The Christmas Holiday Reset

What is it about Christmas that makes it not just enjoyable, but necessary? It’s a question that has been circling ever since the first jingles rang out. The answer has proved inconclusive, even if the search has been extensive. Here is the product of our musings.

If we put ourselves in the dual context of employees and individuals, the information, emails and general gibberish we consume every day creates a sort of perma-overload. At times, it can be debilitating; the equivalent of a ‘spinning wheel of death’ for our brains. The processing capacity of the conscious mind is, after all, limited.

And whilst the vacations we take over the course of the year provide a chance to step out, we all do so at intermittent and varying times. In that sense they are 'false' breaks, where the flow of the year continues under our feet, anticipating our return. Whilst that flow continues, we can be pulled back in at any point by the work's gravitational field. Force knows no holiday.

At Christmas, however, the break is shared (recognising this isn't true everywhere.) Few other holidays create such a collective coma, the product of which is the chance to shut down, free of the fear of piling emails and general noise. The flow - temporarily - takes leave too.

At the same time, Christmas effectively bookends the year – a chance to reflect on what has been (good and bad), but also to project what will be better going forward; to imagine improved realities. And with the social behaviour and relationships that defines the rhythm of Christmas, a lens of optimism and well-being tends to colour our predictions. It’s hard to be downbeat with a full belly.

Christmas, then, is a vital reset. The most ‘real’ of vacations, where we are wholly in control of how we allocate our mental resources. It is, therefore, not just awash with kindness, laughter and gratitude, but also biologically restorative.

When the world wakes up again in January, we return to our desks in a stronger position to deal with the inevitable demands and challenges – happier as we do so.

Wishing everyone a very Happy Christmas / Holidays.