Office parties celebrating birthdays and babies are an American tradition. They are also easy to put together, as long as you know what you are doing.

As offices have become second homes for many business oriented people, the office party has begun to slowly evolve from a standard store bought birthday cake to something more. Now everything from upcoming baby births to anniversaries are being celebrated at office buildings, and birthday cakes and streamers are being replaced by gourmet cupcakes, gift exchanges and even designer baby gift baskets for office baby showers.

While different companies will have different policies on what can and cannot be offered at office parties (some will even allow wine… party down), there are some things to remember when trying to plan the best office party for a fellow employee. Whether it’s a surprise party or something that they will have the final say on, office parties are best done as a temporary celebration, and distraction, that can be quick, fun, and ultimately allow people to get to work quickly before anyone gets in too much trouble. Because these parties must be done within office guidelines, be sure to run each step by a manager, or someone in charge. Make sure your get-together follows the guidelines put forth in your employee handbooks to a t so that no one gets in trouble for it (that would be bad).

Probably the main reason people will attend an office party will be for food. Let’s not kid ourselves, while they like the person you’re throwing the party for, the idea of free food during the work day is usually the main attraction. Since the current economy might limit the amount of food that a company is willing to buy for a said party, the best way to get everyone well fed might be a potluck. While the word “potluck” has gotten a bad rap, work potlucks usually have some pretty good food. If everyone is not up for a potluck then maybe you can have everyone chip in a few bucks for catering.

Once the food is out of the way, you can now focus on the other important part of any office party: gifts. Usually the two biggest office celebrations are birthdays and baby showers. While gifts for birthdays are usually a personal preference, for baby showers co-workers usually like to combine their funds for a “big” gift. This can be anything from gift baskets to strollers to cribs. Make sure you collect the money first and that you get a gift that the mother to be doesn’t already have. This way the party can be a success and the fabled tradition of office parties will have another great entry.

Author Kimberly Green gets the most beautiful baby gift baskets online @ BabyStuffGifts.com