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Health system gets into holiday spirit(The Brunswick News Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Dec. 19--Cynthia Robinson doesn't mind being a gnome -- at least not for the holidays. "I'm short anyway, so it's OK," said Robinson, marketing coordinator for the Southeast Georgia Health System, as she stood in front of her office door. There, in the shape of a Christmas tree, were the many faces of the Southeast Georgia Health System's marketing team, with each smile and pair of eyes set inside the face of a holiday gnome. The marketing department joined 14 other healthcare system departments this month in participating in the annual holiday door decorating contest. More than just a way for the hospital's staff to get creative, the door decorations add a bit of holiday zest to the hospital's corridors, said Angelynn Thomas, coordinator of this year's "Holiday Garden" contest theme. Being in the hospital during the holiday season is never fun, but posting arrays of red, green and good cheer throughout the facility is a little something the hospital administration likes to do to create a more festive atmosphere in the building, Thomas said. "We do it every year, for as long as I can remember," Thomas said. "It's really a lot of fun." Roaming the halls Wednesday to judge the doors, Meredith Deal, Gail Butler and Christine Pierce held clipboards tight to their chests as they surveyed each entry and made notes on their scoring checklists. Standing in front of the Risk Management office, the trio of judges looked and laughed as the joke kicked in. A long full string of garland and a huge 3-D poinsettia had been plastered on the door with the faces of the department staff hanging on various green leaves. Above the larger-than-life plant were two prices, one for the cost of the garland ($19.32) and one for the cost of the poinsettia ($76.50). Below the plant, the staff had written "Growing together ... priceless," in an effort to mimic a popular credit card marketing campaign that uses similar tag lines. "Oh, I get it. What a cute theme," exclaimed Deal as the message sank in. "I love it," chimed in Pierce. It wasn't the only door they loved. The group of judges exclaimed similar cheers for just about each and every entry they reviewed. The contest wasn't about winning and losing, Pierce said. It was about enjoying the spirit of the holiday season and spreading a bit of merriment. That's not to say, though, that some doors didn't stand out. Keep in mind, Pierce said, that while there were no losers, there certainly were winners. After an hour-plus of touring the doors in the hospital, the three judges decided upon a winner. Coming in with top honors was the Information Systems office, followed by the Facilities Department, with the offices for the Respiratory Therapy Department grabbing third place. To show that all was in fun in games, the judges even opted to pick an honorable mention, which went to the offices of Risk Management for the "Priceless" slogan. "This is really just so much fun," said Butler. "All the doors were very cute." To see more of The Brunswick News or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.thebrunswicknews.com/. Copyright (c) 2008, The Brunswick News, Ga. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |