The Christmas countdown is ticking away, and the big day will be here before you know it. We chat to Neil Tolley our Founder of Fourteen IP about his Christmas plans this year, his traditions and the perfect Christmas.

Are you Christmas mad or a bah humbug?

I’m not Christmas mad, but I’m not a bah humbug either, although I do get accused of it sometimes! My wife and daughter are Christmas mad and make up for any lacking of Christmas spirit I may have quite easily J

What are you doing for Christmas this year?

We are in our new home properly this Christmas, so we are having a family Christmas at home in sunny Fleetwood.

What is your favourite thing about Christmas?

I have a few for both home and work, I like getting home after finishing work for the year just before Christmas so we can all relax and have the build-up together, Victoria’s Christmas Paella and our daughter unwrapping far too many presents each year, the dogs joining in and generally lots of food and drink, pretty normal I think.

At work, we plan the UK Christmas party for about 10 months in advance! We always try and do something special to say thank you to our amazing Fourteen IP family. For our customers, we have the XIVIP Christmas lunch which is a very traditional Christmas Chinese banquet!! This is very often followed by a trip to the movies, as the last few have been on the same day the new Star Wars film release, so we all stagger walk to the Odeon Leicester Sq and fall asleep enjoy the movie and then stroll to the Christmas Market opposite.

What has been the best gift you have ever received? And the worst?

Of course, I have had some bad gifts, but if someone goes to the trouble of buying you a gift and then wrapping it up and giving it to you, I’m just grateful they have taken the time to do so it’s very kind. Sorry for no jokes here!

What’s your favourite festive song

Last Christmas – Wham & The Pogues Fairytale of New York

Do you have any quirky family traditions at Christmas?

Not quirky but somehow, we always have Paella on Christmas Eve, Victoria makes an amazing paella and we have a huge pan of it on Christmas Eve, it’s now a tradition we look forward to all year (and it’s nearly time J )

Describe your perfect Christmas Day and would there be snow?

It’s quite hard to get snow by the seaside and we are just a few feet from the sea, so it’s never really on the agenda. My perfect Christmas is at home with my wife and daughter, warm and happy. With lots of traveling and so much going on it’s good to stop for a while. We also have the New Year run in the sea, which is a great watch. My daughter went in last year, I haven’t built up the courage yet, bit chilly, to say the least! Watching with a hot cup of tea and a bacon sandwich whilst cheering on the brave ones is more my style.

Any new year resolutions?

I always have a few primarily about making sure I do my best for my family at home and my family at Fourteen IP and then perhaps a few others I am not prepared to share 🙂

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