Once again, we come to the Holiday Season. For us, it was our first-holiday gathering after a long social hiatus due to the pandemic, so we had everyone participate in a little activity the management had planned – Secret Santa locally known as Manito-Manita. Everyone worked really hard this year, especially in the months leading up to the holidays. It’s a good opportunity to bond with colleagues and have some fun.
The whole team gathered together at Park Centrale for a lunch party. Not to exaggerate things but you can already hear the music blasting from the party venue while you were still in the elevator. Upon entering, the food’s mouth-watering aroma filled the room making it the first thing for people to notice. It’s a good thing I was wearing my facemask or else they would’ve seen me drooling over it.
Fast track to the program proper, HR showed us a short video of our COO – Chihiro-san, giving us some words of gratitude and appreciation for everyone doing a great job all year round. Later that day, exciting prizes were given after a series of fun and energy-giving games and activities. After the first game, everyone burst out laughing after most of the players’ faces were covered with flour. On the other hand, cool gifts pooled into one area of the room caused anticipation and thrill as HR started to give them away through a raffle draw. The level of excitement began to rise as they immediately proceeded to the much-awaited part of the event, the Manito-Manita.
Days before the party, everyone was told to prepare a gift that was both funny and could be used daily, and even before the party started, everyone already picked a name from a bowl to see who they were going to give their gifts to. The type of stuff the members brought was hilarious. Mostly housewares and some were a bit naughty, I might say. The room was filled with so much joy and laughter and a bit of embarrassment with what each member ended up receiving.
The party ended after everyone had their group photos taken. Seeing the smiles on their faces really shows that they have had a wonderful time and because of this, it’s nice that the company acknowledges the importance of these gatherings and knows that these kinds of engagements matter not just to the employees but to the future of the enterprise itself as well.
