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Despite the balmy weather in Boston today, I know that many of you have been planning outfits for your holiday parties. In the effort of being true Recessionistas, I know it is important to have an outfit with what I like to call "recyclable pieces"-that can make the smooth transition from the office to a classy party on a budget. Most of these items are available on the cheap at your local mall or online and the shoes were too good to pass up for a splurge. That's what Santa is for, right?

Today I'll give my top picks for a daytime outfit that will shine in the office, and check back on Friday for the Cinderella transformation for out on the town!


Black Sequined Cardigan (Old Navy, $29.50), Pants (Forever21, $24.80), Navigation Linen Ruffle V-Neck Tank (Jcrew, $39.99), Lace Triangle Scarf with Fringe (Urban Outfitters), Miu Miu Grey Suede Cap-Toe Bow Pumps (Bluefly, $408), Earrings and Headband (Forever21, $4.80), Merona Large Hobo Bag (Target)

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I hate to follow up yesterday’s post on job losses with another Debbie Downer topic, but last night at my company’s Q4 meeting we got the official news I’ve been dreading. Time to pack away my party dress I bought in August and forget my plans of sipping on company bought champagne: our holiday party has been cancelled.

I suppose I should be focusing on our CEO’s more optimistic announcements that we won't be having any lay-offs or pay cuts, but I’m giving myself one day to pout. I love Christmas and all the cheesy, over commercialized, over the top festivities that go along with it. So what better way to celebrate than to go all out on your office’s dime?

At least the news didn’t come as too much of a surprise, given the trend of a no frills holiday season for most offices and many families. Many NYC bashes have taken big hits, and I’m sure the cancellations in Boston will unfortunately soon follow.

Woman’s Wear Daily reported that Marc Jacob’s cancelled his annual masquerade holiday party, which had been scheduled for December 10th at the famed Rainbow Room in NYC with a "Rock and Roll Circus" theme. Marc Jacob’s holiday soiree is known for being an over the top event, W Magazine described the glamour of last year’s event:
“Masked revelers at Marc Jacob's annual holiday bash at Gotham Hall took the Venice Carnival theme to heart, partying as if the city of canals would be underwater by morning. Gondoliers hit up the champagne fountain, French poodles flirted with one another and women strapped on corsets so tight they could barely speak”.

Bank of America, American Express, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs are all cancelling or cutting down on the festivities too. The Estee Lauder annual Christmas party and the famed Conde Nast (publishers of The New Yorker, Vogue, Glamour and Vanity Fair) lunch at the Four Seasons are also not being scheduled. Viacom, whose parties are normally hosted by divisions such as MTV and Paramount Pictures, is opting for a more than fair trade. They’ll be getting two extra paid days off in lieu of the usual holiday party.

For those of us that have fallen into the hands of Scrooge, we are not alone. Challenger, Gray & Christmas, a global outplacement firm, found that 77 percent of companies are planning holiday office parties this year, down from 90 percent in 2007. The firm also found that one in five companies is scaling down its usual year end party.

In the spirit of the holiday season and giving, I suppose it wouldn’t be appropriate to fulfill my dreams of ice sculptures and gourmet hors d'oeuvres at Top of the Hub. I’ll make due with a more modest celebration and be happy that my office isn’t cutting any of its charitable giving. But I’m not returning my party dress yet, just in case ;)

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You can dispute whether or not we are in a true "recession", but it's undeniable that a lot of people are uneasy about the future of their jobs.

Just this morning when I was walking through Harvard Square, I passed by a few construction workers on their coffee break. I overhead one of them say "Yea I'd be better off investing in a Santa suit and walking around going 'ho! ho! ho!". The thought of him resorting to working at a mall and listening to some little kid's Christmas list did make me laugh, but I got to thinking, how many people are going to end up taking unusual jobs veering away from their original plans?

We all had our dream jobs for after college. Mine was to be a high-end public relations specialist, which really isn't that different than writing for a glamour magazine or planning couture fashion events or creating T.V. ads for exciting new products. They are all virtually unattainable in today's economy. A lucky few may end up at Elle, but for most of us we found a happy medium between something we like doing and something that pays the bills.

But don't fret if Nina Garcia isn't knocking on your door. Did you know that the average person changes careers (not jobs) an average of five times in their life? So if the industry you're in is in a slump (or if you just hate your job), there still may be hope for a promising career change in the future.

Boston.com featured a story last week entitled "Recession-proof? The economy's effect on hot jobs". They highlighted a number of jobs that The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicted would grow rapidly between 2006 and 2016. Despite recent troubles in the economy, they managed to come up with 15 careers that are "recession proof" (Santa suits aside). A few of note were Clinical, counseling, and school psychologists (your always going to have messed up kids) and clergy (more people praying to God to get them out of debt!).

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I looove holidays, and mostly for the food. These days you can usually even expect a good brunch out of Mother's and Father's day, but other "Hallmark holidays" are the worst.

"Hallmark holidays" ironically are not on my x list because of their over commercialization (I can appreciate a nice Christmas tree in Macy's in September) but rather because they do not usually involve food and because greeting cards now cost more than my morning coffee (and those crazy music ones can top out higher than dinner).

Today's official holiday might be Hallmark's most lame attempt, Boss's Day. Supposedly it is a day where we are supposed to thank our bosses for being kind and fair throughout the year.

So in case you forgot to pick up a greeting card on your way to work today, take a tip from Jeffrey Yamaguchi, who clearly shares my opinion of the ridiculousness of this "holiday"...

Here's a few of his realistic Hallmark card entries from his "What To Say To Your Boss On Boss Day" :

"Thanks for calling me during my vacation -- I knew something was missing, and when all that work stress flooded back into my core, I figured it out immediately."

"Thanks for using your expense account to buy our holiday gifts -- at least we got something decent this year."

"Thanks for 'working from home' so much."

"Thanks for 'running late' so often and causing our never-ending staff meetings to be cancelled."

"Thanks for dancing like that at the office party and even giving the thumbs up while I captured the whole thing on video with my cell phone."

"Thanks for always thinking of us. We've come to love and cherish the leftover danish from your meetings, given that that's about all we ever get. Happy Boss's Day!"

"Thanks for always keeping me in the loop. For example, I love how you come by my desk and tell me the coffee pot is empty, every damn time. Happy Boss's Day!"

"Thanks for always stepping in front and taking the lead. You really know how to take credit for everyone else's ideas and hard work. Happy Boss's Day!"

"Thanks for all your efforts. Such as the way you can just keep on talking about absolutely nothing and make those staff meetings drag on forever, to the point where everyone just wants to stab their own eyeballs out. Happy Boss's Day!"

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I'm an observational commuter. Occasionally on the T, I'll get into a book and politely keep my head down, but for the most part I'm a starer. Actually, I take advantage of the fact that most people are not starers. I'm that person that you don't think is watching you pick you nose or send cheesy texts to your girlfriend or listen to Ace to Base on your IPod. (Side note: I am always amazed at the things people will text/email with the assumption that no one is reading. Scandalous.)

Before you go and think I'm a creep, I'm going somewhere with this. For the most part, the findings of my staring are overwhelmingly positive and even uplifting. I find that most riders are more than happy to give up their seat and try to clear the way as much as possible on a packed train. Even cell phone gabbers aren't that bad. I actually enjoy my T observations because they sort of give me a little faith in the benevelance of Bostonians.

So, imagine my surprise to find that this week the MBTA put bright posters on 600 subway cars and 400 buses with messages such as ,"Don't be a drone on the phone.","Be sweet. Offer your seat.","Don't be a lout. Let them out." and "Don’t dash without your trash."

Umm question: What is a lout? Are there people that seriously use the word drone? The "Courtesy Campaign" is a valiant effort, but based on these signs I'm guessing that the MBTA is not working with the likes Arnold or Hill Holiday.

In past "Courtesy Campaigns", MBTA employees distributed $2 Dunkin' Donuts coupons to passengers performing small acts of kindness. That's my kind of a brownie point. But last I heard the MBTA was in some serious financial trouble so I doubt I'll be getting free Dunkies anytime soon.

I do appreciate the MBTA encouraging common courtesy, but I think that there's a bigger picture as well as other issues that I'd rather have my Charlie Card fee go towards, like safety for woman traveling at night.


For now, I'll have to settle for the new signs adding a little comedic relief to my commute. And I'll add drone hunting to my staring routine.

www.mbta.com