LET’S GET THIS DONE BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR!!!

For those of us at work, Christmas can be an artificial deadline because at some point, perhaps months before, someone said: “We need this done before the end of the year”.

They probably said that a lot.

About more than one project.

It’s a random deadline, really, because in most cases, it will have no relevance to the work being done, but (for people in service industries in particular) it can mean that by the time you finish work for the holiday, you’re exhausted, stressed, and harassed.

It can be tough on anyone, but it’s particularly hard on people in service related industries.

I know of consultants who regard the relentless countdown (“It’s only 10 days to Christmas!”) not as a statement looking forward with joy to a holiday but as a doomsday clock because of the amount of work they have to do in those ten days.

It's not even just the deadlines you know about ... it's the ones that are unloaded on you in the final weeks of the year by other people - colleagues, bosses, clients, even (sometimes) suppliers - who realise that Christmas is looming and they're just not going to finish it in time.

The shorter days, cold and wet weather, and Seasonal Affective Disorder can add to all that.

As we deal with colleagues, customers, suppliers and other business contacts in December, let's just be sensitive to that.

On the other hand, the sheer cost of Christmas can be daunting for those without jobs.

But for most of us, Christmas is a relatively happy time where we share good food, company, goodwill, and perhaps a little too much good cheer(!)

Many Christians even have a handle on the real meaning of Christmas and attend Midnight Mass, carol services and other events with a religious significance.

But here are my thoughts on how to make Christmas go a little bit better.

1. Call someone you haven’t spoken to for years. Never mind about the social awkwardness of making such an unexpected call (if this stuff isn’t your thing, list some conversation topics).

2. Check in on people who are spending Christmas alone. Neighbours, colleagues, relatives, even people you barely know. This is particularly true of people who lost a partner or loved one during the year and are spending their first Christmas alone.

3. If cash is tight, invest your time in the relationship rather than money. A social invitation, an unexpected hamper of inexpensive homemade gifts (jam, a cake, homemade shortbread) will do it. And home-crafted cards generally mean so much more than expensive commercial ones.

4. Work really hard on the messages for your cards. Not just “Happy Christmas, John and Jane” but something genuine and meaningful. By all means, seek inspiration for this via Google or elsewhere, but let that trigger your own original ideas, not substitute for them. Friends received a card last year from a widowed neighbour who wrote, “I feel safer knowing you’re just across the road”, and it really struck home with them. Why do you value the relationship? Let that guide your thoughts.

5. Putting thought into anything is often more valuable than putting money into it. Christmas can seem hopelessly commercial and cynical to some, and there’s a movement in the UK to disconnect gifting from Christmas … so you still send someone a gift, but you do it at some random point in the year, so it isn’t a ritual or an obligation, it’s a genuine act of thoughtful fondness and affection.

If you’re following this trend, at Christmas, you just send a card, apparently. Essentially, the people who do this are rejecting the commercialism of Christmas and making the act of gifting more personal and meaningful, and I can relate to that.

There are more ways of expressing love than spending money, and not everyone has money to spare, so anything that makes Christmas more personal and less expensive can be welcomed. If you can afford to put your oven on and buy some simple ingredients, make shortbread, and when you deliver cards to your neighbours, attach a little shortbread wrapped beautifully but inexpensively; if they have a dog or cat, include a single pet treat in a separate little parcel.

Are you alone yourself this Christmas? Some people are OK with that, but probably most who are alone find it a very difficult time of year.

If that’s you, reach out and join things.

Go to carol services, volunteer for a charity, ask others who are alone to join you (it doesn’t have to be an invitation to Christmas dinner, which seems like a high-stakes event – a firm date for coffee in the New Year will do it. Less of a commitment, easier for people to say yes to, and more comfortable all round, something to look forward to).

I said in the last newsletter that helping others also helps you, and if you can get involved in (for example) serving Christmas dinners to those who are in need, it will feed your own soul, too.

And here’s a thought. If the weather allows it, walk your dog on Christmas morning and say hello to all the other dog owners, or clean your car in your driveway, where passers-by will interact with you.

Don’t retreat into yourself and push people away—put up decorations that can be seen from the street to make it clear that you’re a good-natured participant in seasonal events.

If you’ve followed this newsletter through 2024, my thanks and gratitude for your company.

I wish all my LinkedIn friends a lovely Christmas and a happy, healthy and prosperous 2025!