corporate holiday parties in Santa Ana.

A year-end party for staff in Santa Ana.

Picture an office lot closed to cars for an afternoon. Four to six striped booths run prize games along one side, a DJ plays from the corner, a balloon artist and a face painter work the crowd, and the Santa station sits near the door so staff with kids reach it first. A caricature artist or a walk-around magician can replace either entertainer.

An after-work version drops the inflatables and keeps the games, the concessions and the music. Staff compete at ring toss and milk can toss for prizes, and the concessions (churros, pretzels, popcorn, cotton candy, nachos, snow cones and caramel apples) cover snacking while the company's caterer handles the real meal. Whether children attend is a decision the host makes in the invitation. A company that wants a quieter corner can ask for the caricature artist to sit apart from the games, so the line for portraits does not collide with the line for prizes. Early dark in December also works in the party's favor, since the string lights on the booths carry the evening once the sun is gone.