Monday 22 December 2014

'Tis the most (busiest) time of the Year'

Forsaking William's silver pen this time, Giles has a festive theme for this post.

In hotels and restaurants, colleagues are like family. Actually, many hospitality employees spend more time with their colleagues, and are closer to them, than their own family!

At Christmas time, hospitality is one of the industries where you actually work on Christmas Day.
The festive season is a long, tough grind in the industry, with little time for festive cheer midst very long and demanding hours. Special festive events, endless corporate and family parties coming in, themed menus, last year's tired tinsel, trying to dodge the awkwardly placed Christmas decorations, and more mince pies than ever seen before are the order of December in the industry as hospitality workets try to provide others with a 'perfect' Christmas.

From that, however, a festive theme and cheer all of its own is derived. Although far from family and friends, although far from feeling merry and festive (more like exhausted and drained), from that arises a strong festive cheer and bond between colleagues in the hotel or restaurant

Although not with your own family, and working on December 25th- you are with your second family. The whole team is all together, celebrating Chrsitmas together. Thus creates a strong bond, and a feeling of great camraderie.

Although always a very busy, demanding, and long day full of hard work- overall it is great fun. Christmas Day in the restaurant comes with spirit, good cheer, camraderie, and a festive air it. Despite working on that day, rarely do you miss out on the festivities, or the goodwill (except when serving that thirtieth plate of turkey dinner, and knowing that the Chrustmas Puddings for the eight at Table 12 are waiting, as is the wine for Table 5- and will someone shut that screaming kid up!). It is indeed a joyous day- especially for the accountants, and for profit margins.

In addition to giving festive cheer to the guests- you get strength and festive cheer from each other. Especially after the last guest has departed in a haze of goodwill and mulled wine, and the carefully placed tinsel is now decorating the floor, and the door is firmly shut. That is when festive cheer really returns, as the staff get to unwind, laugh and joke, and take it easy as the restaurant is slowly, laboriously reset after the Christmas carnage. Indeed, quite often the staff will have their own (impromptu)  Christmas gathering at that time. That is when hospitality staff really see the meaning of festive cheer, and being part of that  hospitality 'family' really becones evident.

Wishing everyone in the industry this Christmas time a very Merry Christmas. Yes, it will be hard work, and long hours- but the spirit of Christmas will be there!

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