Over the past few weeks, t he Daily News has featured articles on office holiday celebrations from different points of view. This time of year, many companies host parties in restaurants, hotel ballrooms, or the boss' house. If you have ever hosted or attended one of these events, you know it can be fun or a disaster. As a manager in food service, I know how much planning goes into putting "the party" together. I have also come to understand that when a hospital decides to thank their employees for a job well done or celebrate the holidays with food, the kitchen staff is forgotten. Think of it this way: next Mother's Day, take mom to the kitchen and ask her to cook breakfast or lunch, then sit her at the table to enjoy. As she bits into the meal, let her know how much you appreciate her for all she does. Not much of a thank you, is it?

Well, the unsung heroes of most hospitals are the men and women who work in the kitchen preparing the celebration or holiday meals. After all, everyone tends to show up for the "free" meal; meanwhile, the kitchen staff is exhausted from cooking more meals than usual. So it was after the Northridge earthquake when Richard Gold (then CEO of the now defunct Granada Hills Community Hospital) asked how a "thank you" celebration could be planned without using the hospital's food service staff (many of whom worked long hours in the days after the quake). My staff had the answer: they would do the party if they could go out to a restaurant for their celebration. A new tradition was born. Since 1994, the annual question has been: "Where are we going to eat this Christmas?"

This year's party planning began several months ago when my staff approached me and requested to have the event at work - City of Hope. Maricel Symes, Patient Services Manager for food service, worked with Sam Miller, Environmental Services (ES) GM, to book City of Hope's Cooper Auditorium. At some point, ES asked if the party could be a combined celebration with ES and Food & Nutrition Services (FANS) as both departments were contracted services from Sodexho(the world's largest contract management company). Enrique Pacheco, FANS lead, pulled a group together and planned the menu, decorations, raffle prizes, and music (Miller connected us with the DJ).

Everything came together Friday night as 130 employees and their guests began arriving at Cooper Auditorium. The room was beautifully decorated with the assistance of Silvia Villa (FANS retail manager), Sandy Castro (catering supervisor), and FANS employees Susanna Rodriguez, Rosa Morataya, Luz Reyes, and Jennifer Rodriquez. The DJ, Sherad Willis, set up his equipment and soon the sounds of the season filled the room. The committee chose Party Tacos More as the caterer with a menu of great soft tacos (including my favorite - lengua). The evening also included a raffle of 25 door prizes. During the evening, Sam Miller and I passed out Christmas gifts to our respective staff and wished everyone the best for the New Year. All in all, the event went well and everyone had a great time.

Company parties have their pros and cons. I have attended parties where too much alcohol led to office stories and rumors for the next several weeks; an L.A. celebration where secretaries were pulling belts off of male bosses; and even one event where the company's vendors were in the adjoining hotel ballroom (this led to a lot of party jumping on both sides). The main thing to remember about the annual office party is to put it in perspective: it's about the people. I constantly tell my staff that I don't do the work, they do. My job is to steer the ship on the path of success and drive my management team crazy. So in the spirit of craziness, next year I think we will go back to partying at a restaurant so I can enjoy the party and get home before midnight.

I am interested in your view of the Office Party. Please let me know if you think they are a good thing or your worst nightmare by writing a comment on my blog. Better yet, why not start posting your own story or blog at valleynews.com?

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year