A cracker of a Christmas message by Nicola Moore-Miller
It’s well known that our Chief Executive Officer, Nicola Moore-Miller, is a Christmas-crazy person! As we head into office shutdown for the holiday – we close on Friday 22nd December and re-open on Tuesday 2nd January – here’s what Nicola has to say about the season’s festivities…
Company not commerciality
I love Christmas as an annual opportunity to take a welcome break from work and spend quality time with colleagues, friends and family. For me, Christmas is about being in each other’s company, sharing stories, reminiscing on Christmases past, making new memories, eating food and partying.
The idea of gathering people together is epitomised in lots of Christmas songs, from Chris Rea’s ‘Driving Home For Christmas’ to Bing Crosby’s ‘I’ll Be Home For Christmas’. For me, then, as for countless others, Christmas signifies people.
There’s no getting away from the commercial side of the season. While I don’t buy into commerciality for the most part, I do actually love all-things sparkly and I do take great pleasure in giving gifts that I know are going to make the receiver smile.
Nicola with her daughter, Eva, and dog, Benson
Culinary creativity
As someone who’s usually rushing around attending to work, family and social commitments, I tend to get very little time for immersing myself in cooking. Preparing dishes, and watching my family and friends enjoy them are my passions too, just like my Gran used to do.
Generally speaking, Christmas brings an extended leave of absence from the typical work-life routine. Even more so for me this year as I’m breaking up from work on Monday 18th December. I’m excited to utilise this downtime with my nearest and dearest – in and out of the kitchen.
Relax, recuperate and re-energise
As already mentioned, I’m finishing work early and don’t intend to return to the office until January. I have personal reasons for this decision. 2023 has been a tricky year. So, I plan to embrace the festivities wholly and start 2024 as I mean to go on.
Whilst I don’t subscribe to New Year’s resolutions as such, I’m committed to making better choices in 2024 – to maintain a healthier work-life balance, thrive both on and off the clock, prioritise wellbeing and self-care, and avoid burnout. Stress and its accompanying feelings of anxiety have sadly crept in this year. I’m determined next year will be different.
Season of goodwill
At Jayva, we’ve opted not to send gifts to clients and associates this Christmas. Instead, we’re donating money to charities who’ve helped members of the Jayva team as individuals and as a company over the course of the past months. The first charity is Macmillan Cancer Support; chosen because two members of the wider Jayva family have undergone cancer treatment recently. Macmillan’s raison d'etre is to do whatever it takes to help those with cancer to live as fully as they can and we want to support this mission.
A big element of Christmas is health and happiness, including mental health which I’ve previously touched upon. I’ve learned lots about mental health lately by witnessing first-hand how it’s impacted people I care about deeply. It’s even affected me. Thankfully, the love of my family and my love for them has gotten me through and I’m hopefully now strong enough to help those around me still in the midst of difficult times.
That’s why the second charity is Mind; an organisation dedicated to supporting those experiencing mental health problems. Let’s face it, Christmas isn’t all sparkles, delight and togetherness for everybody. Whilst I’m incredibly lucky in my own personal circumstances, there are equally as many people in our communities and friendship groups who are in exact polar-opposite positions.
Sadly, many of the Jayva team have been affected by suicide with the loss of partners, siblings and loved ones who’ve taken their own lives. This year, I’m acutely aware of how hard Christmas is for people who suffer negative and, in the worst cases, suicidal thoughts, and how devastating it is for everyone. Over Christmas, I’ll be reflecting upon this and thinking about the reality that many wake up on Christmas morning unable to escape from their own mind.
Nicola enjoying a festive glass of wine
2024 incoming
I deliver a strong message of hope for 2024. It’s a significant year for me in terms of setting clearer boundaries between work and life – and sticking to them this time. It’s also a momentous year for Jayva as it’s our tenth birthday. We’ve got some strategic projects in the pipeline which are due for imminent launch. One of the campaigns nearing fruition is ten initiatives to celebrate our ten years in business. Absolutely watch this space.
In the meantime, for those celebrating, I wish you and yours a very merry Christmas and happy New Year. For those not celebrating, but getting much-needed time out, I hope you experience peace and happiness over the holiday period.
I’m excited about what 2024 has in store.
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