In a teleconference call with Stampin’ Up! demonstrators on Wednesday, we talked about traditions, and one tradition that I mentioned is the Christmas celebrations we have at Stampin’ Up!—both at our home office in Riverton and our manufacturing facility in Kanab. We had our Riverton party yesterday, and I wanted to share a lot of photos with you and a few thoughts about these wonderful moments I get to spend with Stampin’ Up! family members.

The Riverton celebration begins with our own Stampin’ Up! choir sharing its talents with us (and they have a lot of talent to share!). They walk around the building before the official festivities begin, singing and getting people in the holiday mood. Then we all gather in the atrium for cookies and hot chocolate, while the choir sings several more songs. I love listening to our choir, and can’t imagine the holidays without them.

Then I get to share a few thoughts. This year I talked about Mom Heather, who died one year ago next week. I mentioned how strongly I feel about spending time with those you love all year long, but especially during the holidays, and how important it is that we enjoy this time of year, even if it means we have to take a project or two off our plates. And of course, I thanked everyone for everything they do to make Stampin’ Up! successful!

We also recognized Stampin’ Up! staff members who have been with us five and ten years. (We also recognize fifteen years, but this year there weren’t any in Riverton; we don’t have very man of those—yet!). We give out service awards ($500 for five-year employees and $1,000 for ten-year employees), and this year we had 64 fabulous people who have been with us this long.

One of the employees said it best when she looked around the packed atrium and said, “This is one of my favorite things we do. There’s such a great feeling of camaraderie here. For those of us who have worked at other jobs, we know how special this is, and for those whose first job is here—well, they just don’t know how lucky they are!”

I absolutely agree! I can’t express in words the love and gratitude I feel for the dedicated, gracious, and kind people we have working at both places, and to see so many of them gathered together is always overwhelming. I teared up more than once today! I’m already looking forward to next week, when we’ll enjoy a similar celebration in Kanab.