Last evening, December 5th, the Overdrive Interactive team traded in our laptops and conference rooms for wine glasses and steak knives, as we celebrated the season at our annual Holiday Party at acclaimed steakhouse, Smith & Wollensky. Set in the heart of Boston’s Back Bay, the restaurant is housed in a veritable stone and brick “castle” that was built in 1891 as the Armory of the First Corps of Cadets. (Insert pun about drinking like kings and dining like royalty here).
The Smith & Wollensky “castle” in Boston’s Back Bay
The passed hors d’oeuvres and free-flowing wine were much appreciated after a long day of work, and shortly after being rustled into our seats by an accommodating waitstaff, we were given a brief summary of the building’s history and features. Listed on the National Historic Register, the armory plays host to a “museum floor” with a gunroom, social hall, and main dining room and bar, as well as several large private dining rooms on the floors above.
The Overdrive team enjoyed a three-course dinner in the Eagle Room
The meal was phenomenal and the dinner-time conversation was — as always — energetic and entertaining, but the real fun began once the last plate had been cleared. After Overdrive CEO, Harry Gold, gave a speech in which he recognized a number of hard-working Overdrive employees, Office Manager and resident party planner, Barbara Bodell, distributed gifts. First, the agency’s founders — Andrew Abrahams, Harry Gold, and Ty Velde — were given original cookbooks that included recipes and anecdotes from every member of the Overdrive team, and then the tables were turned, as everyone received new Overdrive Interactive windbreakers.
Once the team had suited up, we launched into the game of the night — Yankee Swap: Overdrive Style. With highly-contested items such as a plastic toy dinosaur, a bottle of wine, a golden “Goblet of Love,” and the word game Bananagrams, tensions mounted at every gift swap as happy recipients had their treasured new possessions ripped from them. But all is fair in love, war, and Yankee Swaps, and everyone left the “castle” with full bellies, big smiles, and a feeling of camaraderie that only comes from sharing food, drinks, and fun with good friends.
Happy Holidays from Overdrive Interactive!
