So if you’re anything like me and you are very excited about something, you want to celebrate it.
If you are me, two of those things are Christmas and &yet.
This being my first Christmas with &yet, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. I mean, I assumed it would be nothing short of awesomeness, I just couldn’t picture it in my head.
I’m a words girl, so picturing stuff is a little difficult to begin with hipster marching band what?. But I’ve been fully immersed in this nerd-dev community for a while, so I was very curious about what style of celebration matched my team.
Would they be the traditional, Santa Claus with the big, brightly decorated tree and the leg lamp in the window kind of people?
Would they be sentimental with the nativity scene and maybe some understated classy gold and silver type scenario?
Would they be the most expected type (troll) with maybe all Star Wars decor and perhaps some homemade nyan cat ornaments?
Well, the answer is none of the above.
I asked around to find out where the holiday decor was stored, and basically the answer was, “Leave me alone, blah blah push, Github, blah blah pull request. Also can we get some more Redbull?”
I tried to skim for ideas around the office, but didn’t get very far. The hardest part was striking the right balance for my team.
Last Christmas was a very tough time for the team, dealing with some very challenging things that came out of nowhere and kind of knocked the wind out of people. The team kept high spirits, but no doubt was it stressful.
So I really wanted to do something special but not in an over the top, ostentatious way. I mean, Christmas is already a sore spot for some people, and I didn’t want to offend by any means possible.
I decided to keep it ampersand themed. Handmade at times. Understated (mostly). Emphasis on creativity and thoughtfulness.
And truthfully, the decor doesn’t matter at all. It’s the spirit of the season and expressing that celebration of gratitude toward one another that’s what matters most.
I feel so fortunate and like, inordinately blessed to work where I do with the people who I love, that having the opportunity to do something special like dream up little Christmas treats and scatter them all over our office – you know, when I put it that way, it sort of sounds like something that would happen at the office anyway.
These people already embody Christmas for me everyday, so I was super hyperactivity levels of excited to do something that would make them smile or laugh.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy our decorations and that you have the opportunity to do something to celebrate the ones you love this season.
(Yes, I cut the clouds and ampersands out by hand. Thanks for the inspiration Amy!)
