Merry Christmas

I would just like to wish everyone who has stopped by this year to read my blog, a very Happy Christmas.

Best Wishes to you all.

How to make your employees feel wanted

Its that time of year when we are all looking to have the little break from work for Christmas.

Just before Christmas in work we are usually given some shopping vouchers as a little thank you for all the work that we do during the year. Its not a lot, but it just makes you feel wanted, and that your work is valued.

Well, not this year. Instead of £20 in vouchers, we are going to be given an extra £15 in our pay. We’ll be getting in our January pay because they forgot to include it in December’s, and of course we’ll be taxed on this. So, instead of the personal touch of £20 in vouchers and a thank you, it is a bit of a let down with us getting a greatly reduced amount. After tax it works out at about £11, equivalent to 23p per week. It sucks really.

The biggest complaint that we have is that no-one in senior management has told us that we won’t be getting the vouchers. Just a simple explanation would suffice. That is all we ask, a little bit of honesty.

If you look after your employees, then they will look after the interests of the company. It’s not a hard concept to follow.

Merry Christmas

Our Christmas Tree is Up

Yesterday, Ellie and I put up our Christmas Tree and decorations.

We didn’t want to put them up to early, because we didn’t want to get bored with them. Putting all the decorations up too early is a bit of a pet hate of mine, as I’ve said before in two previous posts, First Christmas decorations and More Decorations…

Ellie was a great help putting all of the baubles and ribbons on to the tree. I was very impressed with the way she managed to get the finicky loops on the tree’s branches.

When the lights were switched on, her little face lit up, as she screamed, “Ooh, lights! Look, Dad, lights!”

Ellie is so cute when she gets excited.

Now that the decorations are up it feels a little more like Christmas.

More decorations….

…and it’s still not December.

Last week, I told you that I’d seen the first Christmas decorations of the year. Now I’ve seen the second set. Our other next door neighbours have now put up their decorations. Our house is now the meat in a Christmas decoration sandwich.

I don’t understand why people put their decorations up so early. Christmas is now only a month away, but I feel that this is too early. It is still November.

Ever since I was a kid, it was customary to put the Christmas decorations up around the middle of December. Usually around the time that we would finish at school. Until the decorations go up though, I cannot get into the whole spirit of Christmas. But, if they went up any earlier, then by Christmas Day I would be bored of the whole thing.

I am sure that my whole attitude will change as Ellie grows up. She is still a little young to fully understand what is going on at the moment. Next year she will have a greater awareness of everything. No doubt Gemma and I will be told what she wants Santa to bring her. But until then she will be all innocent, and not too corrupted by the adverts.

But until then I think I’m just going to be a grump!

(Note: I’ve re-written this post, as I thought that the way I had written it was below par)

First Christmas decorations of the year!

12th November - I’ve seen the first house decorated for Christmas.

One of our next door neighbours have put their Christmas decorations up already. I discovered this when I was putting the rubbish out last night. It was pretty dark, so the red glow was easy to spot. I looked up at the window and stuck there it was. A large “Merry Christmas” sign in one of the upstairs windows!!!

I have nothing against people decorating their houses for Christmas. It is the timing I have a problem with. Putting them up in the middle of November is bordering on the ridiculous! We don’t put our decorations up until the middle of December. The reason being that boredom can set in very easily looking at them for too long.

The middle of November is hardly the start of the Festive period is it? Once December begins then that’s when I’d expect to see the decorations appearing. Not the middle of flipping November! It seems that people think that Christmas starts earlier and earlier each year. I’m sure if we give it a few years, we will see decorations up in August.