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Twas The Night Before Christmas - A story you'll have to tell to all your little elves


Gonzo

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Twas the Night before Christmas

(Mechanic style)

Twas the night before Christmas,

and all through the service bay,

Not an engine was stirring,

just old Santa’s sleigh.

All the air hoses were hung,

by the compressor with care,

The mechanics had the day off,

I’m the only one there.

I was just an apprentice, but wanted to show St. Nick just what I knew,

My boss was all for it, said it was OK if I turned a few screws.

With visions of being a full time mechanic, dancing in my head

I was going to give it my best shot; I’ll fix this old sled.

I gave the key a twist,and listened in dismay,

That little red hot rod needed service, in such a bad way

Then from under the hood there arose such a clatter,

That even St. Nick had to ask, “So, what’s the matter?”

I flew from the driver’s seat and raised the hood in a flash,

Nearly stumbling off my feet, from my quick little dash.

The under hood light, glimmered onto the engine below,

The fan belt had broken, and a spark plug blew out a hole.

It’s something I can handle; I learned this stuff in school,

I’ll have this fixed up in no time; it only takes a few tools,

I started it up and all eight cylinders were firing away

Just a few minor adjustments and he could be on his way

That’s when I noticed, his sled was packed full of all sorts of toys…

He hadn’t finished his deliveries, to all the girls… and boys.

He was dressed all in red, from his head to his foot,

And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot

Anxious he was, to finish his trip as soon as he could,

With my wrenches a flyin’, he knew that he would.

It was up to me, to get it fixed this very night,

He still had a long way to go, before it was daylight.

His eyes, how they twinkled, his dimples, how merry

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry.

And the beard on his chin was as white as the snow.

I knew it was Christmas Eve, so I couldn’t say no,

He had a broad face and a round little belly

That shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,

And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself.

His sled was like new, after the job was all done,

Now that it’s fixed, he could get back to his run.

He reached into his huge bag, and pulled a box out with a jerk,

Said he knew just how to thank me, for all of my hard work,

I ripped open the present, and Oh, what a sight!

Snap On wrenches and sockets! Boy was he right!

As he pulled from the parking lot, he held the throttle to the floor,

Just to show off, he passed by the shop, once more,

This guy Santa, he’s a little strange, at any rate,

He had a name for every cylinder, in his little V8.

I could hear him shout, so loud and clear,

Naming off each cylinder, as if they could hear.

"Now, Dasher! Now, Dancer! Now Prancer and Vixen!

On, Comet! On, Cupid! On, Donner and Blitzen!

I heard the tires screech, as he caught second gear,

Off to deliver those presents, some far, some near.

Then, I heard him exclaim, just before he drove out of sight,

“Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”


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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

         5 comments
      I recently spoke with a friend of mine who owns a large general repair shop in the Midwest. His father founded the business in 1975. He was telling me that although he’s busy, he’s also very frustrated. When I probed him more about his frustrations, he said that it’s hard to find qualified technicians. My friend employs four technicians and is looking to hire two more. I then asked him, “How long does a technician last working for you.” He looked puzzled and replied, “I never really thought about that, but I can tell that except for one tech, most technicians don’t last working for me longer than a few years.”
      Judging from personal experience as a shop owner and from what I know about the auto repair industry, I can tell you that other than a few exceptions, the turnover rate for technicians in our industry is too high. This makes me think, do we have a technician shortage or a retention problem? Have we done the best we can over the decades to provide great pay plans, benefits packages, great work environments, and the right culture to ensure that the techs we have stay with us?
      Finding and hiring qualified automotive technicians is not a new phenomenon. This problem has been around for as long as I can remember. While we do need to attract people to our industry and provide the necessary training and mentorship, we also need to focus on retention. Having a revolving door and needing to hire techs every few years or so costs your company money. Big money! And that revolving door may be a sign of an even bigger issue: poor leadership, and poor employee management skills.
      Here’s one more thing to consider, for the most part, technicians don’t leave one job to start a new career, they leave one shop as a technician to become a technician at another shop. The reasons why they leave can be debated, but there is one fact that we cannot deny, people don’t quit the company they work for, they usually leave because of the boss or manager they work for.
      Put yourselves in the shoes of your employees. Do you have a workplace that communicates, “We appreciate you and want you to stay!”
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