An organization I spoke to last year traditionally celebrates the holidays with a luncheon and gift exchange. Pretty typical stuff.

The only problem is that Adultitis LOVES typical. Typical is only a hop, skip and a jump away from a rut, and as Ellen Glasgow says, “The only difference between a rut and a grave is their dimensions.”

Fortunately, after hearing one of my programs on Curing Adultitis, Janet Mincks and her team decided to go in a different direction with their holiday party.

It has been 4 months since you spoke to us at our All Staff Professional Development Day. What an impact you have made…We decided to throw away the traditional luncheon routine and make it not only interesting but fun. We exchanged names, however the gift was a small $10.00 gift, but needed to be “Ugly Wrapped”. The presentation of the gifts ranged from a collection of scrap wrapping paper, bubble wrap, and my favorite, a coffee container with small deer antlers on the top as a bow with dryer sheets tied to it. Our lunch included soup and salad, but everyone was only given tiny small delicatessen spoons, and skewers for their salads. The group couldn’t believe that we carried this “Adultitis” (theme) that far.

Nicely done, Janet! (I must say that I too have quite an admiration of that antler-adorned coffee container!) Thanks for showing us that there is no rule that says your holiday party has to look the same every year.

Unless you want it to be a guest of honor, that is.

A Champion of Childhood is someone instilled with the soaring spirit of childhood who rallies against rules that don’t exist while engaging in ruthless, senseless acts of silliness that undermine the slavery of Adultitis and its unadventurous version of adulthood. We like shining a light upon the most remarkable among us, holding them up as a dazzling example of what we should strive for in this epic battle against Adultitis. See more here.