Christmas in July

by Peter Mate, President of Planit Canada

I can’t deny the special feeling the holidays bring. There’s something in the air – The cheerful music playing everywhere you go, the year winding down, the upcoming family time. There are just too many good things that come together at this time of year to list everything that contributes to the holiday spirit.

One of those things is charity work. It’s really amazing to see how, at this specific time of the year, people help each other; donate food, clothes, money, time and more! I can only imagine that this is a very busy time for food banks and charities.

But what happens in March? Or July? Where is our generosity with our money, time and food then? You rarely hear of companies serving the homeless in March or July. It’s always at Christmas. I sometimes wonder if we do it for the charities, or if we do it to make ourselves feel good about doing a good deed?

It’s easy to pick up a ladle in December and serve a few bowls of soup, and I’d argue that the same goes for how we treat our employees. Christmas parties, gift exchanges; the office is not the same over the holidays.

The thought I’d like to leave you with for this holiday season is the idea of carrying that energy and caring throughout the rest of the year. What if we cared about the homeless in July the same as we do in December? What if the office were just as happy a place in March as it is in December? As you ponder the year behind and the one ahead this holiday season, think about how you can spread the holiday spirit to the rest of the year. Caring for each other, appreciating a job well-done, celebrating teamwork – none of these require a decorated tree to make us feel great. We can always find ways to incorporate these feel-good habits into our company culture.

On behalf of everyone at Planit Canada, we wish you an AWESOME holiday season and a fantastic New Year filled with the same spirit of caring and celebration, even in July, as we enjoy in December.