Oé, it's almost Christmas , time to get together with family or friends around a good holiday meal . And like every year, you must have seen quite a few articles advising you of the subjects to avoid at all costs so as not to break the mood, right? Do you know our state of mind? Above all, positivism. So, this year, we're grabbing the ball and offering you something different. Instead of telling you what to do or not to do, we give you our little tips for having a Christmas meal that makes sense and in perfect company. Let's go !
1) Discuss your highlights of the year and your dreams to accomplish
As you don't change a winning team, every year the whole Oé team gets together to celebrate Christmas a little early around a good meal. This year, we exchanged gifts around a vegetarian raclette. Everyone loved it, a real treat. It was also the perfect time to toast all of our great progress over the year and what we want to accomplish for next year.
This year has been rich in emotion and new things for us. We have received awards such as the Environmental Innovation Prize at the Victoires de l'Innovation. We collaborated with the artist Malika Favre, Maison Tchin-Tchin and the We are ready movement. We also celebrated the 4th anniversary of our B Corp certification , the one year of the Deposit and we became a Company with a mission . A real step forward that pushes us to do more and more for the planet. And that's not all, we still have other things to tell you.
In addition to our small and big victories for Oé, we discussed our strong personal moments , our learnings and our dreams to accomplish for the coming year. And we had something to chat about. Now we know that a member of the team has planned to push the song in 2022 in a musical. Awesome, right?
And on your side too, we encourage you. This year, for your New Year's Eve , you can open the discussion on topics that are important to you. Like us, take stock of this past year, of the things you have learned and that you want to learn and undertake for the next one. It can be big projects or very small things. Sometimes, all you need to do is reconnect with your childhood dreams : learn to play the guitar, the piano, take up salsa, organize a road trip... When we were little, we all believed in Santa Claus to make our dreams come true. wishes. Today, believe in yourself, dare new things and share them. Enrich yourself and live the present moment, we trust you.
You can also make an impression and talk about your commitments to your loved ones, the new lifestyle habits you have adopted during the year to do good for the planet. Who knows ? You may give some ideas. For a moment with your loved ones, remake the world and see what you can remember to improve things in your daily life. On our side, the whole team wet the jersey to go further in our commitments. For example, in October, we sent our first zero waste pallet as part of our zero waste logistics. You too have surely had to put in place small ideas to do good for the environment or those around you. Share your great finds with us at hello@oeforfood.com , we will be happy to hear from you.
2) Share your tops and your playlist of the year
Christmas is also the time to share your tastes with those around you. For that, nothing better than to exchange your top favorite films and books of the year. In the team, several of us have seen together Animal , the new documentary film by Cyril Dion which raises public awareness of the protection of biodiversity. And unsurprisingly, we loved it.
In the reading section, we recommend the books of Julien Vidal. In early January, we launched a collaboration with the movement Ça Commence Par Moi founded by Julien, who is also the author of several books including “ Ça commence par moi”. Our desire was to put ecology and small gestures for the planet at the heart of discussions. It is the perfect gift to offer to awaken loved ones and bring up new topics of discussion during the meal .
We also loved the book What do you do for a living? , the manifesto of the Ticket for Change movement. The book offers leads and concrete examples to transform our professional life into a career with impact. Something to talk about work at Christmas while getting rich. You too, tell us your top films and books of the year , we will be happy to share them.
And what would the end of year celebrations be without the famous playlists of Christmas songs to listen to together. So yes, we all think of Mariah Carey and Frank Sinatra and there are others, less known, just as punchy. We advise you to go around with your loved ones to find out their favorite music and create your playlist in advance. You can all dance to it together and why not, when you prepare the meal?
And yes, what place is friendlier than the kitchen? Between the good smells coming out of the oven, the warmth of the room and the little improvised tasting sessions before sitting down to eat, the kitchen is the perfect place to create a bond. For our team Christmas meal , we enjoyed getting together to prepare our beautiful plates and our little appetizers for the aperitif. Before meeting the rest of the team, nothing better to warm up the atmosphere. And if you lack ideas for your holiday menu , we give you a little help. A few weeks ago, we had a great time over a meal prepared by Matthieu, chef at La Belle Assiette , who concocted a starter, main course and dessert for us.
If you want to know more about our holiday meal, see you here!
3) Start activities to have a good time
Who says Christmas , says board games . Whether waiting for the meal or after the gifts, we like to reserve little unusual moments to enjoy the moment together. With the team, we went through the inevitable Time's Up, and there are others. Mime games, trivial, there is plenty to do and have fun. We can also turn to the most unusual such as a small blind wine tasting session. In the kind of activity that wakes up the palate before sitting down to eat, we don't do better. For that, our Discovery box is perfect for the occasion. With four red wines and two white wines, you will see which guests will be the most oenophile among those who will distinguish a good Languedoc from a good Bordeaux.
And for those who want to get ahead, why not embark on eco-responsible activities for your decoration. With the team, we opted for an FSC wooden tree to store our little sweets from the Advent calendar. Another alternative to natural trees is also to make it yourself. It is an ecological solution and above all it allows you to boost your creativity as a family. You can make a wall tree out of paper, string, a garland, a ladder, or even books. As for decoration, you can use recycling and DIY and use recycled cardboard or corks from your wine bottles. If, like ours, your corks come from sustainably managed forests , they are perfectly responsible decorative elements. If you want more ideas, our partner La Fourche has more than one in its hood, we'll let you take a look at it here!
4) Give meaningful gifts
Sometimes you don't really know what to get for Christmas. What if to help each other we decided to offer gifts that make sense? It's what we call the slow Christmas , making gifts that make sense to us and to the loved one to whom we offer it. On our side, in addition to the choice of the gift, we can give you some advice. Like using recycled or sustainable paper packaging, fabric or furoshikis for example. And when it comes to gifts, giving an experience sometimes makes more sense than an object. Like a stay in an eco-responsible chalet or a wine getaway in our beautiful French vineyards.
And when it comes to material gifts, an item that has a positive impact on the planet and society is sure to be appreciated for the message it sends to your loved one. If the ideas do not come to you right away, we make your life easier. We share with you our top gift ideas for a responsible Christmas. It is not beautiful life.
If you prefer to leave the choice to your loved one to choose their responsible gift , you can call on Éthi'Kdo , the ecological, ethical and responsible gift card. You just have to choose your amount and your loved one will choose the responsible brand and the gift they want. To organize your gift lists with your loved ones and be sure to hit the bull's eye, you can also use the Boonjy connected wishlist . You create your gift list, you ask your loved ones for their lists and everyone will have what they want! In addition, the platform helps you find the best gift ideas for responsible consumption.
The most important thing is to treat yourself and take care of yourself and your loved ones before and after the holidays. Thank you for being by our side and encouraging us in our initiatives. And if you too want to let us know your highlights of the year and your little tips for having a meaningful Christmas , you can write to us at hello@oeforgood.com , We will be happy to share them. Live in the moment and have a great holiday, from the whole Oé team.
