
When we started our company nearly 20 years ago, we started with nothing except an idea. We wanted to provide the most exceptional personalized service; we wanted each client to feel as though it was our only client. We provide computer services, but we never forget that a person sits between the seat and the keyboard. That philosophy remains today and I believe is fundamental to our continued success.
Six months into our initial entrepreneurial efforts, we encountered our first holiday season. We did not have much money, but we really wanted to thank our new clients for their support. We wanted to send an intimate message, yet be professional. We came up with the idea of baking holiday goods and presenting them in trays and baskets. It has remained a tradition ever since. We always present the baskets to the administration, but they are something the whole staff enjoys during a coffee break. Indeed, starting just after Thanksgiving, we start to get inquiries of when they can expect their sweet treats! Over the years the contents have varied a bit, but they almost always contain sweet breads or muffins and cookies, accompanied by what has become our signature gift: miniature cheesecakes. Although the cheesecakes are not homemade (we get these Lawler's delights from Sams Club), they are delicious and are the perfect size for a snack, cut into little cubes of heaven and wrapped with pretty holiday paper ~ perfect for pretty yet easy presentation.
For one week each holiday season, my kitchen is turned upside down as I make each gift. Each one is designed individually, no two are the same. I have since expanded the tradition to include some of our vendors, neighbors, hostess gifts and a couple of Secret Santas. It has become such a task that I now have to create a spreadsheet to help with ordering! This year, for instance, I needed 30 dozen cookies, 40 dozen cheesecake bites, 15 banana bread loaves, 12 dozen pecan tartlets, and three pounds of soft mints! I always pray for cold weather so that I can store everything! I assemble and my husband delivers. The kids taste test. It's our little version of the north pole!
Because I now have a limited kitchen (that is, I do not have an oven), I rely on others to help me with the baskets' components. This year I had the pleasure of using our local Amish bakery and a recently discovered cookie business with a story as sweet as its wares. Because I always love a good story, I included a note with each basket telling the background of David's Awesome Cookies (click on image to enlarge and read).
Yesterday I froze the leftovers so that they may be enjoyed during Christmas week, and I was able to make a huge check mark on my holiday To Do list. As I enjoyed one of the peanut butter cookies with my morning coffee I thought about those first baskets we made and realized that success comes in many different flavors.









































