Jeremy wanted to give the team at his veterinary surgery in Ipswich, Suffolk, a Christmas night where work was completely off the table.
They see plenty of each other during the year, but most of that time comes with animals to look after, rotas to sort out or clients needing something. Jeremy knew everyone had worked hard, so instead of arranging another work meal somewhere, he invited the team to his house and booked Wine Night In.
There were eight of them for the evening. Jeremy kept his request to Jonny fairly simple. He wanted three whites and three reds and was happy to leave the actual bottles to him. LazeeGraze charcuterie boards were ordered as well, so once everyone arrived there was not much left to organise apart from opening the wine.
It turned out to be exactly the right sort of group for a tasting. They all knew each other well enough to say what they actually thought about a wine, and nobody was particularly worried about giving the “right” answer.
Jonny kept things that way. He talked through what was in the glass and why each wine had been chosen, but nobody was expected to start speaking like a wine critic. If somebody liked one, great. If somebody did not, that usually made for a better conversation anyway.
About halfway through the night, one of the team looked around the room and realised something. It was the first time all year they had been sitting together for this long without talking about animals or clients.
Everyone laughed because it was completely true.
Jeremy told Jonny afterwards that this was the bit he had wanted more than anything. They spend their working lives as colleagues, and for one evening he wanted them to forget about the surgery and just enjoy being around each other. Once somebody had pointed it out, work barely came up again.
The wine certainly gave them enough else to argue about. Everyone found bottles they preferred, and the Rising River Merlot went down particularly well with Jeremy. Well enough, in fact, that the following week he ordered two cases and gave the bottles to the team as Christmas presents.
He has already been back in touch about doing another Wine Night In next December.
There is something very easy about this kind of Christmas get-together. Jeremy did not need to find a private room somewhere or get everyone across Ipswich to the same restaurant. The team came to his house, Jonny took care of the tasting, and after a very busy year they finally had an evening where nobody needed anything from them.
For this veterinary team in Ipswich, Suffolk, that was really the celebration.
