Do you decorate your studio for the December holidays? We do. We don't go overboard but we do have a bit of spirit about it. For example, we decorate the skeleton, hanging huge Christmas balls inside the abdominal cavity and we also hang misteltoe and kiss kiss kiss our way through the season.
Last year, although I can't specifically recall the precise reason for it, we didn't send Christmas Cards even though I'd bought boxes of beautiful cards on sale, as I usually do every year right after the holiday, but we never got around to actually getting them signed and mailed.
This year, I committed to not only doing a better job on getting our own cards done and mailed but I also decided to try and help our clients get through their holiday crush a little more smoothly.
I figured none of us needs to crowd our busy December calendar with yet another party where we dress up in uncomfortable clothes and stand around all night eating and drinking too much. I figured our clients would appreciate having time together at the holidays BUT not spending it in a strictly social fashion. After all, this is Seattle and we're known for getting stuff done so I decided to have two holiday gatherings that would help our clients do just that. Get stuff done. And we did.
Back at the beginning of December we hosted in the studio a Christmas Card Get it Done night, where our clients brought in their cards, we all sat around work tables (the 6 foot folding kind, about $60 at Staples), we put out small bowls with moist sponges and tons of different colored markers and gel pens, I bought a ton of holiday postage stamps at the post office and clients reimbursed me for however many they used, we played Christmas music real loud on the surround sound system and we drank. We drank quite a bit.
At the end of the evening, everyone's cards were done, stamped sealed and I dropped them off in the big box at the main post office which is right down the street from the studio.
Last night we had a Wrap Party, clients brought their gifts to wrap, we used the massive industrial rolls of white craft paper I have in the studio (to pull across the 80 feet of dry erase board for presentations), I bought about $300 of rubber stamps with all manner of religious and non-secular holiday images, ink pads in green, red, silver and gold, we set up the work tables, had scissors and tape set out plus wine. Lots of wine.
We were supposed to dress like Rappers and I was supposed to tune in a Rap station on XM but nobody besides me dressed like a rapper (it seems I was dressed as I usually am and it just so happens dressing like I usually do puts me in the wanna-be-a-rapper category - I must get to the bottom of this as I fear I'm too old to be guilty of this type of fashion behavior. I digress.) and we all decided not to change the radio station from the lovely Traditional Christmas Music one we've been enjoying since the beginning of the month.
We decorate two trees in the studio every year, one up in the loft and the other on a small table in the waiting area. Clara used to decorate the tree in the original Pilates studio and we love doing our part to keep her tradition alive.
Jewish, Christian, Wicken, Agnostic, Muslim, Purposely Uncommitted. We have them all, we love them all and all of us together we celebrate Hanukwanzmus, each and every year as they, one after another, fly on by.
Later on tonight I'm jetting off to St. Pete, Florida for mom's funeral which is 12/20 and I'm sticking around St. Pete for the holidays. It will be my first time home for Christmas in over 12 years. I'm not sure what I'll do with myself with nobody to teach, nobody to learn from and just miles and miles of sugar white sand to occupy my rattled mind. But I'll figure it out.
I carry you with me and we're going to the beach, Pass-a-grille, to be specific!
Much love, peace and gentleness to you and yours in the new year and all the way through. God Bless.