Letters, thieves and festive titbits
NZ Post is again helping children write to Father Christmas, either by traditional letter or email, continuing a tradition that spurred about 90,000 letters last year.
To make and send a digital postcard, visit nzpost.co.nz/ writetosanta. Children can drag and drop their favourite items, from fairy lights, milk and cookies to presents and lots more, to make their Christmas postcards special.
Alternatively, letters can be posted with no stamp required to:
Santa Claus c/- Santa’s Workshop North Pole 0001 Letters to Santa received in the mail before December 13 will receive a reply from him in the post. An email reply will be made to online messages received up until 6pm Monday, December 23.
Keep thieves off gift list With more parcels set to be delivered at Christmas than any other time of the year, there are also more chances for presents to be stolen.
To avoid this, Police advise:
❚ Get packages delivered to a work address or where someone will be home to receive them.
❚ Have a secure location at home where left.
❚ Provide clear instructions for packages not to be left at your front door or on top of an apartment building post box.
❚ Alternatively, arrange collect your parcel from depot.
❚ Be smart when disposing of packaging so passers-by can’t see if you’ve been buying expensive items.
❚ Report any suspicious behaviour to Police, such as if you see a car following a courier van, or an unexpected visitor knocks on your door asking for someone you don’t know. Business shutting down? For businesses planning to shut down over the Christmas and New Year period, be sure to do it in accordance with the Holidays Act 2003.
Employment relations adviser Ashlea Maley, of Employsure, says employers can only have one close-down per year; any more and they need their employee’s consent.
‘‘During a close-down an employer can require employees to take annual leave, even where this requires employees to take time off for which they are not fully reimbursed. The employer is required to provide employees with at least 14 days’ advance
delivered items can be
to the notice says.
‘‘Employees who have been employed for less than 12 months at the date of close-down will not have worked long enough to be entitled to annual holidays. In this situation, the employer must pay the employee per cent of gross
of
the
8
closedown,’’
she earnings since their start of employment less any payment for annual holidays taken in advance.
‘‘The employee’s anniversary date for annual holidays entitlement must move to the date of the start of the closedown (or another date close to the start of the close-down) and they will not be entitled to any annual holidays for another 12 months.’’
Christmas is cancelled!
It’s three days before Christmas when news breaks that Santa has quit. In a new book from Huia Publishers, Santa’s Worst Christmas, a group of children decide to find out what’s going on and save Christmas no matter what.
With Santa overwhelmed by the daily frustrations of life, the children must help ease his stress with their uplifting spirits, can-do attitudes and quirky inventions.
It is a story full of humour and Kiwi ingenuity that celebrates Aotearoa Christmas traditions and the creativity and imagination of children.
The book was written by Pania Tahau-Hodges and Bryony Walker and is available in English and Maori versions.