Non-Party Holiday Celebration Ideas Not ready for a virtual party but still want to show your employees you appreciate them this season? Check out these ideas for celebrating with them this year – no party needed. 1. High-end holiday gifts. Many employers are finding that the budget for hosting an in-person holiday party can easily cover very nice gifts for each of their employees. Trend forecasters have seen a surge in employer purchases of items like Apple AirPods and bluetooth speakers. Check out Swag in a Box to send custom employee gift boxes with your company’s branding. 2. Virtual group classes. Another trend in COVID-safe holiday experiences for employees is virtual group classes in subjects like cooking and crafting. Classes give employees a chance to bond outside the office, and a cooking class usually costs less per head than catering for your typical holiday office party. 3. Gift exchange. Organize an employee gift exchange via snail mail. Choose a White Elephant theme, or have employees choose gifts they think others would really like. Make sure to set a budget, and use a gift exchange tracking form to stay organized. 4. Virtual beer or wine tasting. Sites like Wine.com send tasting flights to your doorstep. Employees can do the tasting on their own time and view complimentary tasting walk-throughs on the website, or you can set up a virtual meeting for your employees to taste together. Colorado’s own Denver Microbrew Tour offers a structured 90-minute team building beer tasting activity starting at $200. 5. Virtual escape room experience. Colorado’s Conundrum Escape Rooms offers virtual events starting at $75 with a focus on teambuilding. Employees will solve a series of mysteries to “escape” and beat the challenge. Schedule easily online https://www.conundrumescaperooms.com.
Contact MBD Marketing & Events
Small Business. Big Impact. Phone: 970-613-1455 or 303-886-3068 Email Us We serve the entire Front Range; Denver, Southern Wyoming, the CO Mountains, and Northern Colorado: Loveland, Fort Collins, Greeley, Windsor, Berthoud, Estes Park, Lyons, Longmont, Boulder, Wellington, Johnstown, Evans, Severance, Timnath, Mead, Frederick, Firestone, Milliken My Big Day was proud to be asked to help pull together a new way to pull off a historic event in Old Town Fort Collins, the Realities for Children NightLights Tree Lighting. A 23 year old tradition embraced by the community, we knew that COVID was going to make re-inventing this loved event quite a challenge. With the help of many community partners, we were able to pull of a spectacular Live Stream of the NightLights tree lighting, with thousands of live viewers and impressive donations to this deserving charity serving Northern Colorado. If you aren't familiar with Realities for Children, you should be. Realities For Children provides for the unmet needs of northern Colorado children who have been abused, neglected or are at-risk. We do this by providing emergency funding, youth activities, critical distributions and collaboration resources for our Partner Youth Agencies. Realities For Children was incorporated in 1995 and has been funding the unmet needs of Larimer County children who have been abused, neglected or are at-risk since 1996. Currently, Realities For Children supports the services of 39 Partner Youth Agencies and represents nearly 250 Business Members invested in making it their business to make a difference. The many amazing businesses and talented folks who made this fundraiser possible include:
Below are some photos captured by Craig Vollmer of the Live Stream event. You can continue to support Realities and their NightLights fundraiser all December long HERE: https://www.realitiesforchildren.com/events/night-lights/ Contact MBD Marketing & Events
Small Business. Big Impact. Phone: 970-613-1455 or 303-886-3068 Email Us We serve the entire Front Range; Denver, Southern Wyoming, the CO Mountains, and Northern Colorado: Loveland, Fort Collins, Greeley, Windsor, Berthoud, Estes Park, Lyons, Longmont, Boulder, Wellington, Johnstown, Evans, Severance, Timnath, Mead, Frederick, Firestone, Milliken The MBD team has been extremely fortunate to have some amazing partners who have trusted us with their valued community events. Knowing that we are invested in our community and we still wanted to bring fun to local families, My Big Day worked with Thompson Education Foundation and The Centerra Marketplace to put on some amazing Halloween experiences! Our socially safe Trick-or-Treat event hosted at The Ranch Events Complex in Loveland was a huge success! Over 30 vendor booths, over 40 volunteers, and over 3,000 guests came through on Saturday, October 31st. This event was FREE to the public. The Halloween Hullabaloo hosted by McWhinney at the Centerra Marketplace provided 7 drive-in movies for FREE for families to enjoy! What a fantastic way to celebrate the holiday, dress up, and enjoy some old fashioned fun! Our good friend, Jen West Photography, captured some photos of the fun over the Halloween weekend. Thank you for supporting our small business while we support others. We love what we do! Contact MBD Marketing & Events
Small Business. Big Impact. Phone: 970-613-1455 or 303-886-3068 Email Us We serve the entire Front Range; Denver, Southern Wyoming, the CO Mountains, and Northern Colorado: Loveland, Fort Collins, Greeley, Windsor, Berthoud, Estes Park, Lyons, Longmont, Boulder, Wellington, Johnstown, Evans, Severance, Timnath, Mead, Frederick, Firestone, Milliken October 1 - 25, 2020 Online & Around Northern Colorado The Family Center/La Familia has had the honor to serve our community for 25 years. We want to celebrate our birthday by hosting a scavenger hunt and you're invited! Participate using an easy app you can use on any device. Solve clues at home, or venture out into the community! Anyone can participate. Great for families, creative dates, and social distancing fun! Participate at any time during the 25 days. Earn points - win prizes! $$$ The $20 registration is a donation to The Family Center/La Familia. Date: October 1 - 25, 2020 Location: Online and around town Website: https://thefamilycenterfc.org/fiesta Prizes: 1st $200 Visa GC 2nd $100 Visa GC 3rd $50 Costco GC 4th $25 King Soopers GC 5th $25 King Soopers GC plus, all players are entered in a chance to win our Grand Prize! Thank you to our sponsors for your generous support! Contact My Big Day Marketing & Events Small Business. Big Impact. Phone: 970-613-1455 or 303-886-3068 Email Us We serve the entire Front Range; Denver, Southern Wyoming, the CO Mountains, and Northern Colorado: Loveland, Fort Collins, Greeley, Windsor, Berthoud, Estes Park, Lyons, Longmont, Boulder, Wellington, Johnstown, Evans, Severance, Timnath, Mead, Frederick, Firestone, Milliken You may have friends or family members – dubbed “COVID Couples’ – who have had to postpone or cancel their weddings because of the pandemic. For most couples, this is a difficult decision to make, and may bring up feelings of sadness, anger, or even loss. Here are some ways to support the special people in your life whose weddings have been affected by COVID – and some things to avoid. DO: 1. Send a surprise gift on their original wedding day. This is likely to be the most difficult day for the couple. Consider sending flowers, sweets, or a gift card for a takeout date night with a note saying you are thinking of them. If you’re on a budget, stick with a handwritten note dropped at their doorstep or surprise them with FaceTime or a phone call. Don’t forget about the groom! 2. Listen. Be a shoulder to cry on for your friends and family. Venting can be a therapeutic way to deal with negative emotions from having to postpone or cancel their wedding. Be open and understanding, but not dismissive or overly positive. 3. Contact vendors. A lot goes in to planning a wedding. If your couple has hired a wedding planner, they can help with reaching out to the vendors the couple has chosen. If not, consider the numerous contracts with the florist, photographer, caterer, cake decorator, venue, DJ, furniture rentals, day-of coordinator, and many more that may exist. Depending on the vendor and the wording of each contract, meetings with vendors may involve renegotiating the contract, maintaining it but postponing the date, or asking for a partial refund. 4. Give them resources. There are many couples in the same boat, and many community and support groups online. The Zola Facebook Community has almost 12,000 members in the throes of pandemic wedding planning. For more local advice, check out Colorado COVID-19 Wedding Support. 5. Deal with guests. Offer to help contact guests to notify them of changes to the event. This could involve a formal, mailed update, or an email or text if the wedding was scheduled for just a few weeks away. Be sure to introduce yourself to the couple’s family and friends if making calls or sending texts on their behalf. You can also help answer guests’ follow-up questions about reservations they had for the wedding or the timing of the rescheduled event (if there is one). DON’T: 1. Give opinions or advice unless it is solicited by the couple. It is complicated and confusing trying to reschedule a large event with many moving parts, never mind with unwarranted opinions thrown into the mix. Give advice only if you are asked to by the couple. 2. Be overly positive or dismissive. Saying, “It’s going to be fine,” may not go over well. Things may not be okay for your friends or family members, and they don’t have to be. Try saying, “I’m sorry. I wish things were different,” or “I can’t imagine what you’re going through, but I’m here for you.” 3. Expect to be able to fix it. As a friend or family member, the best you can do is listen and offer help or advice if it’s requested. Do not try to fix their feelings or the situation. Contact My Big Day Marketing & Events
Small Business. Big Impact. Phone: 970-613-1455 or 303-886-3068 Email Us We serve the entire Front Range; Denver, Southern Wyoming, the CO Mountains, and Northern Colorado: Loveland, Fort Collins, Greeley, Windsor, Berthoud, Estes Park, Lyons, Longmont, Boulder, Wellington, Johnstown, Evans, Severance, Timnath, Mead, Frederick, Firestone, Milliken The Family Center/La Familia is celebrating 25 years serving our community. We are hosting a 25 day scavenger hunt! Participate using an easy app you can use on your phone, tablet or computer. Solve clues at home, or venture out into the community! Anyone can participate. Great for families, creative dates, and social distancing fun! Participate at any time during the 25 days. Earn points – win prizes! $$$ The $20 registration is a donation to The Family Center/La Familia. Date: October 1 - 25 Location: Online and around town Website: https://thefamilycenterfc.org/fiesta FAQs: Coming soon Prizes: 1st $200 Visa GC 2nd $100 Visa GC 3rd $50 Costco GC 4th $25 King Soopers GC 5th $25 King Soopers GC plus, all players are entered in a chance to win our Grand Prize! ![]()
Contact My Big Day Marketing & Events
Small Business. Big Impact. Phone: 970-613-1455 or 303-886-3068 Email Us We serve the entire Front Range; Denver, Southern Wyoming, the CO Mountains, and Northern Colorado: Loveland, Fort Collins, Greeley, Windsor, Berthoud, Estes Park, Lyons, Longmont, Boulder, Wellington, Johnstown, Evans, Severance, Timnath, Mead, Frederick, Firestone, Milliken Now that stay-at-home orders have been lifted, some venues are reopening for socially-distanced gatherings. The My Big Day team has put together a list of ten Colorado venues going above and beyond in COVID-19 safety to consider for your upcoming wedding, corporate or private holiday party, or company meeting. Drumroll please... Where: DoubleTree by Hilton, Greeley at Lincoln Park Number of guests: Per Weld County regulations, DoubleTree is hosting events of up to 100 people in their over-12,000-square-foot ballroom. Precautions:
Contact: Lora Hassen, 303-941-4816 Website:https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/dengcdt-doubletree-greeley-at-lincoln-park/meetings-events/ Where: The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs and mountain properties Number of guests: Options are almost unlimited. The Broadmoor has a 5,000-acre property that includes indoor and outdoor spaces at their Colorado Springs location and at mountain wilderness retreats. Indoor spaces include 90 meeting rooms and a large, 125,000-square-foot Exhibit Center. The Broadmoor is also happy to cater to events as small as 40 guests. Precautions:
Contact: Submit proposal request here Website:https://www.broadmoor.com/meetings-events/meeting-at-the-broadmoor/?utm_source=destinationcolorado&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=meetings Where: Block One, Old Town Fort Collins Number of guests: 50 attendees for public events or 95 attendees for Life-Rite gatherings (gatherings that bring members of a household or family together, such as funerals, memorials, or wedding ceremonies) in 4.102 square feet. “Attendees” includes, DJs, caterers, venue staff, etc. Precautions:
Contact: Leah Dunn, 970-420-3692, [email protected] Website http://www.rentblockone.com/events Where: The Lincoln Center, Fort Collins Number of guests: Up to 50 people for private events Precautions:
Contact: Event booking, 970-221-6733 Website https://www.lctix.com/rent-our-spaces Where: The Cleveland Room at desk chair, Loveland Number of guests: Up to 50 Precautions: · Guests must sign in upon entry for potential contact tracing · Masks must be worn when entering or exiting the event space · Indoor and outdoor capacity will be limited to 40% to allow for social distancing · Sanitation stations throughout event space · Staff will wear masks when interacting with guests and serving food or drink Contact: 970-462-9464 Website https://www.theclevelandroom.com Where: The Elizabeth Hotel, Fort Collins Number of guests: Contact for more information Precautions:
Website https://www.theelizabethcolorado.com/meetings-events Where: Embassy Suites, Loveland Number of guests: Contact for more information; largest available single space is the 28,800-square-foot Front Range Ballroom Precautions:
Contact: 970-593-6200 Website https://embassysuites3.hilton.com/en/hotels/colorado/embassy-suites-by-hilton-loveland-hotel-conference-center-and-spa-FNLESES/event/index.html Where: Edwards House, Fort Collins Number of guests: Up to 30 for meetings, up to 50 for weddings Precautions:
Website https://edwardshouse.com/conferences-and-events Where: The Curtis, downtown Denver Number of guests: Currently offering steeply discounted meeting and event prices for 20 or fewer guests; click here to view the “Mini-Mony” wedding package starting at $1500 for 20 attendees. Contact for info about larger events. Precautions:
Website https://www.thecurtis.com/events/meetings-events-offers/ Where: The Candlelight Dinner Theater Playhouse Number of guests: Social distancing at it's finest! Guest count varies depending on event space. There are a number of available event spaces for rent/private parties. Precautions:
Contact: Allison Clark(970) 744-3748 or [email protected] Website: http://www.coloradocandlelight.com/ Contact My Big Day Marketing & Events Small Business. Big Impact. Phone: 970-613-1455 or 303-886-3068 Email Us We serve the entire Front Range; Denver, Southern Wyoming, the CO Mountains, and Northern Colorado: Loveland, Fort Collins, Greeley, Windsor, Berthoud, Estes Park, Lyons, Longmont, Boulder, Wellington, Johnstown, Evans, Severance, Timnath, Mead, Frederick, Firestone, Milliken ![]() One of our many passions is supporting local non-profits in our community. The Family Center/La Familia is an agency that is a vital resource in our community. We are proud to be their trusted partner in 3 core areas: Events, Marketing and Development. As part of our development focus, we launched their "GROW" campaign, which is an effort to grow their monthly, continuous donors. This is the best way for a non-profit to predict what resources they can offer based on projected donations. With the help of a couple strong community partners, our campaign has received $30,000 in just the first month as a way to kick-start our lofty $100,000 goal. Below is the public statement made about this initiative. Over the course of three months, Fort Collins Foothills Rotary helped raise $93,000 to benefit six local organizations who are directly serving families impacted by the pandemic: Food Bank, Rescue Mission, Neighbor to Neighbor, La Familia/The Family Center, Teaching Tree, and Putnam Elementary. This was in cooperation with each organization's fundraising efforts and partnering with Community Foundation of Northern Colorado. We are SO thankful for the heart Foothills Rotary Club of Fort Collins has for Early Childhood Education. Their 10k donation was a great kick-off to our GROW campaign, and a 20k donation from the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado is such a blessing. We are filled with gratitude! "With the generous contribution made by the Foothills Rotary Club of Fort Collins and the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado we will make the required concrete leveling of the preschool playground and install a long lasting and secure fence around it. This work has been desired for a long time and thanks to this funding it will be possible!" -Gloria Kat, Executive Director & Family Support Services Director If you are able to give a little extra, we encourage you to support The Family Center/La Familia. Their GROW Campaign can be found HERE. Thank you for supporting us and the community we serve. -My Big Day Contact My Big Day Marketing & Events Phone: 970-613-1455 or 303-886-3068 Email Us We serve the entire Front Range; Denver, Southern Wyoming, the CO Mountains, and Northern Colorado: Loveland, Fort Collins, Greeley, Windsor, Berthoud, Estes Park, Lyons, Longmont, Boulder, Wellington, Johnstown, Evans, Severance, Timnath, Mead, Frederick, Firestone, Milliken Keep it small. Obviously, large gatherings are off the table right now. But birthdays can be just as special with immediate family members. Research shows kids find these birthdays just as meaningful and memorable as a big, expensive party. Create anticipation. Build up to the big day - present your child with seven envelopes, each containing a small privilege (15 minutes of extra screen time, 30 min. later bedtime, etc.) He can open one each day in the week leading up to his birthday. Celebrate the night before, too. This is a great way to help your child reflect on and feel proud of another year of life, minus the distraction of presents. Take this time to give them some special attention instead of material things. Surprise decorating. Decorate with balloons, streamers, and signs while your little one is sleeping. It will be a fun surprise and a great photo op in the morning! Entertainment via Zoom. Parents can book a virtual professional magic show or a video chat with Elsa. Check out Send In the Clowns . Go for a birthday cruise. Deck out your family car with decorations and special messages written on the windows and drive around town! Your child is sure to get lots of honks and happy birthdays from passerby. Go on an outdoor scavenger hunt. Divide into teams with one adult and one or more kids each, and set out with a list of items and some phones or digital cameras. Have each team snap photos of a purple flower, someone with a stroller, a house number with the birthday child’s age. Give them a “Yes Day.” Let the birthday child choose all the day’s meals and activities (within reason of course). Let them create their own cake. The birthday child chooses the cake flavor, fillings or frosting, and decorations. It will be all the more special because it was their creation. Big-kid smash cake. If you don’t mind some clean-up, put a twist on the traditional toddler smash cake and let the entire family eat cake sans utensils. Laughs guaranteed! Contact My Big Day
Marketing & Events Phone: 970-613-1455 or 303-886-3068 Email Us As event planners, we serve the entire Front Range; Southern Wyoming, the CO Mountains, and Northern Colorado: Loveland, Fort Collins, Greeley, Windsor, Berthoud, Estes Park, Lyons, Longmont, Boulder, Wellington, Johnstown, Evans, Severance, Timnath, Mead, Frederick, Firestone, Milliken ![]() By Carrie Stadtmueller, My Big Day Lead Event Planner & Marketing Manager Does the idea of accepting one more virtual happy hour invite with your co-workers and socially distanced friends fill you with a sense of loathing and dread? You might be suffering from the Zoom Blues! It’s been hard to watch the hopeful Summer of 2020 turn into the Summer that Wasn’t. People all over the world, country, and internet have been looking for ways to stay engaged and entertained - all while socially distancing and looking towards the slow process of reopening. We’ve pulled together an extensive list of activities for your summer at home - some just as fun and special as your traditional summer plans - check it out: Water Day Even though your public pool might not be open, that doesn’t mean you have to forego any water fun! Why not bust out your swimsuits and set up a sprinkler or slip-n-slide in the backyard? Cool off with some time in a refreshing kiddie pool - with a cocktail of course! If you have a small group of friends who you feel safe socializing distantly with, invite them over for a backyard game of Water Balloon Volleyball. You can spread out across the court - although we recommend that you find a facemask that matches your bathing suit ensemble.
Start a Virtual Book Club Use the encouragement of your friends to get excited about reading again! Take turns suggesting books, pick a regular date and time, and chat up your favorite characters and chapters! Bonus - have the person who suggests the book also come up with a special cocktail, beer, or wine for the evening, too!
Online Workouts If you’re like us, you may have noticed that quarantine hasn’t been your waistline’s best friend. How about gathering an online bestie for some Zoom/FaceTime at home workouts? There are thousands of fitness gurus who are offering exercise routines and advice on Instagram and Pinterest. Find your favorite and start sweating! Encourage your quarantine workout partner, and check in each week to keep each other accountable!
These are just a few fun ideas to pass your days away. While this time of social distancing is often boring, and thinking about how long it might last can be depressing, we hope you take the time to enjoy the little things. Adjusting to this time at home and social separations involves adjusting expectations. You can still feel like you have had a fun, productive and entertaining day with the right expectations. And at the end of the day, you can rest easy knowing that you have done your part to keep yourself, your family, and your community safe. Contact My Big Day Marketing & Events Phone: 970-613-1455 or 303-886-3068 Email Us As event planners, we serve the entire Front Range; Southern Wyoming, the CO Mountains, and Northern Colorado: Loveland, Fort Collins, Greeley, Windsor, Berthoud, Estes Park, Lyons, Longmont, Boulder, Wellington, Johnstown, Evans, Severance, Timnath, Mead, Frederick, Firestone, Milliken |
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