Cypress Christmas Party 2008

Whew! We made it. After a year like we've all been through, a Christmas celebration together was long overdue. Things were so dismal last year, that we ended up cancelling our party. So, we more than made up for it this year.

We had a beautifully decorated banquet room at Peachwoods (at Pasatiempo). They took such good care of us - I highly recommend them for your next party!

Once everyone was there, I gave my typically long-winded, but heartfelt year-end speech to the guys.

And congratulated them on the good work they do, how much they've learned, and how fortunate we are to be working steadily in an economy like we've got now.

Lucky for them, I was cut short by the food coming in...!

Afterwards, in our annual awards ceremony, four awards were given out. Although each one of the guys deserved one, the top four honors went to:

Jose Garcia - Most Improved Employee

Levi Barnard - Most Valuable "Rookie"

Tom Frank - Most Valuable "Part-timer"

Juan Acosta - MVP award - Most Valuable Employee

Congratulations, guys!

Then our annual game of "Great Moments in Cypress History!" I make two identical sets of cards with a brief description of a "memorable" job from this year and its address. We pass out one set of cards, and put the other in a bowl. Each employee reads his card, and the others try to guess what job it was. Then at the end, someone picks a card from the bowl, and the employee who has the matching card/job, wins the raffle prize! Lots of fun, and a good way to put 2008 behind us...

Finally, our "Secret Santa" gift exchange. I'm so impressed with how creative and resourceful some of the guys can be when limited to a $10 gift...

So, thanks again to all our valued customers and friends, and we WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!