Christmas is not necessarily religious in U.K. and everyone feels the spirit in his/her own way. On Christmas Eve, the public transport finishes its services earlier and there are not many people on the street by the evening. TEU and Toray International U.K. Ltd. (TIUK) also finish at midday. Schools have usually finished a couple of days before, and working parents need to organise some childcare arrangements, like nannies, childminders, or taking days off from work. Holiday schemes for working parents’ children are a big business here. Chidren enjoy going there as there are a lot of activities and entertainment arranged.

But this year, we invited our staff members’ children to work, when there are less commuters in the town, to share the spirit and to show our work place. Five children between 4 and 12 years old came with their parents. They seemed to be a bit shy at the beginning, but it didn’t last very long. Our boardroom was booked for them for light entertainment while we tried to finish off our work.

They now have a better understanding where we are most of the time and what we use the computers for in a busy office environment. They made new friends through our work and hope to see them again. Once we were all children. We hope that this special occasion gained a mutual respect for all parties involved.