How do you spend the festive period?
The festive season means different things for different people, which is one of the reasons we love to celebrate it here at the MCF. For some, it has religious value, for others it’s an opportunity to indulge in mince pies and family time, or just have a break from work and relax.
We asked our wonderful staff members to share their traditions with us, alongside our resident festive TLC teddy, to embrace the variety of ways the festive season is, and can be celebrated…
Les Hutchinson, Chief Executive
Our Chief Executive, Les, is looking forward to spending some quality time with family, surrounded by decorations, while potentially “overindulging in Christmas treats!”
“At this very special time, I want to pay tribute to all of our trustees, staff, volunteers, our generous donors and all the organisations that we work with, for all their support over the last year. I am proud that through our work, we are able to make a tangible difference, supporting members of our masonic family whether young or old, and also those in wider society.”
Jo Haffenden, Impact & Evaluation Manager
Like most of our staff members, Jo will be spending Christmas with her family. Jo, her husband, and their daughter will be visited by her parents from Colombia.
“I have a two-year-old who loves trains so we will be spending some time building the train track around the Christmas tree!”
Claire Smith, Advice, Support and Enquiries Manager and Designated Safeguard Lead (DSL)
“Myself and my husband are Muslim and my other family are Christian. For us, the season is all about getting together, having fun, being thankful for what we’ve got, and getting ready to make more memories in the New Year.”
Claire and her family will be spending Christmas at home like every year, with her mum cooking the Christmas dinner. Her mum now makes the dinner halal to ensure everyone can get involved in the food!
Paul Crockett, Head of Fundraising
“Christmas for me and my family is very much a time for homemade food, friends, family, and festivities.”
Paul and his family will be attending the Christingle service on Christmas Eve, followed by lots of preparations at home for the big day. Christmas day at the Crockett’s is always filled with lots of food, fun and games.
Once Christmas is over, they’re all heading off to New York for a few days!
Raluca Tsakiris, Head of Property
Christmas is Raluca’s favourite time of the year, because it’s an opportunity for her family to come together and celebrate.
As she has family who don’t live in the UK, it is their tradition to spend Christmas in a different place each year. This year, a group of 10 of them will be skiing in Italy!
“On our ski trip, we will leave the dogs at home but we’ll have the children with us!”
Maureen McDonald, Administration Officer
Like many, Maureen will celebrate Christmas with her family and continue a tradition she has followed for the past five years.
“We will all be at my son’s home and do the usual Christmas stuff, where we will open presents, have a traditional Christmas dinner, play board games, have quizzes and watch a film to round off the evening.”
Hopefully you enjoyed hearing about what our fantastic staff members get up to over Christmas as much as we did!
All of us at the MCF wish you a wonderful festive period of fun, relaxation, and family time.
Please note our offices are closed between 24 December – 3 January
