A Christmas Carol at Ubiwhere

The ideas and the arrangements

Once upon a time, a group of work colleagues was secretly gathering to decide what the Christmas surprise would be. The times of family, love and fraternity were almost arriving. And so a thousand ideas started to appear, between different minds and personalities. They were aware of the challenge ahead, but nothing stopped them from bringing ideas to life. And that might be the trait that best describes this group of dedicated people.

All the contacts were made, permissions granted, ideas created, content ready to be used… followed by some incidents along the way. But what is a surprise without any obstacle in its path? It wouldn’t be so funny. The unexpected adversities were resolved and everyone got back to work with the same sense of dedication. One person alone might achieve something, but a united team manages to do the impossible.

Because that’s what Christmas at Ubiwhere is about: union.

’’A surprise filled with taste, kindness and sophistication’’

The surprise

There are always setbacks. But there are also solutions. After all, our protagonists are Ubiwhere’s employees! The magic of Christmas would soon appear and one could already sense a pinch of joy and enthusiasm on the lonely hallways of the company. Laughs could already be heard. The sparkly eyes on the faces of the ones behind this surprise could already be seen. The surprise… A surprise filled with taste, kindness and sophistication.

There wasn’t one, nor two, but three surprises. Like the presents of the Three Kings? A happy coincidence! And curiously, these three surprises had a thoughtful meaning too. A jar of glass keeping sweets and chocolates: symbol of joy. Three bottles of wine: symbol of celebration. A personalised gift card with a message from our team members sharing our most important traits: symbol of companionship.

To successfully get all of these surprises, the teams of Design, Human Resources and Marketing and Communication had to join forces. Together, they showed the best of their abilities. The dream was conquered… and even snow fell at the office!

Because that’s also what Christmas at Ubiwhere is about: solidarity.

The emotions

There was a particular thrill on the big day. Do you know when the kids are waiting until they can open their presents? The feeling was the same, but differently: everyone wanted to offer the Christmas gifts and memorise the reactions from those who would receive them. This Christmas, without hugs and filled with hidden smiles beyond the masks, the only visible response came from the eyes that stood out in the faces of our beloved team that stopped by Ubiwhere.

The offices in Aveiro and Coimbra were completely transformed: in the ten months before, there wasn’t movement at the hallways, there weren’t conversations, there weren’t doors closing and opening. On that day, everything came back, with all the safety and hygiene procedures, and the team spirit got a new dimension. People could be with each other, although distant. Speak eye to eye. Heart with no technical delay. See the team and see how thankfully everyone was good. You could feel emotion on each one of our employees reading the message specially written for them. It’s the power of gratitude, my dear!

People say we only value things when we lose them somehow. On that day, we valued every single moment. We could feel it in our bones. People coming together after months without seeing each other, visiting every space of our offices, meeting the new members that joined the team during confinement and quarantine, for the first time live. Each hour, arriving in different schedules to avoid large gatherings. As they came to visit someone. They would arrive a bit shy, they would leave with their eyes filled with happiness. Like something beautiful and magical had happened. And it did. Through the whole day.

Not the cold, neither the pandemic broke the team apart. On the contrary, several of our team members came together in the same home, the home of all of us. Because there is always something bigger than fear: affection.

Because that’s also what Christmas at Ubiwhere is about: family.