In the countdown to Christmas, The People’s Friend offices have been celebrating Christmas with lots of different treats and events. Digital Editor, Jacqueline, shares all the things we’ve been up to!
The facilities staff at DC Thomson, The People’s Friend HQ, have been spreading festive cheer all month for us. From finding the cheeky Paddy the Elf somewhere on the ground floor, pay day drinks and nibbles, quizzes, sweet treats and more. Plus, the Christmas gifts and lunches within the “Friend” team. It’s like it’s been Christmas all December!
Paddy The Elf
Photograph by Jacqueline Munro.
During December, Paddy the Elf has joined the staff with his own badge and everything. The Reception team have been helping him get up to no good around the ground floor each day. If we find him and take a photo, we get entered into a prize draw. He’s been hiding in Christmas trees, hanging from ceiling lights, tucking into the treats table and even doing yoga. He retires on the 23rd December for one last grand prize before heading back to the North Pole!
Christmas Quiz
Photograph by Jacqueline Munro.
Every quarter or so, our resident Quiz Master, Steve Finan, hosts a quiz in the main foyer of our building. Proceeds and prizes go to charity and we get a load of pizza put out. This time it was a special Christmas quiz. Kirsty and I were in a mixed team with two members of other teams and we were in a grudge match against the My Weekly team. In the end, My Weekly pipped us to the trophy by a highly contentious one point – which we still contest! Until the next re-match . . .
Sweet Treats
Photograph by Beth McHugh.
Throughout the month, our usual coffee area at the building entrance has been decked out with warming hot chocolates, cakes and snacks. Sometimes the Facilities team have come around the floors with trolleys of bacon rolls as a much-needed morning wake up.
Team Christmas Day
On our Team Day, we went for a Christmas lunch for the first time in two years and had our Secret Santa gift opening. Everyone clearly knew each other very well as all the gifts were top notch! It was a lovely way to mark our last few days in the office before the holidays. Lucy’s Fiction Editor’s blog and Angela’s Editor’s Diary talks about some of the ways The People’s Friend has been celebrating Christmas.
Kirsty and Beth also adopted a new Christmas mascot, Pepper the Penguin, who’s been joining Paddy the Elf in his mischievous adventures.
Photograph by Beth McHugh.
Some of the team are off from Friday 23rd December until the New Year, but lots of us will be working in between as well. It’s always a good, quiet time to catch up on admin and things you’ve been putting off for a while!
So, from us all at the “Friend”, have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Jacqueline Munro I am the Digital Content Editor at "The People's Friend", looking after our website, social media channels and podcast.
