Life in the North West at Christmas
It’s not just about the decorations…
This year will be my first Northern Christmas, where I’m not travelling up the M6 to visit family for a few days, having moved to Southport from the South East six months ago.
For those Londoners who are curious, a Northerner’s Christmas is not much different, I think, to a Londoner’s Christmas. When they say Northerners are more friendly, they aren’t wrong; this has been demonstrated by some of the charitable work my colleagues at MSB take part in. Like last year, MSB is again collecting pyjamas for the Pyjama Party charity, which collects pyjamas for children and babies across Liverpool who are less fortunate.
This is just one direct experience of the charitable nature of my new friends and colleagues in the North West. There are regular reminders from local communities of everyone coming together to raise awareness of issues from homelessness in the city to victims of domestic abuse nationwide.
It’s my first Christmas at MSB and whilst we are all really keen to support our communities, we also support each other. To keep team spirit up, Emma Carey, MSB’s Managing Partner, challenged each of our offices to a Christmas decoration competition. Everyone has been split into teams and given a budget to make their spaces as festive as possible!
I love this idea; the firm has grown substantially this year so bringing everyone together and give newbies, like myself, a sense of being part of the MSB family shows just how inclusive it is here.
Anything goes, so we have elves hanging from the ceiling and LGBTQ+-themed trees. Some teams have even donated their full decorating budget to a charity of their choice. It has created a great sense of comradery amongst each team across all offices, with the added bonus of a bit of friendly competition which has made me feel part of the bigger picture which MSB strives to uphold.
What can you do to make someone’s Christmas a little brighter?
In the spirit of Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’, think about those who may not have so many gifts under their tree; lots of food on their table or even a roof over their head. Look at all the charities far and wide that you can donate a gift to; buy an extra bag of shopping to donate to your local food bank or spare your free time to a local shelter to bring a little cheer to those who are struggling at this time of year.
From all of us at MSB, we wish you a very happy festive season!