Dylan's gift

11.16.09

It's the holidays at Reindeer!

The months of November and December are our favorite months here. Thanksgiving gives us a chance to pause for a moment and reflect on the year and all that was given to us. Despite the harsh economy, we believe there are still so many blessings in our life – our job, our health, our families.

And Christmas gives us a chance to give back … so many times the true spirit of Christmas seems to get lost in the hustle and bustle – and "cha ching" of the cash register. Last year, Reindeer employees instituted a new holiday tradition by sponsoring a party at our local children's hospital – Peyton Manning Children's Hospital at St. Vincent.

The idea was to celebrate our company's success by promoting something "good" in our community. And from that one idea spawned an entire campaign, a company-wide focus. Since our initial efforts last fall, our company has donated more than $20,000 to PMCH. To date, we've held more than six parties with the children. We've donated our time, our resources, and, most importantly, our hearts.

The images from last year's holiday party are still fresh in mind. The grandfather who teared up as Santa handed his grandchild a Sponge Bob toy. The little girl who squealed with joy when she saw Santa and ran to give him a huge hug. The laughter from the kids playing "Pin the Nose on Rudolph." And, of course, I think to Dylan.

Dylan was this terrific little boy battling something horrible. We don't ask questions. We just play. And Dylan with his sweet smile and quiet voice somehow convinced us to sing with him. We let down our guard, brushed off our embarrassment at our lack of vocal talent, and sang with him. And we delighted in singing with him. It is a moment I will never forget.

Dylan lost his battle last May. But he will forever be in the hearts of all at Reindeer.

This holiday season, I urge you to find your own Dylan. Create your own moment that reminds you what the holiday is truly about. And then you will be able to see past all the hype and commercialism and money woes … and see that the holidays are about giving of yourself. And that is something that, even in the worst of economies, we can all afford to do.