Holiday Party

I love this idea. Joe Squared at the Power Plant is throwing a 'shared holiday party' on Dec. 10, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. So, let's say you have an office group that wants to get together for the holidays -- but no one wants to do the planning. Or, maybe your company isn't kicking up the cash for a big party. Either way, this would be just the thing. And if you don't like each other all that much, there will be other groups of potentially cooler people to interact with. You can come with friends, family or whomever you want.

Sullivan's is throwing a "Naughty and Nice Party'" holiday event on Friday night, and it has all the makings of a Jack Lemmon movie. The Jon Birkholz Band will play festive holiday music in the "Naughty Lounge," and two custom cocktails -- the Naughty "Other Mrs. Claus and the Nice "Santa's Little Helper" -- have been created just for the party. Drinks and appetizers will be available for $6 each, and guests can contribute an unwrapped toy or nonperishable food item to a charitiable donation drive.

Sullivan's is throwing a "Naughty and Nice Party'" holiday event on Friday night, and it has all the makings of a Jack Lemmon movie. The Jon Birkholz Band will play festive holiday music in the "Naughty Lounge," and two custom cocktails -- the Naughty "Other Mrs. Claus and the Nice "Santa's Little Helper" -- have been created just for the party. Drinks and appetizers will be available for $6 each, and guests can contribute an unwrapped toy or nonperishable food item to a charitiable donation drive.

"Fifty Shades" the S&M series that became a surprising runaway best-seller this year, has paid off in a big way for workers at a Random House distribution center outside Baltimore. As noted in this article in the Baltimore Sun, each of the 800 workers -- from supervisors to secretaries -- will receive a $5,000 bonus, a company official announced at the Westminster center's holiday party. Company CEO Markus Dohle said that E. L. James' trilogy -- "Fifty Shades of Grey," "50 Shades Darker" and "50 Shades Freed" -- was a major factor in the company's success this year.

After several months recuperating from a bad fall, which in turn generated other health problems, it is a pleasure to once again report on our neighborhood events. While still not out of the woods, I am so very grateful for all the beautiful, compassionate, cards, messages, flowers and delicious treats from kind-hearted friends and neighbors. Guilford is a truly amazing community! Following the beautiful days of October, November has arrived with more sunny skies, albeit a touch cooler temperatures.

Celebrating the holidays with family and friends is a deepl rooted tradition -- and one that doesn't have to break the bank.Who can argue that a sumptuous dinner party is not an elegant way to entertain? But those on a limited budget need to think of alternatives.The time of the party has a bearing on expenses. Gatherings that span mealtimes, whether brunch, lunch or dinner, demand more substantial menus. But if you choose off-hours -- afternoon or early evening, for example -- simpler fare will suffice.

Surrounded by more than 50 dancers, Steven Beerman, 55, grooved with his sister, Lisa Singer, to Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" last night in a large ballroom in Martin's West. The song took on special meaning for the siblings this year because Beerman, who has a severe form of mental retardation, has missed the annual Chimes and Intervals holiday party the past two years because of an illness that has required him to use a feeding tube. This year, he was able to eat pureed roast beef, mashed potatoes and vegetables at the party, which organizers say is the state's biggest for people with disabilities.

LIKE MANY PEOPLE, I love this time of year. Although it's bustling with lots of traditional family and community activities, it's the goodwill we show each other that makes this season special to me.The staff and residents at Sykesville Eldercare Center showed their giving spirit yesterday with a holiday party for area children.About 50 disadvantaged children were treated to a festive party in the center's social hall. The children, ages 3 to 12, enjoyed light refreshments, songs and games with the residents and staff.

Nan Rosenthal loves to be creative with her style. In her work as an event coordinator and public relations consultant for nonprofit organizations, she must stay professional. The 72-year-old Pikesville resident looked stylishly put-together when we "Glimpsed" her at a holiday party thrown by Sascha Wolhandler and Steve Suser. "I usually wear something fun - a pin or some kind of accessory, something that brings some personality [to the outfit]. ... It makes me feel better, and it creates conversation, too."

There was little question what the star of the show was at the 12th annual holiday party hosted by AT&T's Candi Humphrey and her husband David, WLIF's news director. It was a 14-foot Christmas tree adorned with about 800 lights which absolutely dazzled guests.One of my favorite priests was at the party, Loyola High School's Father Joseph McNamara, who's best known in the sports world as the former Champlain of the Baltimore Colts.It was also good to see Bill and Mary Zorzi, he's a the AAA vice president; Ron Matz, WCAO news director, with Barbara Harman at his side; Bob Moke, WLIF's program director who is credited with the station's successful format change; Bob Caret, vice president and provost at Towson State University; Mac and Leigh Barrett, he's with McCormick; Peter Troup and his wife Lynne, he's a Noxell vice president; Steven Thomas, an attorney, and his wife Audrey, who owns Sassafras at Towsontowne Center; WLIF's Sloane Brown and her doctor husband Steve Sobelman; AT&T's Bill Dunbar and his wife Patty, along with AT&T's Barbara Fegley, who was with Winston Blenckstone -- he was telling me about his Toronto Blue Jay farm team which plays in Myrtle Beach.

It's holiday party time. The Oregon Grille in Hunt Valley sent along some information about their rentals and party menus. We were going to package them up with information about facility rentals at other restaurants, but we never did.  So, instead, we've opened up a thread on the Baltimore Diner Facebook page. If you know of a good setup for holiday parties, tell us about it, even if it's yours. The Oregon Grille told us that their facilities include the Golf Room, which holds up to 12 guests, The Patriot Room (15)

Toys for Tots New, unwrapped toys can be dropped off from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily through Dec. 21 at Anne Arundel Community College's Central Services Building on the Arnold campus, 101 College Parkway. Toys may also be dropped off from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily at the security desks in the front lobbies of AACC's facilities at the Glen Burnie Town Center, 101 Crain Highway North, and Arundel Mills, 7009 Arundel Mills Circle in Hanover. Information: 410-777-2729. Baysox holiday party The Bowie Baysox host a free holiday party from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 12, at Prince George's Stadium, 4101 Crain Highway in Bowie.

It's holiday party time. It can be a drag, especially if you're the one planning it for your office gang. For restaurants, holiday party rentals provide a welcome, sometimes vital source of income. I'll be telling you about options in a coming column, and on the Baltimore Diner blog, but this option got my attention. On Dec. 10, Joe Squared at the Power Plant is throwing a "shared holiday party. " So let's say you have an office group that wants to get together for the holidays - but no one wants to do the planning.

Ted Frankel and Bill Gilmore It would be difficult for even the smartest holiday decorations to compete with the artwork that fills every corner of Ted Frankel's North Calvert Street four-story brownstone. So he and his partner, Bill Gilmore, don't even try. "This house is so complicated and busy, there really wouldn't be any point," says Frankel, who owns Sideshow, the gift shop at the American Visionary Art Museum . "The guests. That's what we decorate with," he says.

The exterior of the Anne Arundel County home of Mark Rucci and his partner, Randall Franklin, provides few clues to the storybook world visitors will find inside. At street level, a Victorian wrought-iron gate stands between two large urns containing trimmed topiary. While the gate opens to the front walk, its placement and its arched carving are purely an ornamental touch — there is no fencing to keep people from the yard. At the end of the walk, four artificial pink trees sit on pedestals in front of the bi-level home with its light yellow siding and vivid, cadet blue shutters on each window.

Among the Orioles attending the annual children's holiday party at Dave & Buster's at the Arundel Mills Mall on Tuesday was second baseman Brian Roberts, who is attempting to come back from a concussion that limited him to just 39 games in 2011. “I'm just going day by day trying to do a little more,” said Roberts, who first suffered the concussion in September 2010, when he tapped himself on the helmet with a bat after an at-bat. “Just taking it slow and trying to get better every day. That's about all I can tell you, really.” Although he said this fall that he was pain-free for two consecutive weeks for the first time since the original incident, Roberts wasn't as forthcoming about his health on Tuesday, saying he was “feeling OK, I'm feeling fine.” He didn't want to put on a timetable on his recovery or make predictions on when he would be back to 100 percent.

Sitting in the kitchen, absent-mindedly decapitating gingerbread men, we tried to find sense in the madness that surrounded us."First it was multicolored chasing lights around the garage. Last year it was twinkling lights in clear plastic tubes shaped like Santa and his reindeer," she said softly. "This year? I'm not sure, but it appears to require several singing puppet-like creatures."I winced, anticipating my neighbor's yard occupied by harmonizing mannequins.Our spouses were getting out of hand.

Some workplaces hope to shake off the economic doldrums this year with holiday affairs for their employees. But few are going to party like it's 2007. IMRE, a Baltimore advertising and marketing firm, struck a balance between the extravagant pre-recession bash and the quieter affairs of recent years, with a night out to dinner for employees at Power Plant Live last week. Employees at Devaney & Associates, a Towson public relations company, will get a night out for a holiday dinner this week and a day trip to a Hunt Valley spa for facials, manicures and massages.