Grand Hyatt forgoes Christmas cards for good deed
TOO many of the companies that have sent us Christmas cards this year have bypassed the usual nativity scenes and traditional peace, joy and angels bit, and have gone straight for the company logo theme instead.
You know the kind of thing . . . logo in a Santa hat, logo in a snow-storm etc.
The slightly more imaginative have chosen to paraphrase Christmas greetings (as in ''have a Merry XX-mas'' from MEXX; ''Merry Fitness'' from a health club; or ''O Come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant, O come ye, O come ye to Hotel Victoria'').
It is always nice to be remembered, but we cannot help feeling that the element of commercialism takes the edge off the enjoyment.
So it was a relief to receive a press release from the Grand Hyatt explaining that it was not sending us a card this year, and was instead spending the money on St Christopher's home for children who are orphans or have serious family problems.
Not only does the $25,000 the hotel normally budgets for printing the cards go towards toys, a pre-Christmas lunch at the home (prepared by the hotel's chefs) and other one-off expenses, but $1 from each bar and restaurant bill in December goes into a special fund to help St Christopher's.
It might not sound much, but the hotel general manager says he is expecting at least 45,000 food and drinks bills to go through the accounts department this month - a nice bonus for the charity.
