After spending so much time cooped up in home offices and confined to Zoom meetings, some time out in the beautiful Midlands countryside would be a great opportunity for you and your staff to reconnect and celebrate the festive season.

Although many companies cannot afford Christmas bonuses this year, splashing out on a great Christmas lunch could prove the perfect way to say “thank you” to your team for their hard work during the most difficult of times – not to mention a perfect opportunity for everyone to get away from it all and simply let their hair down a little.

Even if your budget is tight, we have a culinary team, headed up by culinary artist Theo Mannie, who can work with you to make sure that you have a very special celebration. You can choose from a formal sit down menu, canapés and cocktails or even a themed Christmas party at Granny Mouse Country House and Spa.

In addition to the traditional Santa celebration, we can also help you to transform your end-of-year get together into a special awards ceremony. You can either go the formal route with speeches and awards presentations, or do something more light hearted to fit the silly season with some aptly themed awards – Best Zoom Outfit or even Most Creative Lockdown Story.

In fact, if you’re keeping spirits up and encouraging plenty of humour, why don’t you give a prize for the lunch goer who designs the most creative mask for your special occasion?

The good news is that if you decide to celebrate at Granny Mouse Country House and Spa we have all the protocols in place so you don’t need to make sure that you’re ticking all those regulatory boxes. We’ll do it for you.

Seriously, though, escaping to the country will definitely take the stress out of the festive season and the Covid out of Christmas. Enjoy a positive end to a challenging year with delicious food and the beautiful natural surroundings.

Remember that a Christmas party is a terrific morale booster for your employees – and the value of enjoying the festive season together when most of us have felt very far apart, can’t be understated. You get the opportunity to strengthen your bond between your staff and yourself, while building rapport. A casual environment is not just about work – it’s about personal interactions. Christmas parties, along with other social events, let your staff know that you’re approachable, supportive and appreciate their effort.

So, get in touch via our website www.grannymouse.co.za or call us on 033 234 4071 and allow us to take your Christmas event to the next level without breaking the bank.

So you have RSVP’d to your buddies’ wedding at Granny Mouse Country House and Spa, booked your accommodation and obviously spent some money getting to the destination.

Tricky subject, but after the new outfit and the travelling costs, have you left enough in the budget to get a wedding present for the bride and groom?

“It is customary to give a wedding gift no matter where the wedding is held, but there are ways to get crafty!” advises General Manager, Sean Granger.

Here are some of his great ideas for wedding gifts that don’t break the bank but will certainly be appreciated by the couple concerned:

Voucher for a dinner for two

After the wedding and honeymoon, the wedding couple may find that their budget is a bit tight for a few months. A really cool idea is to organize a voucher at their favourite restaurant. After they return home and start their new life together, they will certainly appreciate an opportunity to take some time out to catch up after the hustle and bustle of organizing the big day.

A bottle of wine

South Africa is renowned for its award winning wines and what could be better than a good bottle of wine or bollie so they can celebrate some more together. You can even have customized labels made to make it even more memorable. Buy a red that’s a keeper – and add a note to tell them when it will be at its best, encouraging them to pop the cork to celebrate a special occasion in the future.

Use a gift registry

The obvious one is checking in to find out if there is a gift registry which takes the hassle of finding the perfect gift. That way, you can make sure that you give them exactly what they want.

Gift vouchers

This is always a sure winner.  Vouchers to favourite retail stores or even malls are a big yes. Again, they can get to buy exactly what you want. If they are not into shopping, then some other great voucher ideas could be a helicopter flip, hot air ballooning or even scuba lessons.

Money

If all else fails, cash is about as universal a gift as one can give. Money is easy to carry and can be used to purchase something chosen by the couple themselves. Try a vintage touch and find a special card (maybe one that’s handmade by yourself or someone else) to hold on to those Randelas!

The above may seem obvious but all are big winners when it comes to gifting for the newlyweds.