The case for rest

Or, why we take off the last two weeks of December each year

I love Christmas.

I absolutely adore the lights, greenery, festivity, anticipation, gratitude, love, and joy of it all. I always have and I probably always will.

Growing up my parents would throw a massive holiday party titled The Annual Paul Family Chili and Caroling Extravaganza. We’d eat chili and drink hot chocolate with friends before bundling up and walking door to door in our neighborhood singing Christmas carols. It was very festive.

As an adult, my Christmas festivities have tempered some, but they’ve gotten a bump this year as my partner, Jordan, and I have shared holiday traditions from our upbringing. Our house is decked out with lights, we have an oversized tree, and we’ve been lighting a menorah and advent candles over dinners. We’re not traveling to Montana for a big, extravagant Paul family Christmas like I’d hoped, but it’s been nice. It’s been festive.

My love for Christmas is not the reason Ligature takes the last two weeks of December off each year, but the decision to close our doors for the holidays is very much rooted in the same spirit of joyful celebration.

Matt and I are really proud of everything our team has accomplished this year. 2020 has affected everyone in different ways, but through the cloud of fear and anxiety our team launched new projects, built new relationships, and strengthened old ones; we made new plans for the future of the company and grew as individuals and as a team.

By the numbers, we launched 11 new websites and four new brands. We added nine new clients to our roster and collaborated with five partner companies to deliver for those clients. We had two employees (Lisa and Kerri) eclipse the five-year mark with Ligature and we added Garrett, our newest team member. And though we weren’t able to spend as much time in it as we intended, we moved into our new office on Larimer Street.

We’ve done good work.

So we celebrate. We recharge. We take advantage of the time of year when things move a little more slowly and intentionally step away so we can return in the new year with a renewed focus and renewed energy. Having the space to step away is important for the mental health of our team members, and it’s so important to be successful as creatives.

So officially, we’re closed this year from Dec. 19 – Jan. 1.

From all of us at Ligature, happy holidays! We’ll see you again in the new year.