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“Quality Is No Accident” FLATTMANN FILES The Bright Side of Scaling Back
December 2025
I Used to Be Clark Griswold, Now I’m Just Glad the Lights Work
Every year, when National Christmas Lights Day comes around on Dec. 1, I can’t help but think about how our holiday decorating has evolved, and maybe how my sanity has, too. When my wife and I first bought our house, and especially after we had kids, I went full Clark Griswold. I’m talking lights on every surface imaginable: the roof, the bushes, the driveway. Lights draped across every tree, strung along the gutters, outlining the house, and even light-up reindeer that glided back and forth in the yard. Inside, we had two Christmas trees: one for the grown-ups and one just for the kids. I had bins stacked to the ceiling, each labeled and packed with lights, ornaments, and decorations. It was organized chaos, but it was my chaos .
And because I was so deeply immersed in my own Christmas light empire, I treated takedown day like a military operation. Every strand of lights went into its own labeled bag to avoid tangling. I even drew diagrams showing where each strand belonged the following year. It was a system I was oddly proud of. But one year, I hit my breaking point. After hours of freezing outside and wrestling with extension cords, I just couldn’t do it anymore. I tossed everything into bins in a heap and scribbled a note to my future self: “Good luck.” Sure enough, when I opened those bins the following December, I found a massive tangle of lights and that note staring back at me. I had no one to blame but my past self, and I laughed the whole time I tried to sort it out. Of course, not every moment was picture-perfect. Louisiana weather kept me guessing: Some days I was sweating in shorts, and other days shivering in an unexpected cold snap. Hours untangling stubborn strands or trying to figure out why one tiny bulb refused to light up made me question whether the holiday spirit required a bit of pain. As the kids grew, I realized less could still be more. Now, our setup is simpler: a few bins of lights, a cozy porch display, and some wooden deer in the yard. The finicky mechanical moving deer? Retired, but fondly remembered. Still, there’s magic in the simpler version. Driving home as dusk falls and seeing the warm glow of lights, whether anyone else sees them or not, never fails to put a smile on my face. These days, I try to strike a balance between practicality and festivity. A pre-lit artificial tree means no more wrestling with water buckets or untangling strands, and I can still play around with different light patterns. I even sneak my little Chevy Chase doll onto the mantel as a nod to the chaotic Christmases of years past. My wife sometimes moves him, but I know he belongs front and center. The lesson? Balance. A little intentional effort, a few clever tricks, and modern conveniences all make the process manageable and fun. Decorating is still work, yes, but it’s also a ritual that brings
our home to life. Every flicker of light, every glowing deer, every delighted smile reminds me that the heart of Christmas isn’t perfection, it’s joy.
-Grady Flattmann
(985) 590-6182 • 1
Published by Newsletter Pro • newsletterpro.com
DON’T SIGN THAT JOB OFFER BLINDLY Fine-Print Focus
In today’s competitive job market, landing new employment is the least of your worries.
Never disregard a seemingly minor typo as a slight variation in a job title (e.g., “managerr” or “supervisor” versus “manager”) could be enough to impact your anticipated compensation, workday obligations, and even your tax status. Even the most professional companies can make mistakes in drafting documentation, so never assume Human Resources has everything covered. Do the perks make sense as presented? In addition to confirming exactly what you’ll do and be paid, you must ensure any benefits outlined in the contract align with your expectations or with anything you may have been told during interview(s) and negotiation(s). Review all insurance benefits, paid vacations, PTO/sick leave structures, retirement plans, and bonuses detailed in the contract before signing, and immediately raise any questions or concerns with the appropriate parties. What is yours, and what is your employer’s? With remote work on the rise, your employer may be based in another state. Your employee contract should detail your remote status and any expectations for occasional “hybrid” work (e.g., working at the corporate office once a week) and work-related travel. Expense reimbursement is another factor to consider when reading your contract. Review any provisions regarding your responsibilities in using employer-supplied equipment (laptops, printers, scanners, etc.) required for your remote position. Sometimes, your work may entail creating intellectual property the employer owns. For example, if you make digital media for a company, you likely won’t be able to apply it to your personal use or bring it to a subsequent employer. The employee contract will likely include specific proprietary rights and intellectual property language. Before agreeing to an employer’s contract terms, you should address any verification needs. These questions are just the tip of the iceberg. No two employee contracts are exactly alike, so it’s essential to diligently review any documentation you receive, even if you need to bring in a legal professional for an extra pair of eyes.
Depending on your chosen industry, you may be required to review and sign an employment contract before starting a new position. Ideally, this document will clearly outline what your new employer offers you to work for them and the responsibilities they expect you to fulfill. While the concept is simple enough, a host of nuances and potential red flags in an employee contract may reveal that your new job is more (or less) than you expected. Considering that the average U.S. employee stays with a single employer for approximately four years before moving on, reviewing your employee contract carefully ensures the job of your dreams doesn’t devolve into a logistical, financial, or professional nightmare. Here are three key questions to consider before agreeing to the contract terms presented to you. Does the contract accurately describe your role? In many cases, an online job description is the employer’s wish list of duties that could fall under that role. Specific responsibilities related to a particular position may be refined during the interview and negotiation process, especially if the employer is in a transitional period of restructuring its workflow and employee roles. When reviewing your employee contract, confirm that your job title, duties, payment terms and methods, and length of service (if the position is temporary) are described accurately. “No two employee contracts are exactly alike, so it’s essential to diligently review any documentation you receive, even if you need to bring in a legal professional for an extra pair of eyes.”
Good luck with your job search, and happy reading!
2 • FlattmannLaw.com
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TAKE A BREAK
SOLUTION
Syllables That Shape Society
The ‘Saxon Clincher’ Effect
The right selection of syllables can change the course of history.
As any English teacher or professional editor (or anyone who’s ever confused “they’re,” “there,” or “their”) will tell you, navigating modern English is often chaotic and confounding. In a 2020 blog, Ward Farnsworth of the University of Texas School of Law attempted to explain how it got this way. “English is a language built mostly out of two others. Much of it was created from the language of invaders who came to Britain around A.D. 450 from Anglia and Saxony (in what we’d now call northern Germany). About 600 years later, the French [Normans] invaded and brought their language with them, too, derived from Latin. The new French competed with Old English, and the eventual outcome was modern English, built out of both.” Farnsworth’s observation isn’t new. Various speeches by President Abraham Lincoln, largely considered one of the world’s greatest orators, made excellent use of this mix of languages by understanding that Anglo-Saxon words tend to be direct and words of French origin tend to be a bit more flowery. Lincoln applied these characteristics to create what some linguistic circles call a “Saxon clincher,” a straightforward conclusion to a more colorfully worded introduction. A Saxon clincher can be employed to gain attention with impactful opening words before driving the point home more simply. According to Farnsworth, Lincoln’s talent for perfecting this approach shines through in this passage from his “House Divided” speech in 1858: Either the opponents of slavery will arrest the further spread of it, and place it where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in the course of ultimate extinction; or its advocates will push it forward till it shall become alike lawful in all the States, old as well as new, North as well as South. Did you notice how the first half includes colorful words such as “opponents” and “extinction,” and the final 14 words are simple with one syllable each? That’s the Saxon clincher, and the pathway to a perfect speech, in a nutshell.
BAKED FETA, TOMATO, AND WHITE BEAN SKILLET
Ingredients
• 2 pints cherry tomatoes • 2 (15-oz) cans no-salt-added cannellini beans, rinsed • 4 medium cloves garlic, finely chopped • 2 tsp Italian seasoning • 1/4 tsp salt • 6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided • 6 oz feta cheese, packed in brine, cut into 4 pieces
• 1 tbsp hot honey • Basil leaves, for garnish • 4 slices toasted whole-wheat country bread, optional, for serving
Directions 1. Preheat oven to 450 F. 2. In a large, oven-safe skillet, combine tomatoes, beans, garlic, Italian seasoning, and salt. 3. Drizzle with 5 tbsp of olive oil and stir gently. 4. Add feta pieces 2 inches apart in the mixture and drizzle with remaining olive oil. 5. Bake for 30–35 minutes, or until the tomatoes have burst. 6. Remove from oven and drizzle with hot honey. Garnish with basil leaves, and serve with toast if desired.
Inspired by EatingWell.com
(985) 590-6182 • 3
Published by Newsletter Pro • newsletterpro.com
Flattmann Law (985) 590-6182 FlattmannLaw.com 213 W. 21st Ave. Covington, LA 70433 “Quality Is No Accident”
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE
How Grady Survived His ‘National Lampoon’ Christmas Light Era
1
The Weight of Written Words
2
Baked Feta, Tomato, and White Bean Skillet
3
President Lincoln’s Unique Speech Style
Terror Turns to Trial
4
A ‘Leatherface’ Lawsuit Leaves a Mark SLIPS, SCREAMS, AND SETTLEMENTS
If you’re a horror film fan, you know how common it is for a would-be victim to trip and fall long enough to allow the killer chasing them to catch up and carry out some nasty deed. While this scene is a classic cliché of the genre, it would strike genuine terror in anyone’s heart if it played out in the real world, especially when you’re a 57-year-old woman with her grandchild in tow. In the late 1990s, Cleanthi Peters accompanied her 10-year-old granddaughter to a Hell’s High haunted house attraction at Universal Studios in Florida. As their walk-through was about to end, an actor portraying the menacing character Leatherface from the “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” film franchise began chasing them while wielding a fake chainsaw. As the frightened pair began running away from the grotesque antagonist, they slipped on a wet spot on the floor, just like in the movies. Instead of breaking character to help them, the actor playing the pretend psychopath continued to menace the two by standing above them with his torturous tool still in his hands.
Claiming the incident left her and her granddaughter “extremely fearful and in mental distress and anguish,” Peters later sued Universal Studios for emotional distress and other injuries. After numerous trials, the suit was decided in Peters’ favor, resulting in a $15,000 judgment against Universal Studios for failure to keep its haunted house safe for occupants. While this case occurred in Florida, legal experts have opined that the verdict may have been the same in other states, since an unsafe wet floor wouldn’t be a reasonable expectation for anyone attending a haunted house attraction. While Hell’s High may have succeeded in frightening Peters and her granddaughter, the suit proves that horror-themed
entertainment can sometimes be too scary, especially for the defendant’s legal counsel, and Leatherface is best encountered from the comfort of a TV or movie theater screen.
4 • FlattmannLaw.com
Published by Newsletter Pro • newsletterpro.com
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