Sit, Listen, and Record This Thanksgiving

As we prepare the food, decorate the tables, and ready our bellies for serving after serving of delicious food, what are you most thankful for? At Inspherio, we’re the most thankful for our family, friends, and you! That’s right, you make the workdays worthwhile, and we’re happy to be members of your crew. So Happy Thanksgiving, friend!

On this special and thankful holiday, we hope you take time to really enjoy your loved ones. Ask them stories, share memories, and most of all record them. Yes, interview the elders of your family!

This year, the Library of Congress is inviting people to submit interviewsthey’ve held with the older members of their family. It’s called The Great Thanksgiving Listen! We encourage you, your children, and other family members to take part. The project hopes to foster connections between generations, and to send the message that people, their stories, and memories do matter. The interviews will be available in the StoryCorps archive housed in the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. What a great way to spend your Thanksgiving, don’t you think?

You can download the free StoryCorps app, read their list of suggested questions, and start listening. So ask the questions you’ve always wanted to, listen to the stories, and share in the memories. This Thanksgiving, just do it!

Take care, and enjoy a very thankful Thanksgiving from the Inspherio Crew! And remember, if you need any emergency support with your account this holiday, please don’t hesitate to email us at support@inspherio.com! Although we will be out of the office, we’ll still be providing our world-class, 24/7 email support just for you.

Gobble, gobble, gobble!

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Dealing with Difficult Family Members

 

Artwork credit: The Huffington Post

They are a part of every holiday event; we’re talking in-laws, relatives, and uncontrollable kids. During the holidays, rough relationships with family members cause stressful communications, hesitant gift giving, and hurt feelings. Family members can also hinder your event responsibilities if they become over-involved to the point where you lose control and they take over your event. Don’t panic over any of these tricky family situations, we have life-saving tips to avoid the dreaded family feud.

• Keep calm. With every event or family gathering the pressure is high to perfect every detail and create a memorable event. The stress can cause you to crack under the pressure. If the event doesn’t go exactly as planned, be professional and keep a positive attitude. Remain composed and offer encouragement, whether it be to the cook who just burned the ham or uninvited guests. It will all end soon, so enjoy every moment whether good or bad. 
• It’s not your problem to fix. Attend to the direct problem (bad pictures or a flawed menu), but remain a concerned bystander when it comes to personal issues. When a relative’s deep-seated issues are brought to attention, be an involved listener, but don’t feel responsible to fix those problems in one night, be it messy relationship issues or the attack of the gossip queens, you should stay out of it to keep a grasp on your sanity.
• Know your limits. If kids are running around, don’t scold them unless they are your own children. Even if you have their parent’s permission to reprimand them, let the child know that they need to be on their best behavior rather than waiting for them to test their limits. 
• Let them know your boundaries. You should respect a family’s issues, but at the same time don’t let anyone treat you in a derogatory way. As a professional, if you feel that an individual has crossed a boundary, let the host know and let them handle the outburst.
• Cut your ties. If the situation is physically or verbally inappropriate, step away and break communication completely. If a drunk party-goer is going on a tangent, there is no need to provoke them into a more aggravated state. 

With these tips, we hope you can avoid any unnecessary, uncomfortable, family tension. Above all take this time to enjoy spending time with your family, whether they are difficult or not. Also with the many holiday events, help others celebrate with their families and enjoy this holiday season.

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