Name Day: What It Is & How to Celebrate

The moniker we received from our parents the day we are born may be our most valuable possession. It distinguishes us from others, and it shapes our personalities and individuality. Many cultures and countries celebrate a person yearly on a special ‘Name Day.’

The best thing about name days is that you don’t need to know your friend’s birth date to send them a greeting; you only need their name. And, while birthdays are the most popular reason to celebrate and party, why limit our celebration of each person’s uniqueness to a single day?

Is this day the same as my birthday?

In short, the answer is no. However, there is much more to the answer than a simple “yes or no.” Birthdays are just that, the day you were born. However, your name day extends beyond and into more meaning than a birth date. In many traditions, cultures and religions, your name day is more important than your birthday.

What are name days, and where do people celebrate them?

Variety of name tags showing variations of the name John.

Many European and Latin American countries celebrate name days each year. The tradition of celebrating this day goes back to the Middle Ages, especially in Catholic and Orthodox countries and continues today. Celebrations of each name day may commemorate saints and martyrs of the Catholic church. For example, Sweden celebrates the name Karl on January 28, the anniversary of Charlemagne’s (whose given moniker is Karolus or Karl) death.

A saint’s day celebration will include all the possible variations of that moniker. For example, St. Johns Day (January 7) is the name day of anyone named John, Giovanni, Ivan, Jeanine, Joann, Juan, and any of the 119 variations used worldwide.

Name days may be associated with a season or time of the year. One example is Palm Sunday, the name day for people with names related to flowers, herbs and plants to celebrate.

Many different traditions are associated with name days. However, no matter the customs, this is a time to celebrate the individual with congratulations and even small gifts.

How can I find my name day?

We know how important names are for building and maintaining relationships. And we believe in celebrating individual names every chance we can. So, search for official lists to find out when your moniker is celebrated. Many counties worldwide maintain lists of name days. For example, Sweden and Finland have kept lists that date to the 18th century and earlier. Today, It is simple to find a name day for yourself, your family and your friends by using the power of the internet. We recommend visiting www.mynameday.com to find yours!

Why are these days suddenly so popular?

In the book and television series, Game of Thrones, author George R.R. Martin refers to namedays. While he does not clearly define their significance, he mentions that they coincide with birthdays.

The nameday is a custom in the society of the Seven Kingdoms. It is an annual celebration commemorating the naming of a person and serves to calculate his or her age. Babies are named the same day they are born. People receive presents from friends and family on their nameday. It is essentially what we now call a birthday.

— Game of Thrones Wiki

So the tradition of namedays in Game of Thrones differs from the European tradition of celebrating one’s name day.

In conclusion

While each culture, fictional or not, may have different traditions surrounding name days, they all have one thing in common: the purpose.

Names are more than a label; our names help define us, they assist in building and maintaining relationships, and they are part of the continuity of society and a culture’s history. They are a part of our uniqueness and individuality and are always worth celebrating.

So, whether you respond to Michelle or Karl, Rebekah or Yuri or any other moniker, you have two days a year that are special to only you: your birthday and your name day.

We are all about celebrating names!

Check out these products that share you with the world—showing your pride at work, in the community and at home.

The Truth About Name Tags

The more you know of the truth about name tags, the more you will want to wear them all the time!

the truth about name tags is that even professional and collegiate coaches wear them

From a mural in Texas to the neck of a football coach in Utah, name tags continue to make a mark in the news! And, the truth about name tags is that actors, athletes and plenty of other people wear them daily. And we’re sure you have heard about people (Scott Ginsberg) that choose to make name tags a daily part of their wardrobe. So, we’re here to prove the truth about name tags and why everyone should be wearing them.

Recently, Shannon Palus, a writer at Slate magazine, found herself wishing for name tags in her office. Palus said, “I started at Slate not too long ago, and in my first weeks in the magazine’s New York office, I was faced with a problem that is familiar to anyone who’s ever started a new office job. I was surrounded by dozens of new faces and struggled to connect them to names. Which man with a scruffy beard was the one in charge of podcasts again? Who was the friendly woman at my desk pod offering me some of her snacks? I found myself wishing, as I often do, that everyone was wearing a name tag. In fact, I realized all adults should wear name tags.”

And, here at Coller Industries, we love Palus’ anecdote, “Think of the accessorizing possibilities: Everyone could have a little name tag drawer, right next to underwear and socks. Flowery script for days when you feel fancy, basic Helvetica for no-nonsense impressions… Entire new traditions could spring up around name tags; dare I say it would be a cute move to leave one of your tags at a date’s house?”

The Best Features of Name Tags

From security to identification, the truth about name tags is that people use them for a variety of reasons. And, because of their distinguishing features, name tags are perfect for everyone! By providing everyone at a conference or other event with identification, it reinforces their identities. They will also help with networking activities where attendees may not know everyone yet.

By using name tags at conferences and other events, you become more approachable. And, in turn, this approachability increases your chance of making lasting relationships that will help in life and business. The truth about name tags is that wearing one stretches your personality. It makes you come out of your shell and your comfort zone. And, in turn, it helps others to do the same. Sure, it might be a bit uncomfortable at first, but think about the impact you have on others by immediately disclosing your name.

When you wear a name tag, you become the face of your purpose, and you are representing that to everyone around you. In many ways, this benefits both you and your goal so that the people around you can put a face with a name. We have all heard that “a picture is worth a thousand words.” So, tell that story simply and quickly with your smile and a name tag.

Name Tags get the Last Word

And, finally, we again agree with Palus when she said, “The thing is, in the 21st century, we already use name tags for lots of our interactions. Entire meetings’ worth of discussions take place on (work chat systems), where you can always clearly identify the name of whoever is ‘talking.’ Facebook is an endless high school reunion, with name tags. LinkedIn is a networking happy hour, with name tags. Twitter is, at times, like being stuck on a 20-hour flight where everyone is yelling, but at least there are name tags. If we made wearing name tags in the real world a social norm, we might even reduce the friction of in-person interactions—and make it a tad easier to log off.”

Because name tags are permission slips, they encourage engagement. Their primary function is to personalize and humanize each person. Inviting encounters is what they do. And you permit this change to happen every time you put on your name tag. So, grab your name tag and start sharing the truth about name tags at your next office party or friend’s night out!

Plan the Perfect Event with Quality Name Badges

From conferences to seminars, every event needs quality name badges. Personal identification is key to any event whether it’s a conference, seminar or trade show. As an event host or planner, you want your attendees to enjoy networking at your event. And, when they do, they are more likely to return again next year. Use quality name badges to put people at ease and make your conference or seminar a success.

What’s in a name?

Knowing someone’s name makes people more comfortable socializing with that person. With each attendee sporting a name badge, people will have a positive networking experience at your event.

Which type of name badge you use depends on your specific needs. Each one comes with many positive features and all of them are great for networking. Here are a few options to help you find the right fit for you.

Adhesive Name Badges are perfect for when you need a quick, short term option. The adhesive will stick to almost any clothing and works well with any dress code. Have attendees write their name on these sticky tags using a pen or marker. Or, print their names in advance for faster registration. These name badges also come in five different colors so you can divide attendees into groups or identify them by their job position for easy networking.

Badge Holders are commonly used for conventions, schools, security and visitor passes. And like with Adhesive Name Badges use the different colored inserts to separate attendees into groups or categories to keep your event organized. Slip a printed insert inside a holder for easy identification. Once the event is over, collect each badge holder for reuse. They also come with different fastener options including punched slots to use with custom lanyards.

Conference Name Tags to customize for any event.

Conference Name Tags provide you with a pre-printed solution that is also budget friendly. Each tag is laminated to give your conference badges a professional style. Available in three standard sizes, customize these name tags with full color logos or graphics. Like Badge Holders, they come in a horizontal or vertical orientation with multiple fastener options.

Whichever name badges you need, what matters is having quality identification to impress your attendees and create a positive networking event.

Celebrating Christmas, Name Tag Style

From name tags to custom ribbons, all we want is to celebrate Christmas in style!

While it’s all about personal identification 364 days of every year, for one fleeting day it’s about socializing and stuffing ourselves full of delicious food. And, this Christmas is no exception!

Customer Service employees celebrating at the Coller Industries Incorporated Christmas party

Marketing Department employees celebrating at the Coller Industries Incorporated Christmas party

Production and Shipping employees celebrating at the Coller Industries Incorporated Christmas party

Here at Coller Industries, we pride ourselves on our high-quality workmanship, our culture of quality and our perfect name tags and ribbons. And, while we like to boast about our less than 0.05% error rate, we also want to boast about our nearly perfect employees.

Ramona, the Marketing and Web Services Manager, said, “It’s amazing just how much everything works together. We have such a culture of quality in this company. And, it is so impressive that we are less than a half percent in our error rate.”

All in all, Coller Industries strives in every way possible to get each order not only out the door quickly and efficiently, but correctly! And our low error rate proves this, not only to us but to our current and potential customers.

Aimee, the Senior Account Manager, said, “It has been a fun and exciting year getting to know our many customers and I would like to thank all of the employees, everyone from every department for their assistance and support in ensuring the satisfaction of all of our customers.”

Having a low error rate increases sales and increased sales translate into happy customers. And with happy customers, Coller Industries remains in business to continue to serve everyone and their personal identification needs!

And, part of this happiness needs to extend to our family here at Coller Industries.

Hannah, the Customer Service Manager, said it best, “What makes Coller Industries stand out, is that it feels more like family than work. We all support each other and care about each other, and I think that is such a big contribution to how well we do as a company. Obviously work is work, but it is so much easier to do when everyone you work with is a friend, and everyone cares about each other. I think that is part of what keeps us so motivated to do well.”

Celebrating at the Coller Industries Incorporated Christmas party

Our annual tradition of the Christmas party includes a giant luncheon hosted and catered at a local hotel. This year’s meal included prime rib, chicken, salmon, asparagus and other sides for a feast fit for a king. There were also delicious appetizers of crackers and spinach dip with prosciutto wrapped asparagus.

Vance, the Design Manager, said, “I enjoyed the appetizers, I was nearly full by the time the main meal was starting. And I liked that this year’s party was smaller, with only the one guest it made the party feel more about our accomplishments as a group than a meal with families.”

We also played games and gave out prizes for raffles. From a holiday word scramble to trying to remember who had played the jolly man in red, the games were a blast and the presents even better.

And, every year each employee receives a personalized gift from Coller Industries. This year was a water bottle decorated with the CI logo which was full of candy. We also got a custom embroidered jacket with the CI logo.

This year we also had a special treat and recognized the hard work of several employees. From perfect attendance to most efficient, each of these employees received one of our new custom plaques engraved with their specific talent and name.

Here are more thoughts from several employees about our fabulous annual Christmas party:

Crystal (Shipping Clerk) “Everything about the party this year was just so amazing and fun. I wouldn’t have changed anything. And, I really like how plaques were given out for employee appreciation.”

Mathew (Web Design / Development) “The people and environment are the best part about the annual party. It is a nice casual setting where we can enjoy one another’s company and socialize.”

Leslie (Shipping Clerk) “My favorite thing about the Christmas party was getting together with all of the employees and just having fun.”

Charles (Sample Requests) “I always enjoy the company of my coworkers as we are also friends. And it isn’t very often that we get to chat and hang out throughout a workday.”

We just want to say thank you to everyone who works for Coller Industries. We wouldn’t be where we are today if it wasn’t for our wonderful employees. And, to all of our customers, have a Merry Christmas and a happy holiday season!

A Happy Holiday Company Retreat with Name Tags

using custom lanyards at your holiday company retreat is sure to leave you colleagues with a memorable experience

From snowflakes to festive colors, make your holiday company retreat unforgettable!

Businesses often hold events for their employees and clients to attend. Often these events are based around a season or holiday. But, while these events are frequently related to summer festivities, winter holidays can also be a fun time to get together with colleagues and customers. Here are a few ways you can make your holiday company retreat even better.

Lanyards are sure to put everyone into the holiday spirit.

It doesn’t matter what lanyard you use, as long as it stands out. So, choose from a variety of fun and festive colors or create something unique for your employees. From Cord Badge Lanyards to Premium Full-Color Lanyards, we’re sure to have something that will add to your festivities.

Some of our lanyards even come with holiday options such as an ugly Christmas sweater pattern or a blue and white snowflake pattern. And then you can add any text you need. From business slogans to a holiday message, your holiday company retreat definitely need these lanyards.

Putting Those Lanyards to Good Use During Holiday Company Retreat

blue cord lanyard with conference name tag used for holiday company retreats

From personal identification to festive party games, lanyards are sure to meet multiple needs at your holiday company retreat.

Use custom lanyards to quickly and easily display name tags or other necessities at your event. Lanyards are perfect for displaying decorations and using as seating arrangements.

Or, even give them away as prizes for the best dressed, the ugliest sweater and even more! They can also make wonderful party favors for each attendee to take home to remember just how much fun they had attending your holiday company retreat.

Don’t forget the name tags!

conference name tags designed for holiday company retreats

From logo only name badges to conference name tags, we’re sure to have exactly what you need to make your holiday company retreats perfect. And, the best part is that it is all affordable.

Name tags are essential to the success of your event as they provide identification for everyone. Whether you are hosting a celebration for a small group of employees or a larger event for colleagues and clients, name tags are the perfect tool to make sure everyone knows who is in attendance.

And, networking is a ton easier when everyone can communicate by knowing each other’s names. Using Event Name Tags with fun, colorful graphics will help accomplish this task. And, by adding holiday graphics, each attendee is sure to enjoy keeping their name tag to remind them of how much fun they had during these company retreats.

What other personal identification products could you use at your next event or company retreat?