“It’s the most wonderful time of the year.”  These words from a popular song are true for members of the Olive family during Christmas time.  But what does celebrating Christmas look like at an Indian outsourcing firm? In many ways it is not too different from what many of you might experience in your workplace. Let me share with you how our team celebrates this special time of year.

To begin with, the weather is great in Hyderabad, India.  It is the only time of the year when temperatures drop down to teens (Celsius) or mid-fifties (Fahrenheit).   Secondly, it is a time when we enjoy a few days away from work.  Then there is food, especially cakes and cookies that someone might bring to share with everyone at work. Due to the holiday season there are usually fewer meetings with many of you (our clients and partners) via telephone, video or in person, so the work load seems a bit lighter during this time of the year.  But, most of all, it is a company tradition to have a grand Christmas party. 

The Olive Christmas party is usually arranged by folks who work in the HR department with active participation from all the Christians who work at Olive. In India each of the major religions receives approximately 2 holidays that are then celebrated by everyone in the country. Of course, Christmas is one that Christians receive and so all employees take Christmas day off as a holiday. For this reason the Christians on our staff see the Christmas party as a special gift they can give to all the staff and their families. 

On the day of the party we leave the office early, go home and come to the meeting venue, usually a hotel conference room, along with our families.  The room is decorated with Christmas decorations including a Christmas tree.  The program includes singing Christmas carols, skits, gifts presented by Santa Claus (usually our HR Manager wearing the Santa costume), and a Christmas message by one of our staff members or a local preacher.  To top it all, delicious Indian food is served.  It is one of the rare occasions of the year when we enjoy getting to know each other in a completely different setting.  Below are a few photos from Christmas parties in previous years.

So now that I have shared how we celebrate, we would love to hear how you and your organization celebrate Christmas. Looking forward to hearing your stories.