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All is Calm, All is Bright

At Carlton Business Centre, we have decided to break our ‘No Tree’ tradition and have a tree in our reception area this year.  Since the tree has been up, there has been a lot of comments and compliments regarding the choice of colour, its corporate baubles and its early presence (as “it’s not even December yet!”). However, the best comment I had was a client who said that during these winter months its so dark, gloomy and miserable outside it cheered them up so much to see the lights and cheerfulness of the tree.

Now that made me happy.

It got me thinking about why we put trees and decorations up?  Not everyone celebrates Christmas for religious or personal reasons, it’s a fuss, it costs money and time to put them up so…

Why it is important to have Christmas decorations in the workplace?

Traditionally the green fir tree has been used for celebrating winter festivals (pagan and Christian) for thousands of years, the first use of a tree at Christmas is documented to go back as far as 1441 in Estonia and Latvia. For Christians, it is a sign of everlasting life. Pagans used branches in their homes during the winter solstice to remind them of the spring that will come.

In the UK the tradition of bringing trees indoors was made popular by the royal family in the 1800’s, specifically Queen Charlotte, who was the German wife of King George III.  The tradition then carried on to Queen Victoria who set trends for many things including the use of candles on the tree.  This impressed the ‘hoi-polloi’, and everyone wanted to have a candle lit tree in the parlour and the rest is history.

In Calne, we will have the traditional Christmas Festival and lantern parade followed by the Christmas light switch on and firework finale.  The shops and restaurants are busily putting up trees and window displays in anticipation for a great crowd of young and old to gaze in wonder at the annual spectacle. This is an important event for the community, it not only is it economically good for independent businesses but is also good for the people of Calne, its good for mental health and combating loneliness in general.

Embracing Christmas as a business

Here are the reasons why we at Carlton Business Centre are wrapping both arms around Christmas 2019 and giving it a big hug and saying Yes to Santa and No to Bah-humbug Scrooges…

Little baby cabbages

Brussel sprouts are rich in antioxidants, high in fibre, and with 4 million people in the UK living with diabetes helps maintain healthy blood sugar levels and also contains 300% of the RDA of cancer-protective vitamin K.  Get stuck in to the little green beasts to keep your team healthy and productive.

“Last Christmas I gave you my heart”

Studies show that your brain lights up when we give and receive and when you receive a gift, the brain releases the feel-good chemical dopamine.  But, most importantly when giving a gift, the brain still releases dopamine AND the ‘cuddle hormone’ Oxytocin.  This proves that giving is better than receiving. Time to organise those Secret Santa gifts for the office.

“Bonnet de Douche, Mange tout!”

Watching Only Fools and Horses re-runs is actually good for you! Being stressed reduces your infection fighting powers by 40% and can trigger migraines, IBS and sickness related absences. Relaxing and laughing boosts your health. In fact, a belly laugh lowers your blood pressure and cholesterol and boosts your immune system by 40% according to an American study.

Christmas Jumper day 2019

Having a bit of fun in the office can take the stress out of our day to day lives, we at Carlton Business Centre will be taking part in The Christmas Jumper Day on 13th December for Save the Children and will try to raise money for a good cause and bringing everyone in the building together.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year “

We want to let our clients know they are important to us. Studies show that workers who feel valued are more likely to work harder for their employer. Even if team members do not celebrate Christmas, the general Christmas Cheer shared with others gives an uplift in productivity. Happy employees are productive employees. People respond to environments that are bright and full of colour. Red and orange spark creativity, engagement and innovation and blue and green is calming, soothing, and makes you feel secure and trusting

“All I want for Christmas is you”

At Carlton Business Centre, we provide an important service to the community and beyond. We have economically priced meeting rooms, excellent training room facilities and co-working spaces for those that need a warm comfortable office with WI-FI, tea, coffee and complimentary mince pies in the month of December. We pride ourselves on first impressions, and to have a working environment to suit the festive feeling reflects on us.  Potential clients coming to visit should know that we care about them and all our existing tenants and we want your experience and time spent at Carlton House to be positive.

 MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE AND A VERY PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR FROM EVERYONE AT CARLTON BUSINESS CENTRE