Cityfile: New York's Most Notable and Influential

JPMorgan Splits It Down the Middle | Goldman Sachs decided against holding a holiday party this year. Condé Nast revealed yesterday that it plans to proceed with its annual fête, albeit at a slightly less expensive restaurant. Now JPMorgan has weighed in. The party is on this year, which is certainly nice to hear. Not as nice: It will take place in the company cafeteria. [Dealbreaker]

Condé Nast Celebrates Its Survival | Condé Nast has shut down six magazines and laid off hundreds of staffers in recent months. But the company's annual Christmas party will return once again this year. Okay, so it's at Aureole next door (a "corporate cafeteria with a soundtrack of smooth jazz in the George Benson style," per the Times), and not at the Four Seasons as in years past. But it's better settling for stir-fry at Condé's own cafeteria or, even worse, nothing at all, right? [NYO]

Holiday Tips Head South | If your doorman or hair stylist look a little grumpy today, it may because they just found out that in lieu of the cash they normally receive from you for Christmas, they're going to be getting a jar of homemade jam instead. According to a new poll, 26 percent of Americans say they planned to spend less on tips than they did last year, although some said they planned to make up the difference (or try to, at least!) by distributing homemade gifts and foodstuffs. [Consumer Reports, Reuters]

The Thank-You Party | According to the executive outplacement firm Challenger Gray & Christmas, just 62 percent of companies nationwide are planning a holiday party this year, down from 77 percent last year and 90 percent back in 2007. Before you turn too despondent, you may want to note that it's possible you are having a holiday party but you just don't know it's a holiday party because it's been renamed. "I've had some clients call them end-of-year appreciation or thank-you parties," says the catering director for a Midtown hotel.  [Crain's]

Earlier this week, it was reported that just three floats had been registered for the Greenwich Village Halloween parade, which will undoubtedly make the annual event more a picture of lameness rather than one of guts and gore as it was in years past. Now it turns out that the number of people planning to celebrate the holiday this year is down to just 62 percent. Of those revelers, a measly 33 percent are dressing up, and only 42 percent are planning to carve a pumpkin. What's next, no more pumpkin pie?More

Madoff's Day Off | So did Bernie Madoff attempt to atone for his sins on Yom Kippur yesterday? That's hard to say, although prison officials say they did give him the chance to take the day off from his usual work detail: "Prison officials would not say if Madoff, serving a 150-year sentence, took advantage of the day off on the holiest day of the year in the Jewish faith or whether he participated in an evening prayer session with other Jewish inmates on what is a day of atonement and repentance." [ABC News]

Happy Chanel No. 5 Day! | Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican army's defeat of French forces at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. Leave it to Saks Fifth Avenue to give the day entirely new meaning. The retailer has announced that today "has been designated by the city of New York as Chanel No. 5 Day," and "a portion of Fifth Avenue is being renamed Avenue No. 5 for the week." [PR Newswire]

We understand you're super busy and all, but it's March 16th, Mayor Bloomberg. Christmas was nearly three months ago! Would it be too much to ask that you retire the mini-Christmas trees, pine cones, and red branches outside your East 79th Street townhouse and replace them with something more seasonal? Spring will arrive in just 96 hours! Below, a few more photos of the mayor's rather dated display along with further evidence that he really did gobble up four of the six apartments in the townhouse next door: His tired decorations are in front of that building, too. More

If your husband or boyfriend has to work late tonight, or has plans with a friend, or suddenly needs to attend to a sick relative, we hope you realize that what he's really doing is cheating on you—or so say florists and restaurateurs for whom business is just as brisk on February the 13th as the 14th, since men placate their mistresses by seeing them the night before Valentine's Day. "I guess probably in 10 years Hallmark will make a card for it," as the cynical manager of DUMBO's River Cafe puts it. More

The Last Days of the Ultima III | Ron Perelman may be selling his 190-foot yacht for $67 million, but the billionaire mogul isn't dry-docking the ship until a buyer comes along: Daniel Benedict and Andrew Saffir report that they spent New Year's Eve aboard the "beyond chic" Ultima III off the coast of St. Bart's. "It's the only place we ever want to be on New Year's Eve," the duo tell Fashion Week Daily. Take heart, gentlemen: If the economy continues to spiral downward, Perelman should still be in possession of the boat to ring in 2010. [FWD]

You certainly have to take advantage of the city's free Christmas tree recycling program if you don't feel like it, but would it be too much to ask to avoid tossing your tree into oncoming traffic? [Bowery Boogie] 

A Very Noel Christmas [NYM/Daily Intel] 

Holiday cards seem to be a little less popular now that being eco-friendly is so trendy, you can just as easily email your seasonal greetings, and these days there aren't quite as many people interested in spending $2,000 engraving their names on cards that will be tossed into the trash precisely 30 seconds after they're removed from their envelopes. But the practice lives on, especially with certain couples who'd like to maintain some semblance of a healthy marriage, and disgraced public figures who'd really like everyone to know they're still alive and well and keeping a stiff upper lip. After the jump, a random collection of cards sent out this year by a bunch of celebrities, politicians, and the odd porn magnate.More

• A list of spots where you can save on stress and dine out on Christmas. [NYM]
• Tips on how to avoid food poisoning at Grandma's house this year. [NYDN]
• Frank Bruni checks in on Tom Colicchio's Tuesday Dinner and Brian Bistrong's Braeburn in today's Times. [NYT, NYT]
• Is champagne too ostentatious given current events? Try punch. [NYT, NYT]
• Just in case you feel like skipping ahead to New Year's Eve, here's a complete rundown of events planned for the big night. [Citysearch]

Spotted—Holiday Edition | Stephanie Seymour playing with her daughter on the beach in St. Barts ... Woody Allen and Soon-Yi Previn leaving the Ritz in Paris ...  Hilary Swank standing outside a ski lodge in Aspen ... Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon walking around Aspen in ski gear ... Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber packing up their SUV with son Alexander and baby Samuel ... Alicia Keys laying by the pool in Australia ... and Gwyneth Paltrow going out for the night with Stella McCartney and Madonna in London.