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

There’s something different, something special about Christmas in the country - a uniqueness which sets it apart from the same holiday in the city. Something more serene and seemingly more meaningful. A quieter, more reflective time. A time to actually contemplate what Christmas is really about.

Christmastime in the city is typified by hustle and bustle, tension and stress, and is certainly infinitely more expensive. Not so for a country Christmas.

In a rural area, Christmas is much more a time of fun and anticipation. A time for simple excitement, more meaningful giving, a truer grasp of the real spirit of the holiday.

Country folk do not get overly wrapped up in the commercial aspects of Christmas as is the case with most urban dwellers. They take more pleasure in simple gifts from the heart than store bought expressions of the holiday. Country folk tend to not place as much importance on the price of a gift as they do on the underlying meaning and thought put into it.

A batch of freshly baked cookies, homemade and delicious, packed into a nice Christmas tin, go a long way in satisfying the spirit of giving. Baking those favorite cookies takes much more thought and effort than purchasing a gift from some overcrowded store - much more.

Some country folk give the gift of doing a favor of love such as repairing an older person’s roof or doing odd jobs for another, especially an elder who may no longer be capable of doing such things themselves. They do so much more than their city cousins. Such expressions of thoughtfulness go a long way to assuage any guilt of not buying a present and, I suspect, are much more appreciated by the receiver.

In the country, one does not go to a tree lot to buy a dried out and sometimes scraggly, exorbitantly priced Christmas tree. Instead, in rural areas one packs their recently sharpened ax, heads to the nearest wooded area, scouts out the best pine tree there, and harvests it.

Tree cutting day is an exciting time for kids. I remember vividly my brothers and my adventures into the woods to find the perfect tree to take home. Most times we had scouted that tree for years prior to actually cutting it. We watched it grow year by year until it had reached just the right height for our living room. A few weeks before Christmas, and once we deemed it the best we could find, we cut it down, tied it to our Flexible Flyer sled, and slid it all the way home to the back porch. (There always seemed to be snow at that time of year.)

A tree freshly cut from the woods always seems to smell so much better, look more Christmassy, and provides infinitely more satisfaction than one bought at an urban tree lot. Always did for me anyway. I always felt sorry for city kids who never got to experience this pleasure.

Even a snow storm at Christmas is cause for celebration in the country whereas in the city it causes distress. City people may find themselves stranded in traffic or at airports. Tempers flare, rude behavior surfaces, and the Christmas spirit fades. Snow in the city at Christmas is not something to wonder at or enjoy for its serenity inducing effect.

In the countryside, as Robert Frost notes in his poem “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening”, a snowstorm at Christmas is an event to appreciate and marvel at. It somehow enhances the spirit of the holiday. Robert Frost points this out. Even though he had “miles to go before I sleep”, he reins in the little horse pulling his sleigh while passing down a wooded country road at night to “watch his (a landowner’s) woods fill up with snow”. He takes a moment to observe the snow and even listen to the distinct sounds of a snowy evening where he notes “The only other sound’s the sweep, Of easy wind and downy flake”.

Country folk eagerly anticipate snow at Christmas; in fact, they are truly “dreaming of a white Christmas”.

Yes, Christmas in the country is manifested by the simple pleasures country folk get from simple things as opposed to a more consumer-minded, materialistically affected city dweller. One of my favorite gifts as a child was a pair of hand-knitted mittens I received each Christmas for many years from an elderly lady, a friend of the family, who must have spent countless hours of loving labor to make them special. They had my name knitted into them. I was the only kid in school who had mittens like that. I was as proud and appreciative of those warm hand coverings as I would have been had they been bought in the finest store on 5th Avenue in the busiest, most harried city at Christmas possibly in the world. Those mittens were something real and unique - bright colored, expertly made, and toasty warm even on the coldest days. Those Christmas mittens were an expression of how much the lady loved me and I knew it even at a young age.

Does anyone knit mittens for Christmas anymore?

Major Dennis Copson is retired from The United States Marines and is a resident of Oceanside, CA where he is the Director of Sales and Marketing for Nature’s Big Bud Liquid Worm Castings, Inc. He is also a freelance writer. More info is available on his websites at http://www.naturesbigbud.com.