December 1st, 2014 Volume 15, Issue 12
“Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself..” -Coco Chanel
“Stressed spelled backwards is desserts. Coincidence? I think not!” -Unknown
“There may be people that have more talent than you, but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do.”
-Derek Jeter
Holiday Hours Royal Oak/Esquimalt/Cobble
December 24– 8am-6pm December 25– Closed December 26– 10am-6pm December 31– 8am– 6pm January 1st– 10am– 6pm Nanaimo Stores December 12– 7am-6pm December 24– 7am-6pm December 25– Closed December 26– 10am-6pm December 31– 7am– 6pm January 1st– 10am– 6pm Lake Cowichan December 6– 7am-6pm December 24– 7am-5pm December 25– Closed December 26– 10am-6pm December 31– 7am– 6pm January 1st– 10am– 6pm
Team Members of the Year Congratulations to the recipients for this award! These awards are nominated by your fellow team members. Each recipient has continually shown strong teamwork and leadership throughout the year. Thank you for all your hard work!
Salt Spring Store December 7am– 6pm December 24– 7am-7pm December 25– Closed December 26– 10am-6pm December 31– 7am– 10pm January 1st– 10am– 6pm
Points of Interest Team Members of the Year
Parades Team Highlights Nutrition Corner Anniversaries Christmas Party Birthdays Country Community
Esquimalt Team Members of the Year Cobble Hill Team Members of the Year Congratulations Marla LeGroulx in our front-end department and Andrew Chilton in our deli department!
Congratulations Ryan Snowdon in our grocery department and Payton Macdonald also in our grocery department!
Royal Oak Team Members of the Year Congratulations Ryan Eng in our produce department and William Dunn in our grocery department!
December 25th is a statutory holiday– Christmas Day ALL STORES CLOSED ON CHRISTMAS DAY
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Volume 15, Issue 12
Team Member Highlights Congratulations to Glenn McLean in the bakery department from our Esquimalt Store on his Kudo. Glenn went above and beyond to get a retirement cake for a group that needed it very last minute. With the help of Josh, the group had their cake the next day in time for the party. Great job! Congratulations to Pamela Hayer and Bria Wilson on your Kudos. Nominated by Mike Parr for your work on the Christmas party.
Congratulations to Greg Randall from our Royal Oak store. A customer left behind a bag of groceries and Greg offered to deliver it to the customers house on his own time. Great job Greg! Tom Grauwiler of our Royal Oak store received a kudo for once again doing our Remembrance Day announcement on November 11th. Tom comes in on his own time to do this and this is the third year running he has done this for us. Thank-you Tom! Well deserved!
Every year in our floral department in Esquimalt, the team Jennifer and Stephen, design a Remembrance Day wreath which is displayed in store. We then donate it to the Esquimalt Legion who then places the wreath in their main entrance for all their members and veterans to view and enjoy. The wreath described by Stephen, “The eleven white Mums for the 11th day/ hour. You can just see 3 white roses in the centre of the opening for the Trinity and a tiny red spray rose that hangs like a drop of blood or a tear.” More pictures are posted on our website on Team Connection.
Nutrition Corner It’s that time of year again! No doubt there will be gatherings, surprise visitors and feasting. While it may be a challenge to shed pounds over the holidays, it’s very possible to maintain where you are at. Here are a few ideas that may help you make healthier choices while you’re enjoying this time of the year at home, at work and with friends. Start each day with a healthy breakfast that includes some protein, fibre, fruits and even vegetables. Choose a protein powder that works for you to add to a smoothie that might include a banana, some berries and a couple of kale leaves or sauté your favorite vegetables and then add in two eggs for a nutritious omelet. Make a large pot of oatmeal on a Sunday to draw from throughout the week, but add in a can of pumpkin for added nutrients, such as fibre, vitamin A and potassium…sprinkle with a generous amount of cinnamon and almond milk. Just a few healthy options to start your day. Pack yourself a healthy lunch. If you know that you will attending an office lunch or gathering, browse the menu beforehand so that you have an idea of what healthy choices there are available. Pack lunches that are full of vegetables, along with lean proteins, such as cottage cheese, chickpeas and a bit of feta, tempeh and avocado, salmon or chicken…the portion size should be about the size of your palm. If you pack sandwiches, use whole grain breads for added nutrition. Eat a healthy snack, such as yogurt and fruit, vegetables and hummus, a palmful of nuts or seeds before heading out to any gathering…never arrive starving. If you do arrive hungry, attempt to start with raw vegetables or a protein to take the hunger pains away rather than heading straight for the sugar plates or chip bowls. Try to avoid sweets and treats that you have on a regular basis and allow yourself to enjoy small portions, in moderation, of your favorite holiday baking. Lose the guilt! It’s added stress, which we need to avoid as often as possible. If you overindulge, don’t stress, just try to eat a bit healthier the following day. Eat healthy as often as possible, drink water, keep active, sleep well and enjoy a healthy holiday. Please email me at nutrition@countrygrocer.com for healthy recipe ideas over the holidays! -Nutrition Advisor Erin Bosdet
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Volume 15, Issue 12
Anniversaries
Congratulations to Wendy Gray, Front-End Manager of our Cobble Hill store celebrates 5 years with us!
Congratulations to John Oldnall bulk supervisor of our Cobble Hill store celebrates 5 years with us!
Congratulations to Ian Patrucco produce clerk at our Royal Oak store celebrates 5 years with us!
Chase River congratulates the following team members on their anniversaries.
5 years- Heidi Hamel, Melinda Fortin, Michael Fletcher 10 years- Tom Barrows 25 years- Danny Wilson 30 years- Cindy Naylor We thank them for their continued support in helping to make Country Grocer the success it is!!
Christmas Party Celebrations– November 21 2014
Thanks for all that helped contribute $1050 to Boys and Girls Club of Victoria with the raffle and 50/50! For more Christmas party pictures, please go online and check out Team Connection.
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Volume 15, Issue 12
Country Community 22nd Victoria Annual Festival of Trees November 19– January 6
ROYAL OAK
Rebecca Corrina Kelsey M. Ashton Will Claire
Dec 3 Dec 9 Dec 14 Dec 20 Dec 21 Dec 30
ESQUIMALT
Caitlin Leah Alana RJ Katriana Brigitta Jane Noel
Dec 4 Dec 8 Dec 9 Dec 12 Dec 14 Dec 15 Dec 20 Dec 26
NANAIMO–BOWEN Vanessa Chantelle Nicole P. Ramona John Karen M. LAKE COWICHAN
Mitch Merenya Sandy Greg Amanda L. ADMIN
COBBLE HILL
Janis Wes Werner Bree Brian Catherine Penny Linda Luc
Dec 1 Dec 2 Dec 11 Dec 18 Dec 18 Dec 18 Dec 22 Dec 24 Dec 28
Every year, Victoria Festival of Trees transforms The Fairmont Empress into a lush forest of beautifully decorated trees to raise funds for BC Children's Hospital Foundation. Sponsors, local businesses, organizations and individuals of this event come together and decorate trees - in a sometimes wacky, often irreverent and always beautiful fashion.
Nanaimo Festival of Trees November 22– January 4 In Support of BC Children's Hospital Festival of Trees. See it Experience it, Visit Nanaimo North Town Centre to vote for your favorite tree!
SALT SPRING
Ron R. Wendy F. Mike K. Steven H. Cathy L.
Dec 5 Dec 9 Dec 9 Dec 17 Dec 24
NANAIMO CHASE RIVER
Christian Lucy Carla Travis Tim Kristal Rachel Vern Linda Dave T. David B.
Dec 6 Dec 6 Dec 7 Dec 13 Dec 20 Dec 22 Dec 22 Dec 22 Dec 24 Dec 25 Dec 30
IIBG
Rob Dec 10 Peter Dec 14 Noel Dec 19
Note: Stores without dates are as per their request.
Centennial Square Ferris Wheel November 29– December 21 The DVBA ferris wheel is back in Centennial Square for four weekends this holiday season. See Victoria from 65 feet up on Friday evenings, Saturdays and Sundays. Presented by the Downtown Victoria Business Association. Cutoff for the last ride will be 1/2 hour before closing time. Please arrive before 9:30pm on Fridays and Saturdays and by 7:00pm on Sundays!
Whippletree Junction Lighting Festival and Food Drive December 5th– December 16th The Merchants of Whippletree Junction would like your help in supporting the Duncan Food Bank. In the spirit of the season, Whippletree will host the TrickleTree Lighting Festival on Friday, December 5 from 4:00PM to 7:00PM. Please email your submissions to: newsletter@countrygrocer.com with by December 15th for our January 1st issue!