OUR CHRISTMAS PARTY WITH A PURPOSE:TEAM BUILDING AND FAMILY BONDING

"Building a team requires quality time, patience, and perseverance. It's not about how powerful you are being a leader, it's the attitude you showed to them being a good leader."
@lovinglymers

Hello, dear Hivers!Good day to all of you!Hoping that everyone is doing well! Let me extend my best wishes to all of you on this Year 2024! Thank you for all your support extended to me. We are about to open another chapter of our lives but since things that happened in the past are considered so memorable and meaningful to me, I won't let it buried together with the past year without sharing with you. It was about our Christmas Party with my colleagues with the purpose; "Team Building" and at the same time *"Family Bonding"

Planning for the Christmas Party
A month before December, we planned our Christmas Party to be held outside the school. We searched on the internet for a resort offering a promo or lower prices, particularly those in the Northern Part of Cebu. I'm glad we found the Maayo Beach Resort in Victoria San Remegio, Cebu. They offer a promo every Tuesday of the week until January 2, 2024. The promo offered Php 1,650.00 per room for two (2) adults and two kids below 12 years old for free. So, we grabbed the promo and booked one (1) day overnight at the resort. We scheduled our "Christmas Party" and at the same time"Team Building" and "Family Bonding" **on December 19-20,2023.

Christmas Party Preparation
We agreed to bring food to the upcoming event at the resort. The resort charges a corkage fee for all our food items. If we bring a roasted pig or lechon pig, the corkage fee would be Php 650.00. For the other dishes, the corkage fee would be Php 350.00. We are planning to bring roasted pig or lechon pig with a corkage of Php 650.00, Chicken afritada for Php 350.00, and other dishes.

Christmas Party, Team Building, and Family Bonding
The moment we had been waiting for had finally arrived, our Christmas party. My colleagues were the first to arrive at the venue. Some arrived at 2:00 p.m. earlier than the scheduled time to check in. They were allowed to check in earlier than the original 3:00 p.m. start time. I arrived late as I had to buy gifts for them in Bogo City since my original gifts were not delivered on time by Shopee.

I messaged my colleagues to start their games while still on my way. When I finally arrived, I was impressed with the beautiful landscaping in front of the reception area. Accompanied by my two daughters, I entered the reception area to register. It was there that I caught a glimpse of the swimming pool."

Front of the Reception Area

The Reception Area

From the reception area, we can see the breathtaking beauty of the blue sea beside the swimming pool. The sight is so lovely that it tempts everyone to dip in its refreshing water. Moreover, the swimming pool looks immaculately clean and so inviting. There is a swimming pool for adults and one for children.

After registering our names, we proceed to our room. Our room was located in the green building. As we can see the hotels are in different colors, green, orange, yellow, and blue.

While heading towards the hotel, I came across a beautifully landscaped area with a diverse range of well-grown plants that impressed me.

From our building lobby, we have a clear view of the children's park. Our kids can easily play there while we keep an eye on them.

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Children's Park

Our room number was 121 on the second floor of the Green Building. We quickly kept all our belongings in the room since my co-teachers were waiting for us for dinner. With the help of my sister-in-law @simplybil, we brought all our gifts to the Function Hall where our dinner was ready.

Room 121

Our Function Hall

Our function hall was reserved for Php 5,000.00 for a 4-hour block. We dined together with our family and then continued with games, singing, and dancing.

Giving Gifts to my Colleagues/Receiving Gifts from them

After we finished singing and dancing, we exchanged gifts and engaged in the Manita tradition. I was pleasantly surprised to receive a big wrapped box from my co-teachers, which turned out to be a large shoulder bag. I received several gifts, including shoes, a towel, a notebook, and a fan. My Manita gave me a beautiful "Malong". As gifts for my co-teachers, I gave a lunch box and an eco bottle (Tupperware), and for my Manita, I gifted a pair of sandals and an electric multipurpose pot.

My Gifts Received

Sharing gifts with colleagues brought me great joy, especially seeing their smiles. My heart was also filled with happiness upon receiving their unexpected gifts.

Time to Sleep in our Room
It was already 10:00 p.m. when we went back to our designated rooms. My two daughters were excited to sleep in our room. They feel comfortable and relaxed in a cool room.

We woke up at 6:00 a.m. and headed towards the sea. On our way, I noticed a vegetable garden with many eggplants and other plants with fruits. On the other side, there was an area prepared for planting.

Vegetable Garden

The Stunning Blue Sea

Reaching the blue sea, tempted me to take a dip. Wow!How I love to swim in the clear water!


I take pictures of my colleagues with their families. These include @nanayko with her kid.

My Younger Daughter

My daughter took a pose before she dipped into the sea.

My Elder Daughter


After 30 minutes, we transferred to the swimming pool. @lovelyclaire My daughter @lovelyclaire enjoyed dipping into the sea.

Taking Picture with @simplybil and Cousins

I love dipping myself in the cold water of the pool. We enjoyed swimming while the others were still in their rooms. After an hour, we felt hungry as we hadn't had breakfast yet. So we decided to go back to our rooms.

We took a shower in our room and had breakfast afterward. My daughters were asking permission to go swimming in the pool again. I allowed them to return to the pool and reminded them to be extra careful."

We meet with my colleagues in the reception area. There, we took some pictures.

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Meeting with my Colleagues

Posing at the Stairway of the Reception Area

Outside the Reception Area

At the Basement of the Reception Area

I went to the pool to tell my daughters to go back to the room to pack up their belongings. Time checked,10:30 a.m. Our time to check out is scheduled at 11:00 a.m.

At the Pool

Looking at my daughters enjoy swimming in the pool made me feel so happy.
Going Back to our Rooms

@missbebeth and @simplybil

Pack up our Belongings

We cleaned all our messes before we went out to our room. We make sure that no personal belongings are left inside the room.
Ready to Check Out

The Last to Go


We agreed to meet at our school for our lunch. When we arrived, that was the time also that my order from Shopee was delivered. Hahaha, so funny! Taking a picture with my Hive partners @simplybil and @missbebeth. as we bid farewell to the staff.What a perfect smile!

Additional Gift for My Teachers

I distributed all the umbrellas to my co-teachers as my additional gift for them.

"Reflecting on the past year's bonding experiences with our loved ones, friends, families, and colleagues served as our guide to improve what needs to be improved for this year. Our Christmas Party created memorable and meaningful experiences for us. It strengthens and builds a resilient foundation for our team and at the same time holds our family to become closer."

My friends in Hive, it's time to park here, I hope you can spend time reading this post and hoping also for your wholehearted support. See you on my next blog!

Love you all! God Bless! This is @lovinglymers, wishing you a very prosperous New Year!