Today’s Special Thing About December comes from my awesome
mother-in-law and is becoming an office tradition.
In 2012 Mom Nelson – otherwise known as Nana to the kids -- wanted
to downsize her tree a little and we wondered what to do with the suddenly
available six-foot tree that had been set up in her living room for years.
I was in my new role as community engagement specialist at
the Grand Rapids Press, and was looking for a way to bring our team together
for the holidays.
Nana’s Tree became the newest addition to the newsroom, and
everyone was asked to bring in an ornament that represented them in some way.
And, we had cookies.
The next year I was working in the Governor’s Communications
Office, and we definitely needed some holiday spirit. Nana’s Tree reappeared,
and we decided to use some Michigan-themed ornaments to decorate. We didn’t
have too many, and the tree looked a little bare. But we had some cookies.
People on the team liked the tree and the Michigan
ornaments. One of the coolest parts about my job is that we get to travel
around the state seeing things and meeting people. Everywhere we go, I try to
slip into a store and see if there are ornaments that we can add to the
collection.
From the Upper Peninsula to Detroit and all points in
between, I’ve been able to find ornaments. You’d be surprised how many are out
there once you start looking for them.
Some are mass-produced decorations, usually depicting the
Detroit sports teams. Some are craft-show creations. Some commemorate special
places or events, and some are just the shape of our state. All of them are Pure Michigan fun!
We had a Communications Office open house last year. The
team brought in treats – including cookies – and we had the ornaments on a
table. People from throughout the building were invited to come on down, have a
treat, spread some holiday cheer and hang an ornament on Nana’s Tree.
I’m in a new role in a new building this year, and I wasn’t
quite sure what the new crew would think about the tree and the ornaments. The
new guy is a little quirky. But they’re a pretty festive bunch.
So late Friday afternoon we set up Nana’s Tree in our
third-floor waiting area. By this morning, colleagues brought in some of their
own – two beautiful Pewabic tiles and a perfect Petoskey stone snowman – and
promises of more to come.
And, the folks who are in charge of our Angel Tree decided
that the gifts would be collected and placed under Nana’s Tree until it was
time to distribute them.
And, we’ll have cookies.
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