December Newsletter

​Welcome to the monthly newsletter from DistanceFamilies.com

DISTANCE FAMILIES NEWS

November is the start of what American’s call the ‘holiday season'. We all experience different rhythms of life at this time. Normally my email account is a consistently happening place, but I couldn’t believe it when I woke on the Sunday morning of Thanksgiving weekend to no emails. I thought there was something wrong until I remembered, it was Thanksgiving weekend in the States and ‘Black Friday’ weekend everywhere.  America was vacationing and the world was distracted.

​Here in the Southern Hemisphere we’re right in the middle of what we call the ‘silly season’. Final school and university exams have just finished and schools are in the process of breaking up for the academic year. It’s the time for dancing school recitals and final performance and prizegiving concerts for all manner of activities. Workplaces are holding Christmas parties and it seems that everyone wants to gather before we disperse. There are some days we could be in three places at once. This all culminates with Christmas Day.

​Boxing Day, the 26th is ‘the great exodus’. Southern Hemisphere-ites, taking advantage of the Christmas/New Year public holidays, pile in our cars for our summer holiday. Wonder what it's like to experience Christmas in the summer. Click here for a wee kiwi musical interlude. In January everyone returns home in dribs and drabs ready for the new work and school years to begin all over again.
 
In contrast, every July and August we’re used to finding our Northern Hemisphere family, friends and colleagues are on a ‘go slow’ as they similarly schedule vacations and restful interludes. Well that’s how it will be over the next month or so for those of us 'down under'. If you don’t receive a prompt email response from a Kiwi, Aussie, South African or South American – you’ll know why!

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BOOK SERIES NEWS

​Back in February I won the COVID-delayed, 2021 TEMI Awards Best Mobile Workforce Initiative for my work supporting Distance Families. My prize was a Ready Resilience ‘Neurohack Your Workday’ Signature Masterclass for myself and up to seven invited guests. In no time I’d gathered a lovely bunch of colleagues across New Zealand and Australia to share my prize. It was interesting to reflect that three years ago I didn’t know a soul in the global mobility world. A lot has changed since then.
 
The prize was gifted, and the session facilitated by global mobility veteran Wendy Jenkins. She is also a lung transplant recipient. In June Wendy was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for her work supporting lung transplant patients. Her story is pretty mind blowing. She certainly knows how to handle stress.

​Looking for Christmas present ideas? What about the Distance Families book series? If you prefer to give paperbacks just a reminder you don’t have to post a copy around the world. You can easily order online in the country where your family member lives. If the likes of Amazon or Book Depository aren’t big in their part of the world click on my website’s SHOP page for  national specific outlets.

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ON THE HOME FRONT

​It’s count down time here. In a week's time we’ll be at the airport, two (early!) mornings in a row to collect our U.S. based son, daughter-in-law and then daughter and two grandsons who are all visiting for Christmas.

Our U.K. grandson who is currently living with us will temporarily move to his Aunt’s for three weeks to make room for the newest arrivals. A case of musical beds.

When my adult children visit our shared programme is packed to the rafters. Thank goodness we’re all planners and aren’t offended when asked to contribute to a shared Google Drive spreadsheet. That might sound hell to some, but it works for us. When cars need to be shared, when the right foods need to be in the right refrigerator and knowing who has invited who to what… it all makes for a smoother time if some of this can be figured out in advance. That’s been quietly happening online over the last few weeks.

​At a less administrative level! this is the first Christmas visit we'll have international Santa focussed grandchildren. We’ll savour every moment before this phase passes, and pull out all the stops for a vacation overflowing with memories and good times… while still keeping expectations at a realistic level !

​Take care and Seasons Greetings until next time
Helen Ellis
 
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