Report says most companies will still have holiday parties

Company holiday parties may not be as swanky as they were before the recession, but a majority of U.S. companies are still planning to have one, according to a Los Angeles Times report.

While many companies continue to struggle in the sluggish economy, 68 percent of businesses will host holiday bashes, which is down from 2007 when 90 percent of companies planned holiday parties, according to an annual report from Challenger, Gray and Christmas.

"For many employers, the holiday party is a way to demonstrate appreciation for employees' hard work throughout the year," John A. Challenger, chief executive of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, told the L.A. Times.

Despite cost-cutting measures for the parties, almost half of companies surveyed will offer alcohol at their holiday gathering.

Read the full story at www.latimes.com.

Jon Byington is the founder of DosLives.com, a news and entertainment website that reaches the growing number of Latinos in the U.S.