Lots of people talk about the gifts they got for Christmas (or whichever holiday they celebrate this time of year), but you don't hear very many people talking about the gifts they gave to someone else.
What's the best gift you are giving someone this year?
I got lots of responses from people and they were fun to read! Here are some of them:
The Big Buck Hunter game for a boyfriend
Homemade banana bread that is now requested every year (can we get some of that?!)
A new guitar for a brother
Batman Arkham Asylum for a boyfriend
A drum set for a 4 year old nephew (uncle is now banished from the family!)
The book "For Jayhawk Fans Only" for parents
Basketball tickets
Sweet shoes
My time and patience (might be the hardest of all for some of us!)
A Nebraska Cornhuskers snuggie for a stepmom
What about you? Add your favorite gift in the comment section. It doesn't have to be expensive or creative or particularly spectacular…just the one thing you gave someone that was perfect.
And you better not cry, because this is what happens when you do.
A few days ago, I posted the first of our annual "Elf Yourself" creations using Sandbar staff members. I explained that the video only allows up to five elves, and given that we have about 14 employees, they wouldn't all fit into one or even two videos. Even though all of the staff wasn't represented at the time, it didn't mean they wouldn't be included in the future.
Danny was heartbroken that he didn't make the cut, so I made a special Elf Yourself video just for him. I hope he appreciates it.
This post was intended to be published yesterday, but it's taken too long to recover from all the fun at our annual Christmas party, so it's late. Sorry.
Where to start?!?
Usually we ask everyone to wear ugly Christmas sweaters, but Dave wanted to kick it up a notch. We requested that all of the staff and their guests dress as their favorite holiday character- and perhaps unsurprisingly, they delivered.
I believe it was Dave who told someone "we like to not be ourselves as much as possible."
This year Dave offered a cash prize for the best costume. As if this crowd needed an incentive. All the participants lined up on the benches, and we narrowed it down to four based on applause from the crowd. The final four were John the Nutcracker, Michele as Mr. Hankie the Christmas Poo, Chris as Cousin Eddie, and me! I was the Leg Lamp from A Christmas Story.
John won the contest and Michelle came in second. Excellent costumes, guys.
Of course we had the annual White Elephant/present stealing gift game. Some people bring nice gifts; others bring crap. I'd like to point out the two especially awesome gifts in the pictures above. Thank God someone stole the toilet paper holder from Dave.
We rounded everybody up and had some of the non-costumed folks take some group shots outside the bar. Check out that variety- we had Mary and Joseph, Santas, elves, Scrooge, a couple Cousin Eddie's, Suzy Snowflake….such a creative bunch of people we have.
Towards the end of the night, we decided to do a test run of next year's Santacon. Some smart person chose the Red Lyon as our destination- which while we all love the bar, it's a million blocks away from the Sandbar. Some of us were wearing heels. And some of us- meaning John the Nutcracker- forgot our ID, and the lovely man working the door refused to let him in without it. John walked all the way back to the Sandbar to retrieve it, and all the way back to Red Lyon to have a drink with us.
Successful night. Can't wait to do it again next year.
Every year we get super excited when Elf Yourself arrives. Here's our first attempt at holiday greetings from some Sandbar elves! I gave in and upgraded my JibJab subscription this year, so many more of these are on the way. I can only put five elves in each video, so obviously these greetings don't include *all* of our staff. I'll do some more so everyone gets in there.
You might notice that Dave did "the worm" at one point in that video. Next time you see him, ask him about the time he tried to do that on a hardwood floor.
Our Man on the Street, otherwise known as Man Who Will Be Celebrating His 40th Birthday Soon, tipped us off to this event. Or rather he has been pestering us about it with video links and posts on our Facebook pages.
I finally decided to check out what was so important, and I'm glad I did. We are totally doing this in downtown Lawrence next year. We might do a test run at our annual holiday/employee appreciation party next weekend.
How fun would it be to roam around Mass Street with a huge group of Santas, scaring little kids handing out candy canes, and spreading holiday cheer?
Otherwise known as the employee and friends Christmas party, this night of fun and games takes place soon.
The last several years, we've gone with the ugly/tacky Christmas sweater idea. It's been popular. Some of us have shopped at Goodwill and JCPenney's for attire; others have raided their mom's attic for the clothes they were forced to wear while growing up.
We're changing it up just a little bit this year.
Dave decided that merely wearing an ugly sweater appliqued with snowmen wasn't quite good enough. This year, everyone is encouraged to dress up as their favorite holiday character: Santa Claus, Elf, Clark Griswold, or any number of other easily recognizable Christmas folk.
Word on the street is that Heather and fiance Ken already have their outfits. And I'll tell you right now, Dave and I will knock your socks off with our awesome craftiness.
Of course, if an actual character is too much for some to plan, a regular tacky Christmas outfit is fine. A few weeks ago, I was shopping at Goodwill for sweaters, and they had two large circular racks full of some of the best selection I've ever seen. Apparently a week later, they ran out, restocked, and ran out again.
What do you to do celebrate the holidays for your employees?
Oh, and just in case you were planning to hit The Sandbar on Sunday for some drinks: we won't be open to the public until 8:30. We need a little employee time first, but join us after 8:30 for what's certain to be a fun night!
