Auxiliary Santa!

For nine years I had the chance to be an immortal. Every year I would team up with the real Santa (Garret Nash) at Maritz headquarters in Fenton Missouri to take part in the family Christmas party. This was no small event, with over 5,000 people (families) showing up, it was one of those days that changed work; from work to something more.

While Garret held the prized location in the main event area in the 1400 building, I fell to the backup Santa site in Cohen Courtyard. I was always happy and excited to do this as a gift to those I worked with. It was always great to see everyone excited to be together and having fun. Both Garret and I took this responsibility seriously. We would dress and then check each other over to make sure nothing was out of place. We shared tricks like, painting our eyebrows white, and tying the beard straps tight so when the kids pulled on the beard it would not move and feel attached as our heads.

We knew the little things matter, and this could mean the difference between a memorable moment to a less than quality experience.

The best part was that my friends and teammates would send me inside facts in the weeks leading up to the Christmas party such as, “the dress Sally will be wearing is the one she wore at her spelling bee” or “Billy has been hard on his little brother” and so on. As the children walked up, I would be able to knock them off their feet in a matter of seconds with a line like “Now is this Sally, and are you wearing the dress you wore at the spelling bee…” or “So Billy you want that Transformers toy, but aren’t you being a little too tough on your brother…” That was it; the kids almost turned to jelly thinking “oh my there is an Omni-present being that knows everything I do!”

A dear friend John Schwent told me one year on the drive home that his son Aaron said, “I know that all those other Santa’s are just people helping out, but Dad that Santa at Maritz he is the real thing…”

To make this seasonal event a reality every year the whole company worked together, from the wonderful Maritz family, to the team members, to senior leaders. All working with the focused goal of community, joy and support as one.

While work can be challenging at times, with deadlines and issues I believe that we can make it more like a community with a common purpose and focus. When we give to each other in small ways (like playing Santa or just taking a teammate for a coffee when they are in a challenging spot and listening) we make work something more. The joy at work comes from service to each other and to the mission at hand.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Years!

#holiday #Joyatwork #team #santa #maritz