Christmas Past: Traditions and Memories That Have Shaped the Season

It’s that time of year, and we’re getting into the holiday spirit! We’ve collected some fond memories and traditions from members of the Ellis family to share with you this Christmas season.

“Christmas past, you ask? The stockings for our boys were filled every day until Christmas, starting December 1.  We had purchased all kinds of odds and ends throughout the year and wrapped them without trying to disguise them.  To this day, I remember them dashing in from school to pour out the contents of their stockings to see what was new and see if they could guess what was in it.  It is a tradition they remember to this day and talk about how much fun it was… and they are both in their 40s now.”

“At Christmas time growing up, my family would drive around and look at Christmas lights together on Christmas Eve. My favorite Christmas song has always been Silent Night. Another tradition that I grew up with was opening one present on Christmas Eve from an out of town family member. “

“A Christmas tradition in my family was started because my mother’s birthday was on Christmas Day. We had a party at our house the evening of Christmas Day. The concept of the party was a simple get together of friends and family in a very relaxed atmosphere and a chance to unwind at the end of a very hectic day. First of all, no one had to RSVP to the invitation, all guests were told to come dressed as comfortably as they wanted and to not bring any type of food or drink – just show up and bring any family members they had visiting for the holidays. Guests were welcomed back every year as it was an open annual invitation. The whole idea was to have a relaxed, evening of visiting and sharing how the day had gone and to just enjoy a chance to unwind but still continue the joy and excitement of Christmas Day.”

“Every year since I was a young child, our tradition has been to make gumbo on Christmas Eve and go to midnight mass.  I remember as a little girl being in a play.  I was a singer and dancer who danced around Frosty the Snowman.  My little sister was Baby Jesus… she fell asleep in the manger! One of the best gifts I received was a blue and white bike that had monkey bars and a banana seat!  I was so excited because my Dad had picked it out just for me!”

“Decorating our Christmas tree every year always had us reminiscing, pulling out baby booties, silver baby cups,  and all the macaroni art the children made in their younger years… including all the ornaments from our loved ones who were no longer with us.”

“As a little girl, and being the youngest by far in a big family, Christmas was a big deal for me. I have very fond memories of gifts, decorations, and our family getting together to celebrate this one special day each year. As a teen, I became involved in the church, and for four years was the lead in our annual Christmas musical. Those were the best Christmases – feeling special and receiving a lot of gifts. Seeing my family close when we all lived so far apart was a blessing. It was always an anticipated time of year.”

“Last Christmas we took a trip on the Polar Express all dressed in pajamas to visit Santa.  To add an extra special touch, I made the kids gold Polar Express train tickets that had “Believe” punched out just like in the movie.  The kids were so excited that Santa sent them special tickets they still have them hanging in their rooms.”

“I remember before Christmas I always bugged my parents to let me open a present early. One year they finally caved in and let me open a present, except their stipulation was they got to pick out which one. I was so excited to open a present, but I was one of those kids who took my time and peeled back every piece of tape individually being extra careful! I felt the present, trying to guess what it was. The anticipation was growing. Finally, when I had peeled each piece of tape and pulled back each flap of paper I found a pack of batteries. I looked at my parents as they chuckled. What torture! Now I had batteries that went to some other gift but I had to wait until the next morning to find out what it was. From then on, we had a tradition of opening one present on Christmas Eve. Good memories!”

“Every Christmas, my dad always had to watch Miracle on 34th street and listen to “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer”. He would say it was not officially Christmas time until he heard that song.”

“I was born and raised in Indiana but call Texas my home.  My brothers and I built many snowmen and tunnels and used our sled ever year!”

“Our family started making a gingerbread house every Christmas when our children were very young.  When our son was just a toddler, we would laugh as we watched the gingerbread house “decay” throughout the Christmas season. Every time he toddled by, he would slip a piece of candy off of the house and into his mouth.  By the end of the season, the house was quite plain, just covered in white icing with holes where the candy decorations had been.”

“Christmas time at Ellis has always been a treat, but one particular year will always stick out in my mind. Our management team was treated to a spectacular trip to New York City, which during the holiday season was amazing especially for those of us who were there for the first time. We had a great time with fabulous meals, limo rides, late night New York pizza, a Christmas Rockettes show, a Today Show visit, Rockefeller Plaza, Times Square, shopping all over NYC and then a snowstorm to top it all off! To see New York City decked out for Christmas truly was a treat!”

What memories do you hold dear from Christmases past? We would love to hear your stories!

Mystery Shopping and Customer Loyalty

The mystery shopping report is long established as the objective tool for measuring performance of your onsite leasing personnel… BUT in giving you that glimpse into an interaction with a potential customer you can also see behaviors that contribute to engaging and building the kind of trusting relationship that leads to loyal customers as well.

If you have a shopping program in place or are interested in starting one, consider the following:

– Does the mystery shopping report allow for the shopper to comment openly on their experience rather than just answering a number of Yes/No questions?
– Do you utilize audio and video recordings to observe the interactions between the mystery shopper (AKA customer) and leasing professional?
– Are you asking the “right” type of questions about the customer interaction? A successful sales approach includes technical and emotional components. Do your questions gauge the level of engagement by the customer? Do your questions identify if and how the relationship between a customer and leasing professional is unfolding? What about the “technique”? Are these “technique” questions direct and focused on ensuring the leasing professional is taking specific action as part of the sales presentation?

The sales approach is about balance – balance in the sense of directing and persuading the customer to do business with you while also establishing the beginning of what is hopefully a long term relationship. Just think, if the customer does not enjoy their experience, connect with the leasing professional, or understand the value of living at this community, you probably ALSO lost their recommendation to a friend or family member!

Should I ask a mystery shopper for this kind of feedback – or – should I ask a real customer? The answer is BOTH!

Your real customers may be inclined to give you their brief feedback on a limited number of touch-points, provided they don’t feel their time is wasted. The best practice is to keep things SIMPLE for them if you want to elicit their buy-in, and hence their support, to provide you with valuable information about their experience.

With a mystery shopper, you don’t have to worry about those considerations. You are paying for this service, and the shopper must provide you with all the information you request. With a shopping report built to mirror your internal sales training, the shopper can address whether or not your onsite staff are delivering according to company protocol and expectations to your telephone, onsite, and even Internet customers.

When you ask the shopper to share their feedback and accept their perspective as you would the real customer– embracing the shopping report as an opportunity to improve – then you get not only a tool to measure against your established training program and company expectations, but you gain insight from an objective and non-emotional perspective. While the shopping report captures a moment in time, it allows a deeper understanding of how the sales process is being delivered to potential customers.

For almost three decades, Ellis has been the premier mystery shopping company for the multifamily industry, offering an array of shopping products that can be customized to fit your specific needs, and providing you with training and other references to help you build the best onsite leasing team possible. We also offer a resident feedback program that goes far beyond traditional surveys – helping you understand who your customer is, where you can improve at the property level to increase the perceived value of those customers, and ultimately increase retention and profitability.

Ellis wants to be your partner in success!