Santa, Could You Spare a Few Elves?

I've been feeling a little boxed in at work lately. I can't exactly pinpoint why. It's just a feeling I'm getting.

Welcome to holiday season in the world of marketing. A gift will be placed in each of these 2,250 boxes and delivered to our customers. I enjoyed the creative process of selecting the gift and watching it come together. Last week, I was interviewed by Inc.com about our gift. The story features companies who are giving out unique holiday gifts this season to employees and customers. I think I sounded like a goob during the interview, but it was rewarding and felt like the months of hard work had payed off.

But the distribution process has been a different story.

There have been endless address lists to mull over, and this week, we've had a team of people assembling these boxes. Next week, we'll have to fill them with tissue, the gift, a sticker on top, tape and label the boxes and mail them out.

I realize there are fulfillment houses to do these sort of projects, but I like to be thrifty with the company's money. In previous years, our company would charter a plane and spend a week hand delivering gifts to customers across the country. When I think of that distribution process, I realize I probably could have used a fulfillment house.

These pictures are slightly blurred. After all that folding, I think I had the shakes.

When I leave the office today, I will definitely have something to be thankful for: I will never, ever have to fold 2,250 boxes again!