Monday, November 24, 2008

Blending part 2


I recently posted about the idea of blending life and work as opposed to trying to balance them. Offline I had some interesting discussions about people’s thoughts in response to this idea. One friend pointed out that it’s different for a business owner to live a blended life, as they have a greater connection and usually a greater reward from the business. That, of course, business owners would live and breath by the success of their business because it’s “their baby”.

In my prior post, I wasn’t trying to advocate for “24/7 workaholism” nor was I meaning to imply that people should not be focused on their families, friends or themselves and put work completely aside at times. All are important to living a healthy lifestyle, being rejuvenated and exploring all aspects of life. Instead I was advocating the idea of viewing yourself as a person who has a family and friends, hobbies and a career, someone connected to many different communities…that the various aspects of your life do not have to be separate from each other and specifically from work. That at times you’ll spend more time at work than in other areas of your life and at other times you’ll work less so that you can volunteer your time for your child’s school project or to take time off to care for a friend in need. The balance of where your energy and focus lies will shift. But during all of these activities you are learning, connecting and doing things that inevitably impact other areas of your life.

At the Boston Pink Magazine Conference in October, Marilyn Carlson Nelson of Carlson Cos, reflected upon all of the life goals she has had and achieved. She noted that early on she knew that she could have it all and do it all…but that she just couldn’t do it all and have it all at the same time.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Seven Cycles


So many people ask us what the strangest thing we were ever asked to do is. Unfortunately, we don’t have too many juicy, sensational stories for them (and we probably wouldn’t tell you even if we did!) but what has continued to be exciting are the projects that we find ourselves working on that we would have never guessed that we would have been called upon for when we founded Fini Concierge. Every once in a while I plan on highlighting such a project – to give you more of a flavor of what we’re doing everyday at Fini!

One such project is my ongoing involvement in the recruiting efforts of Seven Cycles. Seven Cycles is the largest exclusively custom bike frame builder in the world, headquartered right here in Watertown. We had the opportunity to start working with Rob Vandermark, CEO and Founder of Seven Cycles, 3 years ago, helping him primarily with personal projects. In the spring of 2007 he presented us with a challenge – help him with the recruitment of an executive administrative assistant. Amazingly, Rob had worked for over 8 years as the CEO of Seven Cycles without any admin support partly because he had been so disheartened with candidates during past searches with and without the help of professional recruiters. Rob trusted us with this project because we had developed such a strong working relationship with him and knew his working style. In an effort to get Rob the help he needed right away, we had one of our team members, Marissa, work part time at Seven to help pave the transition for the new full time assistant. It took us several months but we were successful in helping to find the right match for Rob – and we’re so happy to say that she is still working with Rob – because it makes Rob’s life easier but also because Denise is so awesome to work with!

So most people would get why Rob would ask for our assistance on helping him hire an executive admin, but most people wouldn’t imagine why Rob would have continued to ask for our help to fill other positions at Seven. I’m first to admit that I’m not a regular on a bike (although inspired by all of my time at Seven I did ride 30 miles for the MS Ride in NYC two years ago!) and didn’t have much knowledge of the frame building industry. But I’ve learned a lot and hiring goes way beyond technical knowledge. Although we certainly are just a small part of the team and don’t take credit for the successful hires they’ve had over the last 18 months, our role is to help them manage and facilitate the process…and as any of you who do your own hiring know, it can certainly be a frustrating and long process!

Even more valuable than the recruiting lessons I’ve learned while a member of Seven’s recruitment team, I’ve been inspired by Seven Cycles and the people who work there. As is evidenced by vast media coverage and positive reviews of its bikes, Seven Cycles is synonymous with unparalleled quality, precision workmanship, design innovation and handcrafted customization. All immensely impressive. What continues to impress me is the dedication that the Seven team has to the mission of Seven -- crafting each bike to meet the needs of its’ rider with uncompromising service. I feel honored to work as part of their team and especially to have such close dealings with Rob, whose knowledge, passion and devotion to his business is unrivaled…and who always looks for the opportunity to share his expertise with others.

So although Seven hires me to help them, often days I wonder if it’s me who’s making out on this one as I continue to learn a great deal from them.

Interested in working at Seven Cycles? Check out: http://www.sevencycles.com/career/index.php.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

The Holidays have arrived!


I can tell you that the holidays have officially arrived. How do I know? In addition to the Christmas music playing non-stop on a couple of radio stations, the decorated stores and the barrage of toy commercials on the TV, I’ve spent several hours this week wrapping gifts for one client and sending them to her family overseas.

This is one of my favorite times of year. Despite the arrival of the cold weather, I enjoy all the festivities that happen between Thanksgiving and the New Year. At Fini, it’s our busiest season as we help clients with all aspects of the holidays from gift shopping and wrapping to decorating and planning parties, plus last minute holiday travel.

It’s also a time for reflection. The year has gone by so fast and there are less than six weeks left before 2009! I’m not so committed to the idea of New Year’s Resolutions, but every year I do set goals and think about where I’d like to be at the end of that year, both professionally and personally. With only a few weeks left, I better get working on some of them!

Before you get swept up in the festivities of the season, take some time to think about how you want to finish off 2008…and start towards a wonderful 2009.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Blending


I had the opportunity to attend the 4th Annual Pink Magazine Conference on October 14th. Panelists included Jody Adams, Rialto Restaurant and Bar, Irene Chang Britt, Campbell USA, Julie Gilbert, Best Buy and Marilyn Carlson Nelson, Carlson Cos. The panel focused on what made each of these women so successful and the lessons learned along each of their journeys. I took away many interesting lessons from the discussion, more of which I will share in future posts. I think that their wisdom is applicable to men and women and to people in all stages of their careers.

The inevitable question that always seems to be asked when professionally successful women are being interviewed is the whole issue of work life balance and how they manage to do both.

Blend and not balance was the way that Irene Chang Britt described her solution to answering the demands of work and family. Instead of trying to keep them separate, which for many of us (me included, especially when your husband is also your business partner!) is impossible. She gave examples of how she made choices to integrate the two, looking at all of it as her LIFE, not squeezing each activity into the work or personal category. She talked about how on many an occasion she took her daughter to work with her, utilizing the opportunity to talk with her about business and her role. People could view this as putting her work before her time with her daughter. But as a result her daughter has grown up with an amazing entrepreneurial spirit which has manifested itself into organizing her young peers into fundraising efforts to help the people in Darfur.

The idea of blending is in conflict with how many of us have worked and lived. There’s guilt about always “being connected” or keeping the Blackberry on the bedside table. Yet in reality the two are usually not separate. We form relationships and partnerships that transcend both the work and personal aspects of our lives, we meet business contacts at social events and through lessons learned at work become better friends, partners and parents.

Blending is a more flexible way to view life and truly more realistic. Most of us can’t turn off our thoughts about work just because we’ve left the office nor can we avoid personal aspects of our lives needing attention during our work day. Viewing life as a blend lets each of us off the hook from always worrying about which side of the scale we’re on.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Cleaning out your closets


It happens a couple of times a year – the need to clean out your closets and purge all of that “stuff” you’ve been keeping for who knows why. The inspiration hit me this past Saturday and I spent the entire day going through old clothes, desk drawers and my food pantry. About half way through with the closets, my home in a complete state of disarray, I paused, mystified as to why I started this project in the first place. I came close to quitting, but could barely find enough floor space to walk to the door so kept at it.

At the end of the day, I felt a sense of accomplishment and our home definitely felt “lighter.” Seeing all of our unwanted stuff that we don’t use always makes me feel glad that I can pass it along to someone who could really use my clothes or home items more than me. After all, having it under my bed does no good. I happily dropped off six bags at Goodwill on Monday morning.

The helping hand of Fini Concierge is often the “inspiration” (if you can call it that!) that our clients need. Some of our clients ask us to go through closets or basements with them and others have us weed through, sort and organize their stuff so that they can then make the decision to keep or pass items along to someone else or the junk pile. One of the steps that is most helpful to people is our coordination of the “getting rid phase.” It could be picking up items for donation to local charities – home items, construction related leftovers, clothes, or arranging for a junk removal service or charity organization to come and pick up certain items.

Because we can all relate to having a couple of bags of donations sitting in our spare room for months -- never making it out the door.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Save that Number


One of my greatest frustrations comes when I know that I’ve been in too much of a rush to do something simple that will save me lots of time and aggravation later. A simple example of this is saving someone’s contact information in the right place – in my Outlook or on my cell phone.

You know what I’m talking about, right? You’re trying to call back someone that called you last Thursday in the afternoon so you scroll through your phone’s call log and accidently, dial at least one person who isn’t the right one. Now you have to make excuses, “Sorry, I dialed the wrong number, but yes, how are you…” How embarrassing.

Five minutes later, you’re running late and a call that should have taken you two minutes now is taken much longer. Yet, you still don’t know the number! Can you tell that this has happened to me at least once or twice?

I’ve made a new promise to myself. I’m always going to save contact information in the appropriate place starting now.

If you feel my pain, take the pledge!

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Keepers of the Lists


I’m reading David Allen’s book “Getting Things Done.” His book outlines methods to increase your organization and therefore, productivity. I’m only on Chapter 2 so I’m sure I’ll have more to share as I delve deeper into his ideas.

So many of us walk around with endless lists in our heads of projects we need to get to and lists of tasks we need to check off. Allen describes this as one major barrier to being organized and getting things done. Our short term memories can only hold a limited amount of information. We clog it up when trying to keep these lists creating distraction, overwhelm and stress.

Allen also talks about the way in which we define our to-do lists. We often make a list of general projects – mom’s birthday or re-do kitchen – as opposed to defining the next step of a project as an action item:

“the real problem is a lack of clarity and definition about what a project really is, and what the associated next-action steps required are.”

He theorizes that establishing action items for outstanding projects and documenting those actions is a key to both getting them off of your mind so that you can focus on the task at hand and having a to-do list that is relevant.

In addition to reflecting on my own organizational skills it’s an important role that Fini Concierge plays in many of our client’s project/to-do list management. We have become a valuable tool in shaping our client’s to-do list into actionable items.
Working with Fini Concierge, clients can organize their life into actionable items by:

Regular Meetings – Schedule a consistent time to speak with Fini Concierge each week by phone or in person to download your to-do list. It also serves as a placeholder for clients to check in with themselves on the various aspects of their lives and talk things through.

The Fini List – Several of our clients have adopted a list that they keep with them, on their computer or in a notebook, that they review during their week. Clients jot down items that they want to pass along to us. It’s helpful as it gets the items out of their head and they don’t have to remember all of those tasks when they see us.

The Quick Email or Voicemail
– As we all know, thoughts come to us at some of the strangest times. As Allen says, if we have a to-do in our head, our brain doesn’t know when to remind us of it or when to do something about it so it keeps popping up, and distracting us from other tasks. Shooting Fini Concierge a quick email, even if the whole project is not completely explained or leaving us a voicemail in the middle of the night is not uncommon from our clients because they know then that it is safely documented.

Fini Concierge serves as the “keepers of the list” for many of our clients. I can’t tell you how many clients have said with a sigh of relief – “Okay, that’s on your list now and I can forget about it, right?” And they can.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Life as a problem solver


We’re problem solvers.

The “come up with a creative solution to this specific problem” problem solvers, yes, we do that everyday. But what I’m referring to is the “staying on a problem until its fixed” type of problem solvers. Our client’s rely on us for our persistence and ability to see projects through until completion.

We pride ourselves on our resolve -- daily phone calls, insistent questions, detailed follow up -- the most professional forms of persistence.

Everyone has experienced the frustration of calling customer service call centers. Dealing with the endless wait times, talking to representatives who haven’t been schooled in customer service, and the frustration of a manager not being available to get a matter resolved. You’d imagine that no one would sign up willingly to tackle these types of tasks because they can be maddening. But we do! Our clients can’t wait to pass these seemingly small projects to us because these calls often produce so much stress and feel like such a complete waste of time. Yet they need to get done!

We still get miffed at companies or service professionals who just don’t seem to care about their work. The ones who don’t show up for an appointment and don’t bother to call, or do show up but don’t complete their work properly requiring a second visit. It’s important to our clients that we know how to handle these difficult situations and that we solve the problem for them.

Have you had a difficult experience with a company or service professional that you would like to share with us?


Monday, August 11, 2008

If anyone gets it, I do!



As you may be aware, I’ve been absent from my blog for a few months. I haven’t abandoned the Fini Concierge blog, but the truth is, I’ve been so busy that I haven’t found the time to write. Does that sound familiar to you?

Despite my lack of writing, I find solace in that I truly understand the need that Fini Concierge client’s have because most days I feel like I could use a personal concierge myself! I can honestly say that I understand and I think that makes me and the team at Fini Concierge better at what we do by helping other people and providing some relief.

People frequently ask me if my own life is well-organized. While I would like to say, “yes”, it couldn’t be farther from the truth. As they say, the cobbler’s children always have holes in their shoes. It’s true that it’s a lot more rewarding and fun for me to grocery shop for someone else or organize a client’s closet than my own. It also gives me great satisfaction at the end of the day to know that we completed a job well and as a result a client was able to spend some time with their child at the park or arrive to a well organized and unpacked new home. Or my favorite, that a client just sat on their couch and relaxed for a few minutes because of the help we provided.

The word “busy” means a lot more now since my husband and I started Fini Concierge. Notwithstanding the craziness that it adds to my own life, I truly still enjoy how we help people.

So, my goal is to get back to blogging starting with this post…stay tuned!

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Going Green…trying to do our part!


With global warming, oil prices, melting ice caps and recycling headlines in our daily news, we couldn’t help but commit to finding ways that we could go green.

Cutting our consumption of gas isn’t an option but we have found a way to reduce the amount of paper and plastic consumption on our daily grocery shopping trips for clients.

We have decided to invest in reusable shopping bags that our team can use on each visit to the grocery store. We’re still offering to bag groceries in plastic or paper bags for clients who request them – for their personal use at home.

It’s a little step but we think that every step counts!

We’re interested in finding out strategies that you personally use or your company uses…how are you “going green”?

Friday, April 11, 2008

In a Rush?


In a Rush? Always feel like you’re in a hurry? Too much to do, not enough time? Most people we know would answer yes to all three of these questions. We think it’s one of the most widespread challenges of our time. This challenge is exactly the reason that we founded Fini Concierge – to provide an option for people to take advantage of, if and when they needed it, with the goal that our clients feel that they have more time and less to do.

We frequently read articles that touch on aspects of this phenomenon – too much technology, work-life balance, working parents, “having it all”, sleep deprivation, the culture of wanting it all, NOW!

I’m a firm believer that life is all about choices. The article “In a Rush? Learn to Ease Hurry Sickness” written by Maggie Jackson appearing in Sunday’s Boston Globe talks about just that…choosing to proactively combat the constant rush of life. Her article touches on the health effects that rushing has on a person. Many of us know too much about the mental and emotional effects that always trying to do too much can have, not to mention the toll on relationships with friends and families.

It’s not an easy life pattern to change but small steps can have a big impact on how you feel every day. Yoga, reading a book (for pleasure, not work!), meditation, locking your cell phone in a drawer for an hour each day or outsourcing…there are lots of choices to help slow down the pace of the internal race we’re running, even if for just a little while.

To read Maggie Jackson’s article, “In a Rush? Learn to Ease Hurry Sickness” click on the following link: “In a Rush? Learn to Ease Hurry Sickness”

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

What's the weirdest request you've ever gotten?



People always ask us at Fini Concierge, “What’s the weirdest request you’ve ever gotten?” We often struggle to find an answer because we honestly don’t find our client’s requests strange…for the most part they are just projects that come up in people’s everyday lives.

On the other hand, there are definitely projects that we wouldn’t have been able to imagine that we would have been tasked with.

Below is a list of the top 10 most common requested projects and a top 5 of projects that we wouldn’t have imagined.

10 Most Requested Projects:

  • Dry Cleaning
  • Groceries
  • Car Service
  • Hire home contractor i.e. plumber, electrician, handyman
  • Book an airline or hotel reservation
  • Organizing a room or closet
  • Waiting for a home contractor i.e. cable tech, furniture deliveries, security company
  • Gift ideas and purchasing i.e. birthdays, hostess, corporate gifts
  • Peace of mind check in on homes while owners are out of town
  • Coordinating home moves

5 Projects We Wouldn’t Have Imagined We’d Have The Chance to Work On:

  • Purchasing a messenger pigeon for a client
  • Meeting the top of a wedding cake that was shipped on a bus (with no passenger) and delivering it for a couple’s first wedding anniversary
  • Providing player support to the Boston Lobster’s Professional Tennis Team
  • Recruiting and hiring support for vacancies at client’s companies
  • Leasing a car for a client






Friday, February 29, 2008

Some Recent Stories in the News featuring Fini Concierge:

Fini Concierge appeared in the November 29 issue of the Boston Globe

Present Company
By Erin Byers Murray, Globe Correspondent

The holiday gift-giving games are well under way. You've mapped out treasures forthe spouse, the kids, mom, dad. But it doesn't stop there. Every year, it seems, the list of people to buy for grows: there's the helpful neighbor, the baby sitter, the colorist who gets your face-framing highlights just right.

Our multitasking ways only make things more complicated. "Technology has broken down all boundaries of time and space," says Edward Hallowell, psychiatrist and author of "CrazyBusy: Overstretched, Overbooked and About to Snap!" "We're one keystroke away from everything that can be bought and we can do so much more in a minute or an hour than ever before."
And so we do, sometimes buying for people we know only peripherally because we think we should or, heck, because time is tight and it's just one more item in the cart. Even professional shoppers agree it may be time to reassess.

"Our circles widen each year, but you have to stop and think about the people you interact with on a regular basis," says Chantal Boxer, cofounder of Fini Concierge, who spends the season shopping for a number of clients who don't have time to do it themselves. "You don't need to give gifts to everyone you know."

But where do you draw the line?

"This is the time of year to make a list," says Jodi R. R. Smith, president of Mannersmith, an etiquette consulting firm. "Pretend you have an unlimited budget and write down everyone you would give gifts to. Cast a wide net. Then start thinking strategically and making changes."
Say you and an old friend from childhood exchange gifts every year but you live in different states and hardly see each other. Smith says: "In one of our frequent e-mails, I might say, 'Hey, why don't I just treat you to dinner next time you're in town?' If there's an established pattern, address it and make a change."

That isn't to say you should eliminate gifts altogether, especially to the people who make your life easier on a daily basis. The dog walker, nanny, concierge, the security guy in your building - many of these people deserve end-of-the-year tips. And that's something you can budget throughout the year, says Smith. "If it's hard to budget that out at this time of year, you might even split the tips up, giving one at the holidays and one on the Fourth of July," she says. "It's not fair to cheat them if you didn't budget well."

Likewise, even a small gift is better than a snub. "When in doubt, give something," says Boxer. "It shows your appreciation but doesn't have to be large. A $25 gift card to Anna's Taqueria is still a great gift." The easiest way to take care of a number of people on your list is to buy a large quantity of one or two items, which you can tie bows around and hand out as you see people throughout the season, she adds.

"It's really about acknowledging people," says Doug Gates, owner of Showroom Boston, a contemporary furniture and kitchen gallery in the South End. "And thanking them for all they've done over the past year."

Gates shows his appreciation to clients and friends by giving them all the same handpicked home accessory. "I usually find something that is beautiful and can work in any environment, such as a vase or a decanter," he says. He then buys 20 or 30 of them.

"The most important thing, though, is the handwritten card," he says, adding that he uses cards made by local company Obsessive Compulsive Design. "That way each one is specific to that friend. It's personalized."

Betty Riaz, who owns the Stil fashion boutiques, says her list has grown tremendously in the four years she's owned - and expanded - her business. Employees, business colleagues, even deliverymen, are part of her circle."You really do have to have a formula. It's a matter of being organized but you have to be thoughtful, too," she says, which is why for the past three years she's gone to pen and writing accessories store Montblanc to buy her employees leather gifts, like credit-card holders, embossed with their initials. The UPS and mail delivery people will get Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts gift cards. She also has seven nieces and nephews who live in California and abroad, so she'll buy them all the same thing, like personalized sleeping bags, which she'll order online to be wrapped and delivered directly.

For Michela Larson, co-owner of Rocca Kitchen and Bar, the holidays remain her favorite time of year, despite the stress of gift giving."I've done a couple things to make it easier," she concedes, especially when it comes to friends. For her "book club" (they don't read many books, but do get together on a regular basis), she says they'll all make donations to a charity in each others' names rather than buy something. "You want to let them know that you're thinking about them without necessarily adding another thing to their life."

Larson also spends one day during the holidays shopping with two of her girlfriends. It started as a shopping trip for their families, but last year they started buying one gift for each other instead. "We wander down Charles and Newbury streets and have a meal together," she says. "It's very lovely and memorable. And it's no longer about shopping, it's about each other."


Fini Concierge appeared in the Winter issue of Upscale Living Magazine

Fini Concierge Hectic Helpers helps you get the job(s) done!
By Matt Robinson

To say that we all lead busy lives is a drastic understatement! Even so, full-time help may be difficult to justify. Thankfully, there’s a very happy, new medium. Its name is Fini Concierge. Fini Concierge is committed to providing clients with the support and assistance they need to better manage their time and quality of life. Their clients also gain two, most precious gifts: time and peace of mind. This company was started by two formerly-harried people — a husband-and-wife team. They came from the real estate and not-for-profit sectors, respectively. Fini Concierge is not some disconnected service. It is an empathetic offering from people who have been there, and who, on occasion, may go back themselves. "We were both busy professionals who basically had same needs as our clients," explains co-founder Chantal Boxer. "We were running in so many different directions with too much to do and not having time to get it all done. We wanted and needed to make a different choice about how to live our lives."

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

The Dilemma of Taking a Vacation

We just returned from a week long vacation. As small business owners taking vacation is hard. Because Eddie and I are married (and like to vacation together!) and the co-founders of Fini Concierge, when we go on vacation it is a greater challenge to the team than if just one of us was gone.

I know that it is hard for a lot of people to take off, leaving their work behind, whether they own the business or not. But for business owners, and especially small business owners, I think there are several additional layers of challenge when they are away from their businesses. Will things run smoothly if you are not there to support your team? What if an emergency happens? How do you account for loss of revenue if you are not there to generate business? Not to mention the loss of control that we feel.

We took our first week long vacation last year when we only had one staff person working with us. It turned out to be one of the best things we ever did. Not only did it give us a break that we really needed but it also gave her the chance to be in control -- to successfully problem solve, deepen her relationships with client’s and instilled a new level of confidence in her own abilities.

And we’re always so pleasantly surprised at how happy our clients are that we’re going away – provided that we’re coming back! You deserve it! Enjoy yourselves! And have fun! are the sorts of responses that we get to our announcement that we’ll be away. Of course, it’s impossible to turn your brain totally off when on vacation. At dinner we’d find ourselves discussing clients or goals for the next year and even when on the beach I find my mind drifting to things I’ll work on when I get back. But that’s not all bad as it does give you a different perspective on things then when you’re bogged down in the thick of it.

We founded Fini Concierge based on the principles that people should have a choice to live life differently – to have help when and if they want it -- to make life easier and less stressful. We strive to help people feel that they have balanced lifestyles and that includes vacation and time off to rejuvenate and focus on themselves and those that are special to them. If we don’t do the same we’re not living what we are trying to help create for others. So this year, with a larger team to bear the burden of our absence, it was that much easier to leave know that they’d do great without us…and we really enjoyed our time away!

Chantal

Buried under Lights, Garland, Gifts and Wrapping Paper!

Soon after excitedly launching our blog in October, we found ourselves in the midst of the holidays. You’ll have to forgive our blog absence.

Thanksgiving through New Years is a very busy time for everyone, which also means that the Fini Concierge team is called upon more than usual by our clients. We find ourselves buried in gifts, wrapping paper, Christmas trees, lights and holiday cards!

Although many of us (me included) make a vow to start our shopping and card addressing early, most of us break our promise to not make the season any more stressful than it needs to be and end up waiting longer than we should to start tackling our holiday lists. This is why I totally sympathize with some of our clients who are still making requests for help with holiday preparations just days (and sometimes even hours!) before their holiday celebrations.

But despite the stress and rush of the season, it’s actually fun and rewarding to help people with all of their holiday tasks. This year we put up nearly a dozen Christmas trees and hung our fair share of wreathes and garland. We bought countless gifts, addressed hundreds of holiday cards and wrapped dozens and dozens of packages. There were many hours spent in lines to send off packages at the post office and UPS. We helped coordinate several corporate outings and festive holiday parties.

Then of course there’s the clean up. The returning of gifts, the break down and storage of holiday decorations and the last minute travel plans to get away for New Years.

It’s a tiring time of year but at the end of the season we feel good about being part of what is a happy and magical time. We get the chance to help people to surprise a loved one with that perfect gift they’ve been dying for or take the hassle out of buying and putting up a Christmas tree when their time is more happily spent decorating it with their kids. Throwing a holiday bash is possible because someone had some help pulling together all the small details and a co-worker gets recognized with a thoughtful gift because they didn’t have to find the time to purchase it.

The details that we take care of during the holiday season are often those tasks that people dread but we’re a part of the spirit and thoughtfulness that makes the season special.

What do you enjoy most about the holidays? How could an “additional” hand help you out during the season?
-Chantal