This year’s holiday party is going to be different. Very different.

Most of us do something special for the holidays. Your firm holiday event might just be for the team, or it might be a gala affair involving clients, employees, referral sources, local officials, family members, and more. I’m guessing you have fond memories of your last holiday event, way back in 2019.

Of course, every firm does it differently, with differing agendas and budgets. Whether it’s a pot-luck lunch in the office or a fancy night out, there’s usually an acknowledgment of the holiday season. It’s special–even if you’re a Scrooge like me.

But in the current emotionally fraught environment, the opportunity for genuine impact will be dramatically heightened. Take advantage of it.

You’re already good at doing it differently

The good news is that you’re ready for this year’s holiday season. You’ve been training your innovation muscles for months now. You’ve become a rockstar of adaptation, creativity, and flexibility. The virus didn’t give you a choice. It was adapt or die, and you chose life. Good for you.

This year, the holidays will present you with an opportunity to demonstrate your new skills.

Back in the day (like six months ago) holiday events were a dime a dozen. You couldn’t stand out from the crowd if you tried. Holiday parties were all pretty much the same.

Not this year.

This is your chance to shine

This is your moment to get noticed.

You were planning to blow some budget on a holiday event anyway. That money would have been spent, for the most part, on a forgettable blur of same-old, same-old. Holiday events become expected rituals. They’re not all that much fun, but you have to do something because people count on you to acknowledge the season. Events quickly become traditions, and traditions must be upheld.

This year, though, adhering to tradition will likely make people sick. That’s a pretty good reason to change things up. This is your chance to reset traditions and expectations, and make a genuine mark on the people in your circle.

Dig deep for an idea

This year is the year to do something very special.

I’d suggest bringing your team together to do some brainstorming. If you don’t have a team, involve your significant other, your parents, your dog, or the technician who’s visiting your house to amp up your internet speed.

Dream up something that has an impact, touches people’s hearts, and causes them to remember you. Make them tear up, or make them smile, or make them feel good about themselves.

Maybe you’ll do something good for others in need. Maybe you’ll engage your people in a new way–Zoom holiday dance party? Maybe you’ll have something very special delivered to your team members at home. Maybe you’ll write 100 special notes to 100 special people thanking them for something special they did sometime in the past, that they’d long forgotten.

Maybe it’ll be one of these car-based celebrations with everyone poking their heads out through the sunroof. Maybe it’ll be entirely online. Maybe it’ll happen and be over in an instant, or maybe it’ll be something that unfolds gradually, over the course of a month. Maybe it’ll be a story, or a video, or a gift that means a great deal. There’s tremendous potential, but it’s going to require you to put on your thinking cap and dig deep.

I don’t know what you’ll dream up, but I sincerely believe you’ve got it in you to plan something special.

The Harry and David pears won’t cut it this year

Since you can’t just throw a party, it’s tempting to fill the gap with a gift. Gifts are good.

I love sending a gift that can be ordered online, delivered overnight, and cranked out via an automated interface, effortlessly.

But 2020 is no year for the easy or mindless. I know those pears are tasty, but this is just not the year for the run-of-the-mill holiday touch. This year is complicated. It’s a once-in-a-century moment, and it requires that we step up.

If you’re going down the gift path, then it’s going to take more than a pre-fab basket, a fancy pen, or a bottle of wine.

This year will be remembered forever

This is your year to have a real impact.

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We’re raw, we’re emotional, we’re wrung out. The little moments of joy mean more this year. Your new-fangled holiday celebration will bring more than a smile–if you do it right. It’ll change the way people think about you, remember you, and support you.

This won’t be easy. There’s no perfect approach. But I’m certain that the more thought you give it, and the more of you that comes through to the recipient, the greater the effect you’ll have.

We’re primed to let you have an impact right now. We want you to touch our hearts, because our hearts are a little broken. Take this opportunity to give us what we need.

This year, you have a chance to truly touch the hearts of those who matter to your law firm. Whether you’re reaching out to employees, or referral sources, or clients, the holidays this year will be more emotional, more significant, and more loaded with meaning. This is your chance to shine. This is your chance to show everyone how much you care.

This is your moment.

Happy Holidays.