Dez Reads. Holiday Party Szn.

Last night, the entire Dez team gathered in Washington, DC for our annual holiday dinner.

We reflected on our year, celebrated the dozen new faces in the room, and awarded some promotions to our people. Office holiday parties can be a bore, for sure, but seeing our team unwind for a few hours (and service a few client needs over heavy hors d’oeuvres) was rewarding and fun. Dez right now feels like a kid after 14 hours at Disney World – very tired, but hungry for more. I can’t wait for 2026.

Thank you to Katie Runkle – one of the new 2025 faces I mentioned – for capturing this in her Dez Reads submission this week, on why team holiday parties matter.

Anne Marie updates us on the Drunk Raccoon beat, in which every meme is merch, this time to the tune of $200k.

Phil and AMM go on to capture two quintessential elements of the American Christmas: materialism and fistfights.

Whether you’re partying with friends, family, or raccoons, or brawling at the mall over the latest Labubu, the Dez team wishes you the happiest of holidays.

Thanks, as always, for reading along with us this year.

Here we go.

In Praise of the Office Party.

Forbes. Why The Team Holiday Party Matters, Plus 3 Ways To Help The Planners

We all know the office holiday party, maybe the one you dread, or talk too much at, or just linger a tad too long… but we don’t usually consider all the planning that went into the festivities, or what a gift it is.

Whether it’s a cocktail in a conference room, or you’re spoiled with a private dinner at Nobu, in a busy season of hectic work and family gatherings, no one I know has spare time.

There’s value to connection – especially with the people you spend 50 hours a week working with. Take the time to be present at yours this year, and please remember to thank the one who planned it.

–Katie Runkle

Trashed Panda Strikes Again.

USA Today. Drunk raccoon inspires merch, raises $150K for Virginia animal shelter

America’s favorite drunk raccoon continues to make the rounds with features in national media, its own SNL skit, and now with money-making merch.

As the proud parent of two rescue pups, I’ve seen the amazing work small, scrappy animal shelters do on shoestring budgets. The Hanover County Animal Protection and Shelter’s over-served celebrity raccoon has raised more than $200,000 (as of this morning, 12/12/25) for shelter operations and special programs. Cheers to this tiny tyrant “Trashed Panda“ and all the good he’s done with his internet stardom. If only all influencers did the same.

–Anne Marie Malecha

Playing With Fire.

The Economist. Humans were lighting fires from scratch a lot earlier than previously thought

Human beings have been harnessing fire for 1.6 million years, but previously were thought to have created technology to start their own fires only 50,000 years ago. The ability to start and control fire facilitated a great leap forward in human evolution, as cooked food unlocked all sorts of nutrients and digestive efficiencies that allowed other parts of our anatomy (i.e., our brains) to grow and develop.

A newly uncovered clay burn pit and manmade tools in present-day England suggests that humans have been deliberately starting fires with pyrite sparks for 400,000 years. I think this is cool.

–Josh Culling

Nantucket Goes Naughty.

NY Post. Wild street brawl erupts during ritzy Nantucket Christmas celebration: video

File this under adults behaving badly. “They decked the halls — and then each other.”

For the last 51 years, Nantucket’s hosted its annual Christmas Stroll. The idyllic holiday celebration is a Main Street gathering, an opportunity to see Santa, and shop at the island’s adorable and impeccably decorated stores.

This year’s Stroll was anything but quaint. A battle for the ages broke out when a group of 20 somethings and a group of 50+ somethings got into arguing, pushing, shoving, and eventually sucker punching each other, all while suited up in cashmere coats and designer shoes.

The cause of the brawl is unknown. While no charges were filed or arrests made, all involved are on Santa’s (and Nantucket Police’s) naughty list indefinitely.

–Anne Marie Malecha

A Different Way to Do December.

BBC. The anti-materialist Christmas: Rituals around the world that swap gifts for meaning

It’s no secret that Christmas is expected to be tight for families this year. But you know it’s going to be rough when “gift experts” on the news are saying ‘high-value, low-cost’ gifts are ‘in’ this year. That’s just a sexified way of saying, “It’s okay to buy cheap stuff.” Why not just skip the junk gifts and do something more memorable instead? Cheap cologne and Barbie doll knockoffs get thrown away or forgotten anyway. Embrace experiences rather than things.

In a recent article, the BBC shared some great cost-free ideas that people in other cultures do to celebrate Christmas, like jólabókaflóð, which is Iceland’s “Christmas book flood.” This is when Icelanders retire to read books in the candlelight after Christmas dinner. In Japan, Christmas is time for young couples to break out the Marvin Gaye CD and get their evenings on. In Australia, families gather for cricket matches with family and friends.

While not all of this works for everybody, it gets the juices flowing for other ideas. Christmas doesn’t have to be about money. Like Jessie J sings, “It’s not about the price tag.”

–Phil Bogdan

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