Corporate Christmas Greetings

The silly season is on us once again, and companies of all shapes and sizes are trying to use the opportunity to advertise themselves and to portray an image of a caring organization. It does not work! Christmas is not a commercial networking event. I used to get corporate Christmas cards lovingly signed with the names of a bunch of people I had never met, and expensively embossed with all sorts of nonsense. It is even more annoying, although somewhat cheaper for the progenitors, to receive emailed greetings from hundreds of companies who only want to sell me stuff. Why do the scan their signatures into these stupid emails and website links with cheesy Christmas music accompanying pretty snowfalls and fluttering robins? What impression do they think that this conveys? Presumably, it gives them a rosy glow to have been so generous and giving at this time of year. Well, generous in that they managed to copy my email address into their list of people to whom they wish to spread cheerful news. Once again, I say, "bah humbug"!!!

Corporate Christmas Cards

I have always found corporate Christmas cards to be something of an irritation, especially when the signatures are printed into the card, and from a range of people some of whom are known to me, but most of whom are not. It seems a particularly meaningless gesture. What is happening this year, as firms cut back on their expenditure, is that all sorts of people are sending electronic greetings cards instead. Often to "Dear All". All sorts of twee images and animations, often with sickeningly trite Christmas music. What compels this kind of corporate behaviour? It would be much nicer not to get these things cluttering up the inbox and in-tray. Bah, humbug.