Somewhere around mid-December, a strange psychological switch flicks in the collective business brain. Overnight, our calendars divide into two rival codes: pre-Christmas and post-Christmas, like opposing football teams vying for the premiership. Rationally, we know the break is just three public holidays and a couple of long weekends… yet we try to cram a year’s worth of angst into about 14 days.
Emails suddenly become urgent. Jobs that have sat quietly all year now must be finished “before Christmas or else”. Workloads double, patience halves, and every second sentence is, “Can’t wait for Christmas so I can have a rest” – usually muttered while staring at a to-do list breeding like rabbits.
There’s clearly some psychological magic at play when the calendar ticks from 31 December to 1 January. It feels like a line in the sand, a chance to reset, even though it’s literally just… tomorrow. We act as if the world may end if the retaining wall isn’t engineered or the lease isn’t signed before Santa clocks on.
The property industry never escapes the frenzy. Developers need titles, builders need sign-offs, buyers need to settle, tenants need to move in – and if it doesn’t happen pre-Christmas, apparently civilisation is at risk. Meanwhile, we battle for flights and accommodation at peak school-holiday prices, even if we don’t have school-aged kids and would happily travel in a quiet February for half the cost.
Maybe the better question for all of us – as business owners, professionals and mere humans – is this:
Is the pressure really worth the supposed pleasure?
January still turns up. Deals still get done. Buildings still get finished. Perhaps the real Christmas miracle would be giving ourselves permission to slow down before the break… and actually arrive in the holidays with a little energy left in the tank.
From all of us at FCPIA: Merry Christmas – and may your only “critical deadline” be carving the ham on time. 🎄
