This year at Hatley we had a pajama gift exchange over lunch at our head office. We ate together, exchanged gifts and got to see our office staff in their PJs.

At this very busy time of year it is fun to slow down, even if it is just for an hour, and visit with colleagues.  We always have our fair share of laughs here at Hatley and enjoy spending time together.

We do however realize that everyone is not as fortunate and therefore acknowledge the importance of giving back.  In the spirit of giving, Hatley makes many donations to local charities especially at this time of year. We donate goods to shelters, schools food and toy drives, to name a few, and realize that this is only a drop in the bucket.  We all wish we could “do more”, so this holiday season I challenge you to do the simplest of things: be kind to your neighbour, slow down and help a stranger. It is truly amazing what a difference a small gesture can make in someone else’s life.

From all of us at Hatley, Merry X-Moose! Happy Holidays! Play safe!

]]> http://blog.hatleynature.com/2011/12/happy-holidays-from-hatley/feed/ 0 http://blog.hatleynature.com/2011/11/movember-winner/ http://blog.hatleynature.com/2011/11/movember-winner/#comments Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:17:17 +0000 Tory http://blog.hatleynature.com/?p=889

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

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

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.

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?

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!

Angie, Chantel and Reena were chosen as having the best costumes at the office

Angela Abbott, who outdoes herself every year, took home first prize as Don Cherry (a Canadian ice hockey commentator for CBC television, best known as the host of Coaches Corner on Hockey Night in Canada).

Second place went to Chantel Ness, another wonderfully creative soul, who was a limited edition Barbie – still in the box!

And third place was nabbed by newcomer Reena Sacratini, who was one of the Ghostbusters (I do not remember them being that sexy).

Congratulations to the winners! Fun was had by all! Can’t wait to see what next year brings.

The job

Considering that the bulk of my professional career has been spent working and travelling to India, you would think that I would know this country well. But the fact is that every time I come here I am amazed at how little I know and have seen of this amazing place. Many people know that India is the 2nd most populated country and that it the worlds’ largest democracy, but that is just the tip of the iceberg in amazing facts. For example, did you know there are 22 official languages? These 22 languages are official, which means they actually translate the countries’ federal laws into each one. And print the value of the currency in these languages on every single bill. 22 languages is already a lot, but then there are a multitude of different dialects for each one… Someone once told me that there are in fact close to 200 languages in use today. With so many dialects you would think it would be difficult to get navigate the country, but the one constant that is used from the Northern Himalayas to the Southern tip of Tamil Nadu is English. Not everyone speaks English fluently, but thanks to the British influence here, the majority of people have taken it as a second language in school and has a basic understanding of it.

Location of Tirupur, India

Hatley’s factories are set up in a southern town dedicated to the manufacture of knit products, Tirupur, in the province of Tamil Nadu. Tirupur is a unique place in that the entire economy of this town is dedicated to one thing and one thing only… KNITS. If you are not sure what knits are, then let me give you a quick rundown of the 2 main cloth types: woven and knits. Wovens are used for garments that don’t stretch, such as a man’s dress shirt, a pair of jeans or Hatley’s Flannel Pants. Knits are used for garments that you want to stretch, such as t-shirts, baby rompers or tank tops. There are lots of exceptions to this, but those are the basics. Considering that the bulk of all of our products are made of knits, this town makes for a logical base for Hatley’s production.

Tirupur has a population of 1.5 million people, and in India that barely gets you on the map. In fact, it does not even get you an airport. To get to Tirupur, you have to fly to Coimbatore, an hour and a half’s drive away, or you can take a 5 hour train from Bangalore, which is where my wife and family have set up a home. Although it would be great to live in Tirupur from a work point of view, this city is an industrial hub that caters to the business of making clothing – not exactly a great place to explore and discover India with your family.

The Flight

Considering I had flown here about 30 times, I thought that I knew all the ins and outs of travel, but there was one big difference from all of my previous flights and this one was… KIDS! Yes, KIDS. I had never been on a long flight like this with my children and needless to say, it’s a lot more work than travelling on your own. Bringing your kids on a 19 hour flight is like being drafted to go to war: it is something you HAVE to do, not something you want to do.

Jasper has a snack while watching a movie

Our checked in luggage comprised of 7 duffle bags filled with clothes, sippy cups, bed sheets, a “Pack n’ Play”, boxes of mac n’ cheese, toys, diapers, more food, baby blanket and the list goes on… Why did we pack so much? Well, my wife had a mission to take the maximum amount the airline would allow us to check in, which was coincidently 7 bags. Never in all of my trips had I ever even checked in one bag, so needless to say this was already a whole other ballgame.

Our carryon luggage was a war chest of games, toys, snacks, baby wipes and diapers. However, no amount of planning and smart packing could equip us for the flight. It all starts with the arrival at the airport and everyone looking at you, hoping they don’t have to sit by THAT family. I have learned that after a terrorist, a crying baby is the greatest threat to a nice pleasant flight.

Freddy takes an in-flight stroll

After check in, there is the mandatory security screening. Usually quite routine for me, but when you bring an entire cooler of kids food and milk, the security process is a little different. Considering liquid is banned for all travelers except for infants, they treat this “life sustaining” substance with great suspicion.

After an hour long wait that felt like an eternity, it’s finally boarding time, and we are the first ones on. I’m not sure why they want the families on first considering it would be in everybody’s interest to keep the babies off the plane as long as possible, but I guess this gives everyone an opportunity to walk past you on the plane, stare at their boarding pass and pray that they are not sitting near you….

The flight takes off and so begins the endless journey of negotiating my kids to sleep, eat, not pay friendly visits to all of our fellow sleeping passengers, or storm the cockpit.