5 Things Christmas has in Common with Construction
Although the temperatures have turned cold and flurries have begun to fly, progress on our construction projects hasn’t slowed down and doesn’t show signs of doing so anytime in the near future. With the holidays just around the corner, I started thinking about all of the similarities between Christmas and construction and thought I’d share a few.
1. Holiday Guests & Construction Crews
During the course of a renovation project, it’s not unlikely that while you may love the crew working on your project, the noise and disruption may get to you. Remember, just like family, our teams mean well and they won’t be there forever.
2. The Importance of Tradition
Both Christmas and construction are built on tradition. Just as your family may sip hot chocolate by the fire on Christmas Eve, tear open gifts on Christmas morning or sit down for a holiday meal with all of the standard “fix in’s,” we have our own traditions in the construction industry. Ceremony is extremely important in our business, whether that be a ground breaking or a ribbon-cutting; we take great pride in helping our clients mark milestone events during their projects.
3. It’s all about the Tree
Speaking of milestone events, in our industry when the last piece of structural steel is set on a building, we celebrate with a topping-out ceremony. This ceremony typically involves the signing of the last beam—by the tradespeople, project team, architect, engineers and owner of the facility—which is then hoisted into place. The practice of “topping out” a building can be traced back to an ancient Scandinavian religious practice that involved placing a tree on the top of a new building to appease the tree-dwelling spirits of their ancestors who had been displaced. Today, the ceremonies sometimes involve placing an evergreen tree upon the structure to symbolize growth and bring good luck.
4. Planning Makes Life So Much Less Stressful
If you’ve ever been in a department or grocery store on Christmas Eve, you’ve felt the panic and stress caused by last minute shopping (unless you’re one those people who performs best under pressure). Just as in life, when it comes to construction, planning makes all the difference. Coordination on a jobsite is vital to its success, whether that be determining lead times on materials or scheduling a subcontractor to be onsite at the optimal time to perform their portion of the work. As Ben Franklin once said, “by failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail,” something we work to avoid at all costs.
5. Bringing Dreams to Life
One of the greatest joys of the holiday season is gift giving. Finding or making the perfect gift elicits a sense of joy that is unparalleled. In construction, we feel the same joy in turning over spectacular facilities to our clients. We are blessed with the opportunity to capture their visions and turn them into realities. Simply put, at Miron, our commitment reaches beyond construction; our passion brings dreams to life.
We employ some of the most amazing craftspeople in the industry, individuals who share their gifts with our customers each and every day and we would like to thank you, along with our office staff, for the amazing work you do all year long. We would also like to thank our extraordinary clients for allowing us to help realize your dreams.
May the good times and treasures of the present become the golden memories of tomorrow. Wishing you peace, joy and happiness this holiday season!
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