• by Kelly Samardak , December 22, 2008

MediaPost Holiday Happiness, 1140 Broadway, New York
December 19, 2008

Fa la la la laaaaaaa la la la LA! Mmm, this eggnog is good. The 151 in it is making me feel a little nutty and I'm definitely seeing visions of sugarplums dancing on my hard drive. I keed, I keed. But really kids, this is it. Can you remember a time when you felt such relief with a year being over? I feel safe acting like we all feel the same way based on party convos, tweets, and well... the news. I think the only time I've felt more relieved to end anything was when I was camping in the Finger Lakes and a tornado hit the campgrounds. The relief part was when it was over. I'm ending our year together, you crazy bunch of rabble rousers and peeping Toms (and Tanyas, I guess), with the MediaPost holiday party. It was just the remedy to clear the rash The Eldridge had given me the night before.

It began innocently enough. Megan Knapp, our Director, Conferences & Events, Elaine Wong, our Senior Manager- Conferences & Event, and Sergei Kogut, Grand Poobah of Membership Services, could be seen scurrying around feverishly with big fat smiles on their faces. I heard a massive rustling effort in the conference room and saw the garbage piling up next to my desk exponentially. Yes, I sit next to the garbage bay -- that area where a caveman steps out of the freight elevator and nabs the mound of bags for the dungeon. It's just as fun as it sounds. I was a bit of a grouch last Friday due partly to my annoying experience at The Eldridge and even more to the mental checkout I already had submitted. It was time to close up shop, and all I wanted to do was go home and fall into a coma, not have another party. My mood changed, however, when the IT smartypants corner of Ryan Nation, Ryan Loechner, and Mark Kecko and I started joking about the talent show portion of the evening.

Oh yes, that's right, MediaPost has talent. Mark Kecko, granddaddy of MP IT (Mpit?) recently had a baby -- not through the miracle of science, through his wife, so I suggested his talent should be baby-making. All joking aside, let's move to the conference room, shall we? I was carrying a tray of shrimp cocktail when I discovered our brightly lit corner of the holiday season. Tinkly lights and billowing bows adorned the ancient windows of our unique Broadway loft space. I am a firm believer that Christmas lights should remain up all year round. It's just pretty and soothing. Tucked in the corner with his guitar was Karl Greenberg, MediaPost wordsmith, constant biker, and musician. Nestled behind him with his beautiful violin was Sergei Kogut, MediaPost Renaissance Man (his title doesn't do him justice, the guy does EVERYTHING).

Because of Sergei and Karl, the festive conference room was enveloped in a beautiful cloud of strings. My eyes even got a little prickly; music does that to me. Phyllis Fine, Columns Editor, read a lovely piece she wrote that once appeared in the Chicago Tribune. Paul Arbor, President of Images.com, read an original piece as well. Amy Corr, Managing Editor, Online Newsletters, showcased her skills for popping bottles and Peggy Roalf, Editor at American Illustration and American Photography, and knitter extraordinaire, demonstrated how to knit a hole in a sweater -- with just a few hiccups deflected by the humor only a dysfunctional family can dole out. There was one standout, however, and it came in the form of Joe Mandese, Editor in Chief. Joe has inspired me in many ways, but at the holiday party, he inspired me to start working on my talent for next year. What did he do that was so amazing?

He rolled. Now, this sounds a little silly to some, maybe to all, and you can laugh and say "well, anyone can roll." You're wrong. No one. Can roll. Like Joe. Mandese. I don't think he even touched the ground.

Some displayed their talents for "Guitar Hero," with Simon Wong smoking Katie Pearl with his deedle-deedle skills. Lauren Honig tickled our eardrums with her DJ dabblings, while the rest of the crew competed to see could eat the most rolled sandwiches. The best part of the whole night was the constantly falling white stuff outside.

I don't want to get all emotional on you folks, but it's been a lot of pleasure with a few pokes of pain writing this column this year. It was something I fell into because the management believed I could do it. It's a labor of love beating up the night, discovering more and more of Manhattan media, offending some, confusing others, and hopefully entertaining most. I can't wait to see what 2009 brings, but either way, love me or hate me, I look forward to experiencing it all with you!

Happy holidays, Happy New Year, Kumbaya and all that hokey-pokey.

Funnel your 2009 party invitations to kelly@mediapost.com and let's get together, yeah yeah yeah!