Our gift this year goes to Ukraine

Last year when I wrote the blog 'Did Santa ever exist?' I mentioned that "the past 21 months have been new to all of us, and "mental health concerns us all in one way or another." Little did I know what "new to all of us" would mean in 2022. What a year.

This year we are continuing our tradition of replacing material gifts with donating to a worthy cause. We asked our employees which causes they personally found to be important. Here’s what our people answered:

- Supporting Ukraine - Supporting mental health - Environmental causes

The vast majority of New Things people want to support Ukraine in any way we can so this is where we are putting our effort this year.

We consulted a friend from the Ukrainian Association in Finland on what is needed most at the moment. If you want to support, here’s some good avenues to do that through:

• Helping refugees in Finland - the Help Center

• Humanitarian aid to Ukraine

• Provisions to Ukraine (generators, or heat provision, canned foods etc).

All of these need assistance and none more than the other. We decided to donate to Auta Ukrainaa to help get provisions to the people who need them.

But while trying to help others, it's so important to take care of our own wellbeing. From short breathing exercises to a couple of days' break from everyday life might make a difference to how you feel. If you have a chance for a break during the holiday season this year, we hope you'll have a restful break and you can focus on activities that bring you joy!

We wish everyone a peaceful holiday season!

See you in 2023!