John Beaton is the winner of Hatley's Employee Moosetache Movember Contest

Congratulations to John Beaton, winner of our employee Movember Contest! John, a P.E.I native, is a new addition to our Hatley family, and works in our marketing department. He won a pair of Hockey tickets (Montreal Canadiens vs. Boston Bruins) and a $500 donation in his name to the Department of Oncology of the the Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM).

Check out the contestants' progress week by week.

Thank you to all who participated! We are happy to start a new tradition here at Hatley and raise awareness for prostate cancer. Now that Movemeber has come to an end let the shaving begin!!

About the CHUM
The Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM) is the largest francophone teaching hospital in North America. Known for excellent care and the expertise of its specialists, every year it welcomes more than half a million patients not only from the greater Montreal region but also the entire province of Quebec. The essence of its mission is the application of innovative approaches to healthcare, the search for new knowledge, the promotion of health and the transfer of knowledge. Boasting a rich history, the CHUM is looking to the future with the ongoing construction of new facilities and its research centre in downtown Montreal, a comprehensive project on a single site valued at nearly $2.5 billion. The CHUM Research Centre will open its doors in 2013. It will be followed in 2016 by the unveiling of the new CHUM, a world-class teaching hospital in tune with its community where it plays a major role, in a socially aware perspective of sustainable development and concerted urban approach. It is also an active member of the Réseau universitaire intégré de santé (RUIS) de l’Université de Montréal

India is a land of great food, great people and of course festivals. Rarely a week goes by where there isn’t a holiday of some sort. I recently heard that there were 40 recognized government holidays, which translates into: there are 40 reasons to take the day off and celebrate something. This can be very frustrating when you need to access a government service, such as getting a passport or driver’s license, but if you want to learn about the Indian culture and Hinduism, it is a great opportunity to see how this country celebrates and what they believe is important.

Many people have heard about Diwali, which is the biggest festival in India. It can be compared to Christmas in North America in terms of length, importance and the tradition of gift giving. But the most fascinating festival I have taken part in is Ayuda Puja. A Puja is an act of devotion, or basically, a prayer. However it is a bit more complex, as the act of Puja often requires the burning of incense and offering of foods to whatever it is you are praying to.

On the day of Ayuda Puja, every person worships the tool or the instrument which he or she uses for earning their salary, or “bread” as they would say in India. This means that if you are a bus driver you will worship your bus, a sewer their sewing machine, or an office worker their computer.

Workstations are decorated with flowers and blessed for the Ayuda Puja

The act of Ayuda Puja is very important and often very elaborate. The bus driver will not only bless his bus, but then decorate it with garlands, flowers and possibly banana leaves. It is an incredible site to see all the vehicles on the streets decorated this way. I happened to be at the airport on the day of Ayuda Puja and was amazed to see all the vehicles on the tarmac covered in flowers, including luggage carts and trucks to pull planes back and forth. Everything was decorated, except for the planes themselves. I am assuming they were not only due to safety concerns.

Jasper has fun while helping the drivers bless their mini-vans.

For some people this is a quick Puja that might take only a couple of minutes, however if you are running a sewing factory, the Puja actually takes the better part of 2 days. Although this is not a government recognized holiday it is very important for people in the manufacturing industry and particularly important where we work in Tirupur.

When I was at our factory, I was amazed at the length and intricacy of the process and somewhat confused as to why they would take 2 days off to bless the sewing machines. However, I have learned that when in India, you just have to roll with the culture – best just to accept it and not question it too much. The Puja starts by blessing all your sewing machines, which requires a priest’s help, and the sewers to spread flowers over all the machines. And let’s not forget the burning of incense – you can’t celebrate in India unless you burn incense! Then it’s off to the local temple where you pray for your machines and another good year of manufacturing. As a show of respect to the sewing machines, it is also expected that you clean them. So after you are finished at the temple it’s back to the factory to clean the machines, and if you have 300 of them, this means it will take at least the rest of the day. Lastly, after you have prayed, spread flowers and cleaned the machines, you have to give them the day off too. Yes, machines deserve a day off as much as the rest of us. And so if your machine gets the day off, then you may as well take the day off too.

Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

Hatley of Hilton Head is located in the picturesque town of Harbour Town, SC. Under a red and white awning, ten meters away from the dock, you will find a strip of shops that has become known as a destination shopping area for the hundreds of thousands of tourists that visit this beautiful place for the beaches, golf, scenery, and to view the Harbour Town Lighthouse.

We caught up with Sandy, the store manager, to discuss how they decided to open up a full Hatley store.

Hatley of Hilton Head

Their location was previously an art gallery, but with the economy as it was, the owner of the store was looking to add something that was not already a part of the retail landscape in Hilton Head. They wanted to open a family store and they have the philosophy that they wanted something unique that nobody else was doing. Hilton Head is very much a family destination, so when their sales representative approached them about doing a Hatley store, they were on board immediately! They loved the look of the line and felt that it was a perfect fit for the coastal landscape.

The typical customer is definitely the tourists that visit the area. They are in such a great location that they do not find it necessary to advertise, since they are in a high foot traffic area that most everyone strolls by. The local population in the down season is about 35,000, but during the peak of summer vacation season the population can swell to 275,000. They have tourists visit from all over the world!

Hatley of Hilton Head Store Front

The top selling items are the women’s sleepshirts and men’s boxers. Sandy reported that the men’s tee, “The Trout, the whole trout and nothing but the trout…so help me cod” has been flying off of the shelves as well!

Hatley’s Spring 2012 collection is more coastal looking than ever so we expect the upcoming summer season to be busy for us and the Hatley of Hilton Head store!

Store Name: Hatley of Hilton Head (official Hatley dealer)
Location: 149 E Lighthouse Road, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Store Size: 600 sq. feet

Two Hatley Store Grand Openings: Banff, Alberta and Niagara-On-The Lake, Ontario.

The announcement seems late because the official opening for both of these stores was in the Spring. The reality is it took us this long to get organized, hire the right people and work through the sometimes endless list of problems.

I just finished visiting both stores and I am proud to say they are running smoothly, they look great, the staff have things under control and, most importantly, the customers seem happy and, thankfully, shopping.

Banff is one of Canada's great mountain towns, located in a National Park and surrounded by the Rockies.

Both Banff and Niagara-On-The-Lake are two of Canada’s most beautiful towns. Both towns are a perfect reflection of the Hatley experience – fun, nature inspired and beautiful.

Niagara-On-The -Lake is home to the Shaw theatre festival and ideally situated in the heart of Ontario's wine region.

It took us a while to open these stores but know that they are up and running I am confident we’ll be there for a long time.

If you’re planning a trip to Canada or if you’re just a short drive away, make sure you stop by and say hi, or, better yet, come in and buy yourself something special.

Kids are a bundle of energy, and though it may be raining outside, this does not slow them down one bit! Here are a few fun activities to keep everyone entertained on those dreary days:

Splish-Splash

Just because it’s raining, doesn’t mean the kids can’t go outside and play. Why miss out on jumping and splashing in and out of puddles when you can suit them up in Hatley raingear! Boots, coats, and umbrellas are all available in boys’ styles and girls’ styles.

Out of the rain and into the frying pan!

After playing in the rain, have the kids help out in the kitchen and get them involved with baking. Try some of these kid-friendly, culinary delights!

If it’s raining, start painting

Once you finish in the kitchen, you can print stencils for the kids to colour or try fun drawing lessons for all different age groups. Once their masterpieces are complete, display them around the house and offer friends and family the opportunity to see the wonderful art show. The kids can serve their delicious treats, just like a real art gallery.

Shhh…the movie’s about to start

When all else fails, there’s nothing better than cuddling up on the couch for an afternoon movie. Make some “Popcorn Parfaits” to enjoy during the film. In a cup, layer healthy and not-so-healthy treats for the kids from whatever you have on hand in the cupboard. Layering suggestions include: popcorn, raisins or dried fruit, chocolate chips, berries, apples or pears cut up, and top with a few mini marshmallows. Then just sit back, and enjoy your favourite family movie. One of ours is “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel”.

What are your favourite rainy day activities?

Men, this is your free pass to not shave for a month!

I know, I know, encouraging men to grow facial hair is not a girls idea of a good time. But, ladies, this is for a good cause! So let’s support and encourage our men to get hairy this month and participate in Movember – where the longer, the patchier, the grosser, the scratchier, the better!

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men. In Canada alone one in 7 men will develop prostate cancer during his lifetime, the risk is highest after age 60, and one in 28 will die of it. Let’s increase awareness together: welcome to Movember!