By now, the more than 3,000 cookies that my family, team and I baked a couple weeks ago have arrived in our clients’ offices, and I think it’s a fair bet to say they’re gone. It’s one of the #Comply365Culture things we do that makes our company special. Our tradition started in 2008, and it’s one we are happy to carry on, because for us, it’s not about the cookies. It’s about taking time during the busy holiday season to invest in our clients and say thank you in the personal way we started with.
Back when I started the company, I wanted to send (turns out, expensive) gift baskets to clients, much like the piles of baskets I saw while visiting one large client at the time. I was horrified, though, to see some of them wind up in the trash, so I wanted to make sure my investment meant something. “Which basket does everyone fight over?” I asked. When they said, “Anything homemade,” I knew I had the answer. My entrepreneurial experience as a baker came into play, and my family helped me bake and ship about 300 cookies out of our kitchen.
A lot of people have asked me, “How long can you keep up this tradition as you grow?” I’ve always said we’re going to try to do it as long as we possibly can, because it’s such a fun day to just be grateful for our clients. It’s taking that time to stop and reflect on the tradition itself – 
from how many clients we had in the beginning to the growth we see today. At the same time, we’ve also turned it into a donation to a worthy cause, with our cookies making it all the way to Africa. A couple years ago while on a mission trip, we were able to treat African children with their first-ever chocolate chip cookie on behalf of our clients. This year our local police and firefighters were among the recipients of our donations. It doesn’t matter if you’re a young child or a grown adult – hopefully the taste of a homemade cookie can spark a nice memory.
It’s traditions like these that help make this holiday time special. I come from a big family with seven kids, and we’ve always had a Christmas tradition of decorating our tree while eating homemade cookies and hot apple cider, followed by taking a family photo. It’s been that way since I was a little girl, and I’m glad I can carry it on today with our kids. Getting together with my family members who are scattered around the country remains really important. We moved a lot when I was a little girl; we only had each other.
These traditions were just moments you felt at home – no matter where you lived. That’s why I love having some simple traditions, and I hope you do, too.
If not, there’s no better time to start!
Wishing you all a blessed holiday season. Merry Christmas!
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