Benefiting at work from Brain Based Insights

Imagine a winter holiday as a festive opportunity to bring people, differences, and cultures together for an annual celebration. Starbucks in England, according to Rod Boothby, has a head start as it's serving Mince pies, Fruitcake, and Christmas cake, and offering golbal connectivity in 30 seconds. No wonder I love both Starbucks and England!

When Charles Dickens wrote…” I will hold Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all year,” he spoke to many of us who, like the UK Starbucks,  love the wonder and magic of Christmas traditions. The holiday season can never begin early enough for me. How about you?

Here are 10 tips to plan ahead for Christmas inclusion where you work:

1. Write on a whiteboard  “Merry Christmas” in every language represented at work. 
2. Copy one  Christmas tradition from your country of birth for small gift exchange.

3. Supply one recipe from your country or bring one to work from these favorites.
4. Copy the words to a favorite song or carols to sing or play at work in December.
5. Tell at least one Christmas joke a day – or even more if people find them funny.
6. Plan a Christmas movie for employees’ families and show a favorite holiday film.
7. Hold a contest for the best Christmas activity for any culture created by workers.
8. Design a company Christmas bookmark or card to show off  counties represented.
9. Create a bulletin board of Christmas poetry from different cultures in workplace.
10. Stump workers with brain teaser Christmas facts and offer prize for winner. 

Or, why not let Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s words build goodwill where you work this Christmas….

“I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”

I think Wadsworth would include women too, and let’s also draw in people from every culture represented where we work. We could make Christmas ten times the fun it was for Dickens or Wadsworth, and there's still time to pull it off!