The End of Off Season

Today marks the middle of the month of October. Twelve times a year I am surprised when we get to this point of the month so quickly. No complaints as there are many great things that happen on the 15th, most notably pay day. And if it were December 15, we would be a mere six days away from the celebration of my birth! Regardless of how we feel each time the 15th of the month rolls around, it puts us that much closer to our busy time to year.

Two months and ten days from today is Christmas day. As a member of the National Christmas Tree Association and the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation staff teams, it means this is one of our busiest time of year. When many businesses begin to slow down towards the end of the year, our work picks up. Throughout the year we are preparing for this busy time by marketing, distributing publications and hosting meetings (Christmas trees do in fact exist outside of the holiday season).

Around the beginning of October when we see the holiday within reach our days get busier. NCTA is not alone. Many associations managed by Drake & Company see a similar influx of work at certain times in the year, and this just happens to be ours. Right now, NCTA and CSF are at the beginning of several projects and campaigns, including Trees for Troops, the Official White House Blue Room Christmas Tree selection and presentation, our newest campaign TweetUp4Troops and answering media and consumer calls and questions regarding real Christmas trees. All while maintaining the regular workload of publications, marketing, meeting planning, social media management and more. In the middle of October, most people are thinking pumpkins, but here at Drake, we are thinking Christmas trees.

At first glance, one might think being busy at work during the holiday season is a bad thing. I beg to differ. During the holidays I am consistently busy at work and outside of work, traveling to see family and enjoying time with friends. I perform my best when I am consistently busy and hard-pressed. When you are entering a period of the calendar year, similar to this one for NCTA and CSF, take your days in strides, make lists (and check things off), prioritize and do everything possible to produce your best work.