Deck the halls (literally)

When I worked at La Mesa Junior High, my dear friend Nicole ran something called the Sunshine Club for the staff. Basically, anyone who wanted to could contribute a $10 donation, and then whenever someone on the staff had a baby, got married, or experienced some other major life event, the Sunshine Club would bestow a thoughtful gift to that person, on behalf of the entire staff. Nicole did lots of other things that weren't officially Sunshine Club duties, like put out refreshments for faculty meetings, organize a monthly Lunch Bunch, and so much more. She was (and still is!) basically the social glue of that school.

I've appointed myself to be the Sunshine Club for my office (minus the donations). I put a list together of everyone's birthdays, and I bring in cupcakes to celebrate those special days. Also, I'm going to coordinate the holiday gift exchange. And I decided we should have some wintry decorations to make our surroundings a little more festive. I wasn't given much of a budget ($20) but thanks to Walmart and the Dollar Store, I was able to pull together some pretty decent stuff. I ultimately kicked in $20 of my own, and brought some stuff from home to round it all out. Monday night I stayed late to deck the halls. Here are the fruits of my labor:




Before I left, I had to unplug everything, and since I don't get in until after everyone else in the morning, I was wondering if anyone would plug the lights in before I got there. They did!! That made me so happy. Everyone said that everything looked great, and was very happy about it. I kind of just did it, and didn't tell anyone about it beforehand, so I wasn't sure how people would react. But it was very positive.

One thing that bummed me out was I had bought a string of garland with lights already in it, and after I hung it iup and put on the red bows, I went to plug it in and it didn't work. So disappointing.


So it really warmed my heart when when my boss went through the strand, bulb by bulb, to find the one that was loose. He found it, and now it lights up, and it is just lovely! I also got a rush when the owner of the company came in later that morning and asked, "Who put up all these fantastic decorations?!" and I got to raise my hand with a big grin and say, "I did!" He was really, really pleased with it, which made my day.

At the end of the day, my boss handed me $20 to pay me back for the decorations I had bought out of my own pocket. He said thanks for doing it, it looks great, no one else would have done it, but he's glad I did. This was a big deal, because he'd been kind of Scroogey when I'd asked him for some decoration money.

I really love the people I work with; they are all so great, and I feel so fortunate to have found this job. Happy December everyone!!