The Christmas Party

Hey all,

Is this week dragging? Still got the turkey rolling around in there?

I finished reading The Charm School and it was pretty good (recommended by a reader).
Then I picked up The Hunger Games, a book my son read. He was saying how awesome it was but I was like, "You are 11. Your awesome is different than my awesome." But I read it and, well, it was awesome. So far, there are three books in the series, and I've started reading the second book already.

I have a story to tell you. I have a pretty good library of movies here at the office, and my patients can watch a movie on a screen I have mounted on the ceiling. One of my staff members said she had never seen The Shawshank Redemption.
Are you kidding me?!?! I told her, "Take this movie and don't come back to work until you have watched it."

Well, she watched it and left it on my desk with a sticky note that said, "Not really my cup of tea."

WWWWHHHHAAAATTTTT?????!!!! I wrote her a note that said, "You can NEVER borrow a movie from me again and I have considered taking you off my Christmas list."

Who doesn't like Shawshank? Is it the same person that won't help an old lady across the street. The same kind of person that doesn't like dogs. I just haven't met a person that... well I guess I have now. People are weird.

Let's talk about basketball. I am the assistant coach of my son's sixth grade basketball team, and it is officially over the top. We are practicing six days a week. We had a game Monday. We had a game last night. We have practice today, tomorrow and Friday and TWO games on Saturday. Come on. Are you kidding me? Oh and the other thing is we are finding out that we are not very good. We have been on the wrong end of a 40-19 and a 40-20 game. So we need more practice right?!!

But some of the best stuff coming out of basketball is my son growing up. So far he has had to ask me about some new choice words. A couple weeks ago, during dinner, he said, "Dad, what is a douche?" If you could have seen my face and my face. Classic. I think my wife and I both dropped our forks at the same time.

Of course you have to tell him. So we have this conversation at dinner, mind you the other two kids are quiet for the first time in their lives, as we explain the finer points of feminine hygiene to our older son. Then you should have seen his face - classic. "Ewwww."

I told him to go back to his school and ask Randy if he really knows what a douche is. And if he doesn't, tell him.

And last night he says, "Hey dad."

"Yeah, son."

"What are tits?"

"It's that Randy kid again, isn't it?"

"Yes."

So, basketball has been great. Lots of lifes lessons for us. Great stuff.

Real quick... have you Elfed yourself yet? OfficeMax does this thing every year with JibJab. Check mine out (with my dad and three of our people). It is awesome.
http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/CQv9lGoJ0FXSATvZM5RZ

I want to talk about Christmas parties. I know, I know. "John, the last time you wrote about the Christmas party you got in big trouble."

For you newbies, the second blog I wrote was about my staff and my Christmas party. Big hit with the readers; not such a big hit with the staff. So my Christmas party is off limits.

What are you guys doing for a Christmas party? I know it has been a tough year financially. Are you bagging the party all together? Are you doing it with a lot less flair?

It has been in discussion with my dad and I for a couple of weeks. What do we do?
Money has been kind of tight, but it is Christmas. I think the staff kind of know that it has been tough for shareholders, and they don't want the party to be a burden. They don't want to have a party if they can't celebrate, and how can you celebrate if things are kind of terrible?

A couple of my staff members have actually said that we don't need to have a party.
And I thought about it. I thought it would take a lot of pressure off. But after a day or two I said, "We are having a party, dammit."

The party is not for the staff. Sure, they benefit, but the party is for me. I love being able to have dinner with my people. I want to be able to look down the table and see people having a couple of drinks. I want to see people laughing and enjoying each other's company (and hopefully mine).

When God created the world and he looked at it and said, "It is good." I am not putting me and God on the same level, but I want to understand that feeling. I want to look down the table and say, "This is really good."

I want to think, "Yeah, we have had a tough year, but we made it. My staff might not look the same but the ones I have, I really like and I am happy." These are the people that I am in the trenches with everyday. I want to celebrate with them. It is time to remember the laughs and the tears that we had all year. It is time to remember all the fun people that we worked on this year. It is to remember the crazy people we survived.

To me, that's what a Christmas party is for. I might go to a less expensive restaurant. They might get a smaller presents. But by George, we are going to celebrate. And I am looking forward to it.

I hope you are, too.

Talk to you on Friday.
john