Traditional Christmas Washing Baskets

In contemplating how well I�d done on the client Christmas present front this year, I was reminded of my dear departed grandmother, Grandmere.

Grandmere was a teacher. A French teacher, as you may have guessed from her name. She was one of those teachers that is firm but fair, with a sense of humour. The kind of teacher that leaves an indelible impression and that you feel lucky if you have one or two of during your school life. The teacher that can change your whole outlook on things, can inspire you, can help shape your life.

And while there is, no doubt, an element of bias, I know this about her not because she was my grandmother, but from her students directly. She�s been dead for over twenty years now but when I speak to former students of hers (including, in one of those �it�s a small world� coincidences, one of my biggest clients), they still speak with her with such genuine affection it makes me proud to be related to her.

But I knew Grandmere was that type of special teacher well before she died. Before I had enough experience as a student to have those type of teachers influence me. I knew because of the traditional Christmas washing baskets.

Every year when school broke up for Christmas Grandmere would come home with two or three large washing baskets full-to-overflowing with presents from her students. And their parents. Bought presents, made presents, food presents. This was a woman who received presents from her students for no particular reason during the course of the year, so you can imagine how many she came home with when there was actually a present-sanctioned holiday going on.

This was of course fantastic for Boofhead and me. Grandmere only had five grandchildren, and the other three of them lived interstate, so Boofhead and I had first dibs on this washing basket bounty. I think Mum did okay as well.

These weren�t perfunctory presents either. You simply don�t get that many presents that lovingly put together because people feel obligated.

I think that�s what�s been especially great about the presents I�ve received from clients this year. None of them have been the standard corporate stamped gifts. They�ve been chosen for me in particular. Thought has been put into them.

I often think of Grandmere and the traditional Christmas washing baskets at this time of year, but this year I think I feel the connection more because to a small extent I feel like my presents have been generated from the same source as hers. She was a teacher, a mentor, providing guidance and support above and beyond just teaching how to conjugate verbs. An increasing part of my role in my job is as a mentor of sorts to my clients. It�s more than just advising them in the general sense of my overall profession. It�s actually dealing with young people who are establishing their businesses who need guidance on how things work and what to do and what decisions to make, and things that are above and beyond just putting together a deal.

And I seem to be getting pretty good at it, judging by the sentiments in the Christmas cards I�ve received this year. It makes me think that more than a few of Grandmere�s mentor genes may just have been passed along to me with the presents from the washing baskets.