You Holiday Card (A3ZJS)- The yellow, blue and red polka dots on a white background bring back fond memories of early childhood. These colors remind me of my favorite doughy white Wonder Bread -when whole grains, flax seed and fiber were not important. Life and food choices were so simple in those good old days…

Prosperous New Year’s Card (A1AJS)- Watching the year 2014 slowly roll over to 2015 on this design is reminiscent of watching the second hand on the clock slowly tick off the last 30 seconds before midnight or watching the ball slowly drop in Times Square.

Christmas Party Ideas That Are Work Appropriate

Everyone loves the company Christmas party. However, office parties aren’t what they used to be thanks to the recession, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be fun.

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So, a great idea would be to have a holiday party during working hours. Serve a nice buffet with a variety of food so everyone is happy; no alcohol should be served. Get the entire company involved in choosing the theme and cuisine; send emails asking for votes, make the emails light hearted so no one is offended if you don’t take their suggestion. Now that you saved money on a location you can splurge on decorations, make the office festive, and get some great door prizes!

Assign a photographer or two to take candids during the party and make sure you post them afterwards. Don’t make it a job, find someone who enjoys taking pictures! Set up some board games around the office on game tables with folding chairs, nothing fancy. Games like Pictionary and Trivial Pursuit are great for teams! Give prizes that have nothing to do with job performance or achievement. For instance:

  • The person that complained about the heat the most
  • The person who had the best suggestion in the suggestion box
  • The person that brings the best smelling lunches

When the holidays are over send another email thanking everyone for attending and asking all of the employees their opinion – good or bad – so that next year you can pull off another successful office Christmas party.