At this time of year, home – based professionals may be getting all nostalgic about two things that they remember from working outside of the home. Holiday parties and Christmas bonuses are things that used to be commonplace for many professionals who were employed outside of the home. In recent years bonuses and gifts have become a more modest, but many people do still get a little something from their employer. Most places of employment have some form of holiday party, too.
Now that you work from home, are holiday bonuses and parties a thing of the past? They don’t have to be, especially if you enjoyed them as a welcome part of the holiday season. While you may be unable to give yourself a nice cash bonus, consider treating yourself to something that you don’t usually get but is still within your means. Whether you opt for a massage, a new outfit, a nice bottle of wine, a day on the ski slopes, or something else is completely up to you. If I were able to give myself a holiday bonus this year, I would spend a day on the slopes, snowboarding. Unfortunately, I am not able to work that into my budget or my schedule this year, but it is nice to dream.
As far as a holiday party is concerned, why not get together with family or friends and go out for a nice dinner. If there’s a new bar or night club in town that you are interested in going to, you could go there and call that your holiday party. Of course since you may be the only one who is employed by your home – based business, there’s no need to worry about embarrassing yourself in front of the boss. You may want to play it safe, though, because if you are planning a night out on the town you may see some familiar faces (current and potential clients) while you are out.