Holiday Door Decorating Contest

The Stearns-Montgomery & Proctor second annual Holiday Door Decorating Contest proved to be inspirational, thanks to some amazing creative efforts. “The door decorations last year were great, yet they raised the bar higher this year,” said Mary Montgomery, founder and managing partner. “I know our attorneys are competitive in the courtroom, but it was fun to see the competitiveness among the staff.”

First place winner NaDia Gray commented that she loves the holidays. “My daughter and I get really creative in decorating, so this was up our alley.” From festive reindeer to movie spoofs to inventive use of elves, NaDia had to out-dazzle 14 other entries, each bursting with holiday cheer and displaying personality all their own.

Guest judges — Cobb County District Attorney Joyette Holmes and local attorneys Matt Flournoy and Bill Holley — were welcomed to the contest kickoff with sweet morsels, coffee, and hot chocolate to fortify them to make their rounds and commence judging. To save the judges from making more stops than Santa, the satellite offices provided pictures for them. They seemed to be enjoying the opportunity to witness the holiday spirit shared on employee doors.

While no one wanted to go “on the record” with the details of their final choices, there was noticeable deliberation on the top three. The judges spent extra time determining the second- and third-place finishers. According to Bill Holley, “They were both festive and appeared to have taken a lot of time to design.”

Mary was impressed with the originality of all those who participated. “Everyone definitely brought out their A-game.”

Second place co-winner Peyton Hendon agreed. “Hayden [Venable] and I were hoping for the big win, but second place is a great position. We weren’t last,” she laughed.

A joint effort by receptionist Kaelyn Pruett and office assistant Taylor Sims took third-place.

Monetary prizes were awarded to first-, second-, and third-place finishers. A last-minute category recognition, “least effort, most laughs,” was given to paralegal Katie Crockett.

But the real prize is bragging rights. “Braggin’ rights for sure,” said Samantha Ramsey, director of finance. “My office door won last year, and this year’s expectations were definitely set higher. I can only imagine next year.”

Check out our Facebook and Twitter accounts to see all the entries.