Christmas Joys

Most non-retail company’s payment terms are 30 days from date of invoice, or payment month end following receipt of invoice. This year Christmas Day was on a Friday, and most companies finished sending invoices Wednesday 22nd December and returned on the 4th January, expecting to send the first invoices on the 8th January.

This year in the UK, we had the snow, which impacted supply of raw materials and hence production slipped, and hence many companies did not send out invoices until the 15th January, 25 days of not sending any invoices. During this time fixed costs and salaries were paid.

So now, mid February to end of March companies suffer cash flow pressure or even crisis! What can you do to ride out this storm? There are many actions which can be taken, but my three tips are as follows:

1. Examine your stock levels, do you need to purchase raw materials now, can you delay taking products or raw materials, place the orders, but be smart when the raw materials will be delivered and hence when you will receive the invoice.

2. If your payment terms are 30 days, 45 days or month end following, make sure plenty of time is spent performing credit control. Be polite, firm and persistent. Many companies will have cash flow issues, and most companies are in some form of supply chain, so if a company up the chain is suffering cash flow issues, this can obviously impact yourself. By you chasing your debts, there will be wave affects up and down the chain, make sure you are a high priority to be paid.

3. Create a simple cash flow forecast. Make it simple, take your bank balance as of today, and predict the cash going out, you will know this as this will be committed spend, and you know the amount of cash coming in, as your credit chasing will give you this information. The forecast will give the company a concrete plan to move forward.

I work with eight colleagues (SGBA), and we help small companies through cash flow crisis, in Surrey, Sussex, Kent, Hampshire and Dorset who want to develop and grow their business. I worked for Oracle for 10 years, then founded several internet companies. I’m now an active angel investor, and give practical advice to small companies, specialising in turning round companies with serious cashflow issues.

Christmas Posadas take place in Latin America, as well as parts of the southwest United States. Posadas are re-enactments of Joseph and Mary’s search for lodging, before the birth of Christ. The word, posada translated to English is defined as “inn.” It is a solemn commemoration, as well as a festive occasion. Unfortunately, the daily hectic schedule of modern life has erased this custom in some regions.

The Posadas in Mexico are usually neighborhood events that begin on December 16 and continue up to Christmas Eve. They generally start around 7:00 p.m. Celebrating all nine nights is not mandatory, so some communities may choose to only engage in the Posadas three or four nights.

Some Posadas are very elaborate, while others are very simple. This depends upon the affluence of the members. In some communities, special costumes are made. In others, the participants may gather in street clothes.

Bags of treats called aguinaldos are prepared before the night’s activities. They are filled with guavas, sugar cane, mandarin oranges, animal crackers, candy, peanuts, jicama and tejocotes (fruits belonging to the hawthorn family.)

Piñatas are also part of the night’s activities. Members of the community are asked to purchase pinatas for one night, while others are asked to contribute by supplying a number of aguinaldos. Women in the neighborhood provide tamales or pozole (hominy soup) as assigned.

Each evening the same scene and procession is repeated. Neighbors, friends and family assemble with lit candles outdoors for prayers at a designated home. Next, the group travels to another home and asks for lodging. They are turned away. This is repeated at two more homes. At the conclusion, the children line up for their gifts, before heading off to break the pinatas. Adults socialize, while enjoying the tamales or pozole of the evening.

Ken Frick has been writing about family activities for the past four years. He also enjoys writing about paper products, like why to use laser photo paper for many of your laser printing needs.

Ken Frick

There can be no doubt that finding the best Christmas gift for a boyfriend in 2009 can be a testing time for every young woman - up there with his birthday and Valentine’s day when you are expected to produce a gift that makes his heart sing - if you want him to appreciate you. Here is a little help: a list of some of the bestselling items this year that appeal to young men.

Guys can be “finicky” in their tastes, and boyfriends especially so, which is why research at the largest retail stores revealed a range of popular items and you’re sure to find something that he’ll love.

1. Godiva Truffles - Chocolate Truffle Assortment.

Excite him with a tantalizing selection of delicious flavors, including milk and dark chocolate, raspberry, French vanilla, coconut, roasted almond, and more. Great for those who love truffles.

2. Wii Game Console by Nintendo.

If he loves to play games, this will handle two disk formats and is backwards compatible with earlier Nintendo GameCube games. It includes a sports game and has wi-fi access to Nintendo’s gaming service.

3. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (Game For Playstation 3).

Among the game players, this stands out. It has free-flowing gun play, stealth combat, cinematic storytelling that has won awards, and both single-player and multi-player options. A delight for the shoot ‘em up fans.

4. Kenneth Cole Reaction Men’s Bracelet - Lon Chainy.

You want him to look his best and a stylish men’s bracelet from Kenneth Cole is just the thing. These have a chain link and a bright or antique silver finish. 9″ long with hook and ring closure.

5. Timex T5G971 Unisex Sports Personal Heart Rate Monitor Watch.

If he’s serious about wanting to keep fit, this watch-size heart monitor helps him review workouts and average/peak heart rates. It is water resistant, and has a night light and easily accessible function buttons. It even tells the time.

6. Apple iPod Nano 8 GB Black (4th Generation).

The 8 gb is enough to handle up to 2,000 songs, 8 hours of video, or 7,000 photos of you. The battery will play music for 24 hours or 4 hours of unrelenting video! The 2-inch LCD screen displays a clear blue-white LED backlight. It will cope with a variety of popular audio and video formats, including MP3 and MPEG-4.

7. Ben Sherman Men’s Face Tee Shirt.

He’ll look great, yet casual, in this 100% cotton, machine-washable T-shirt with a stylish graphic on the front. There is also a logo on the arm. It has a really cool look.

8. Gran Torino (Widescreen Edition) (2008) DVD.

This is becoming a classic “guys” movie. It stars Clint Eastwood and is also directed by Eastwood. A Korean War vet tries to reform his young neighbor, a teenager with tough friends who tried to steal his prized (restored) 1972 Ford Gran Turino muscle car. Clint received rave reviews for his performance.

9. Sperry Top-Sider Santa Barbara Men’s Sweater.

Just in case you want him warm and cuddly during those colder months, this crew neck sweater is 100% cotton and looks really smart, with its traditional fisherman’s cable weave and ribbed cuffs. Seeing is believing.

10. Ruby Red Netbook Computer. Acer Aspire One AOD150-1920 10.1-Inch - 6.5 Hour Battery Life.

If you really want his eyes to light up, this small, beautiful, portable computer will do the job! It has a 160 gb hard drive, 1 gb RAM, 1.7 hz Intel chip, and Windows XP OS. This powerful, sleek little all-purpose computer also has wi-fi internet connection and webcam.

This is just a small sample of the hundreds of great Christmas gift ideas that have been researched, grouped and indexed, with more details, in a free illustrated Guide you can download now at: Gifts for Boyfriend
It is also available at: http://www.GiftsForHimWithLove.com/GiftsForHim-FreeGuide.html Get it now!

Christmas Posadas take place in Latin America, as well as parts of the southwest United States. Posadas are re-enactments of Joseph and Mary’s search for lodging, before the birth of Christ. The word, posada translated to English is defined as “inn.” It is a solemn commemoration, as well as a festive occasion. Unfortunately, the daily hectic schedule of modern life has erased this custom in some regions.

The Posadas in Mexico are usually neighborhood events that begin on December 16 and continue up to Christmas Eve. They generally start around 7:00 p.m. Celebrating all nine nights is not mandatory, so some communities may choose to only engage in the Posadas three or four nights.

Some Posadas are very elaborate, while others are very simple. This depends upon the affluence of the members. In some communities, special costumes are made. In others, the participants may gather in street clothes.

Bags of treats called aguinaldos are prepared before the night’s activities. They are filled with guavas, sugar cane, mandarin oranges, animal crackers, candy, peanuts, jicama and tejocotes (fruits belonging to the hawthorn family.)

Piñatas are also part of the night’s activities. Members of the community are asked to purchase pinatas for one night, while others are asked to contribute by supplying a number of aguinaldos. Women in the neighborhood provide tamales or pozole (hominy soup) as assigned.

Each evening the same scene and procession is repeated. Neighbors, friends and family assemble with lit candles outdoors for prayers at a designated home. Next, the group travels to another home and asks for lodging. They are turned away. This is repeated at two more homes. At the conclusion, the children line up for their gifts, before heading off to break the pinatas. Adults socialize, while enjoying the tamales or pozole of the evening.

Ken Frick has been writing about family activities for the past four years. He also enjoys writing about paper products, like why to use laser photo paper for many of your laser printing needs.

Ken Frick

Have you ever seen Christmas light displays come alive in synchronized moves with Christmas music? This is becoming the latest holiday craze which is slowly gaining much ground among holiday decors hobbyists. In fact, you might be seeing a phenomenon which might become a mainstay in most public places even during ordinary days. You might even begin to wonder how these amazing lights displays were made possible.

These moving and dramatic synchronized Christmas lights display with music is actually controlled by a software application on a computer that is connected with an MP3 board and Expander. The Christmas lights themselves are attached to the board in a series of channels that receives signals from the software application regarding the kind of effects that should be transmitted to the lights. The effects are actually carried out by controlling the flow of electricity to the lights, like the fading in and fading out, or the rapid blinking of random lights on a channel which would then appear to be like they are shimmering or sparkling.

Since the late 1980s, some creative thinkers have began to concoct ideas of synchronizing Christmas lights display with Christmas music for the display to radiate a more dramatic effect. This brainchild was inspired by synchronized music that is being played during events such as fireworks displays. The idea is that if one could control the sometimes unpredictable behavior of fireworks display, definitely electricity that flows to the lights can also be managed in the same manner. In fact, electricity would be easier to control through the use of several chips arrayed together to perform effects such as blinking slowly or fast, or fade, and a whole lot of countless effects anyone can think of.

There are many types of MP3 board and Expanders that are on the market today and these come with different numbers of channels. There are the simpler four-channel boards which are ideal for home use and allow you to connect up to five thousand Christmas lights. This type of synchronized Christmas lights display and music kit would definitely earn you the applause and praise of your neighbors. There are also the eight-channel and sixteen-channel synchronized Christmas lights display and music kit that would really spice up your Christmas decorations.

Since these Christmas synchronized music and lights displays have been proven to be real attention getters, your house would definitely be a subject of wonder and awe. So get these devices at your nearest electronic store, connect them to your PC, and see your Christmas lights display come alive as it dances in synch with your favorite Christmas music.

Suzie has been writing articles on interesting topics including relationships and family. Her new interests are in microwave ovens such as red microwave ovens and LG microwave ovens.