Most people see the final video. The surprise moment. The smiles. The gift reveal. And honestly, that's the best part! But what you don't always see is everything that happens before that. Come along behind the scenes to see how our Marketing team made wishes come true with Holland2Stay's December Wishes campaign.
Bringing our community together
December has always been a special month for Holland2Stay. Every December, we do something extra for our residents. From quiz nights to typical December events and surprise visits with Christmas bread across the country. It’s become a tradition! This year, we've been fulfilling our residents' wishes that they sent in for their neighbors. For our Marketing team, projects like these are about more than content. It's about bringing our community together!
Maud heading to The Terminal in Helmond with a very Dutch surprise.
Starting with one simple question
We asked our residents if they have a neighbor, or a group of neighbors, who deserves a little extra kindness this December. Someone who brings positive energy to your building, lends a helping hand, or simply makes everyday life a bit brighter. We received lots of thoughtful responses. For example, residents writing about neighbors who were always there and about people who gave without expecting something back. From all submitted wishes, we selected three to fulfil.
The part you don't see
From the outside, it looks simple. You buy a gift and show up. But this kind of work has a lot of moving pieces, and we run it like a mini production. We plan the timing. We arrange travel between cities. We think through how we will film without making it awkward. We plan the story beats, but we leave space for real moments. We bring all the necessities, and yes, sometimes, that includes bringing a big bow to make it extra festive!
Before we headed out to surprise our tenants in Maastricht, we decorated the Christmas tree – making it an extra festive surprise!
Wishes do come true
Behind each surprise was a lot of planning, coordination, and teamwork. From transporting a bike by train to Helmond, to carefully preparing cooking gifts in Delft, to setting up and decorating a Christmas tree in Maastricht, every wish came with its own logistics. We divided roles within the team, handled production, kept communication tight with residents, and adapted on the spot when needed.
The three wishes themselves were very different, but they all shared the same intention. One was about helping neighbors feel at home through something as typically Dutch as a bike. Another was about giving back to someone who has been bringing people together through food for years. The third was about adding warmth for residents spending their first holidays far from home.
Curious how the surprises of our December Wishes turned out? Check below for one of them! You can watch all three videos on our Instagram feed.
December Wishes was a project from our Marketing team, but it reflects how we work every day. We take our resident experience seriously, and we care about the communities we manage. That means paying attention to what’s happening in our buildings and being willing to put in the extra effort when it matters. Sometimes that turns into a big moment, sometimes it’s a small one, but it always starts with the same mindset.
That mindset is what drives our team, and it's what we look for in new colleagues too. Want to be part of behind-the-scenes moments like these? Check our open roles here.
