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The problem with Christmas is that comes at the end of the year when most people are sorely in need of a tranquiliser and a break (in that order).
OK, Christmas is a break of sorts for most people, but in our consumer-driven society, there’s also a huge pressure build-up.
And then there’s work. The last few weeks before Christmas is a silent battleground in any workplace – not just in the service industry.
(A moment of silence for people who have to serve the bustling Christmas crowds until 5pm on the 24th of December. If you manage to get through it and still have a job, you’re doing well.)
There are two types of Christmas fever – one is where you go into organisational overdrive to try and make everything in the universe (your own and everyone else’s) perfect before 25 December, and the other one is where you’re a bit like someone coming to after a being given a strong anaesthetic.
Here are the most overt signs of the first type:
You have a to-do list going around in your head. So much to do, so little time. The curtains, the car, your summer wardrobe, the garden – everything must be fixed without a moment’s delay. As you tick off one thing, a new one takes its place.
In short, you are setting yourself up for failure as now is not the best time to get anything done. It’s almost as if every year we don’t expect to live beyond the 25th of December and everything has to be done RIGHT NOW or it won’t happen at all.
You’re trying to see people you haven’t seen all year. There’s a now-or-never edge to everything. A social whirl ensues of braais, evenings out – and all you really need to do right now is to have an early night. These people aren’t going to disappear. Invite them now by all means – but for the third week in January.
You lost your temper at work. It’s because you are trying to do the impossible in a ridiculously short space of time while you are surrounded by a group of colleagues whose nerves are frayed with end-of-year stress.
Do what you have to, but this is not the time to introduce new computer systems at work, or to try and overshoot targets.
You’ve gone into early panicky gift-buying mode. You’ve bought enough gifts to open a small shop. But you’ve been buying without anyone specific in mind. Just remember that something isn’t a bargain if it’s still languishing in your drawer six months from now.
Neither is it a good gift if it joins the long list of ‘gifts’ that you have decided to keep for yourself.
You’ve thought endlessly about the Christmas lunch menu. And every day brings new possibilities. Roast turkey vs. cold meats and salads – and everything in between. You’ve been studying recipes, and had endless fights/arguments with members of your extended family on who will be cooking what when and how.
This is supposed to be a time of peace and goodwill, not of kitchen brawls. Keep it simple. We can only eat so much, anyway.
And here are the signs of the second type of Christmas fever.
Last year’s swimming costume doesn’t fit – and you don’t care. In years gone by, you would have been on a diet since September to try and undo the winter damage. Now, summer has just sort of crept up on you.
There’s so much to do and you’re run off your feet (but not on the treadmill). A sure sign of Christmas fever is the decision that if the swimming costume doesn’t fit, you can always buy another one.
You wake up after eight hours of sleep and you’re exhausted. It’s been a long and tough year, and for many people the last two months of the year are the busiest. And school’s out, so there’s the added task of keeping the kids looked after and entertained.
Are you surprised that you’re tired? Try and take a day off work and spoil yourself - whether it’s with a spa day, or just catching up on some sleep. Just don’t spend it running errands.
Family stuff is getting to you. Usually you can stand strong against the onslaughts of sibling fights, parental demands or criticism from your husband. Not now. Every little thing upsets you. Christmas fever is an accumulative thing: all the stresses of the year have come home to roost, and your emotional resources are low.
You’re ignoring Christmas lunch. Usually you have this planned down to the last morsel, but not this year. In fact, you haven’t even given it a second thought. The way you are feeling right now, you wouldn’t care if the Christmas lunch consisted of baked beans on toast.
The good news is that in a month’s time, all this will be over. You will probably feel somewhat rejuvenated by having had a break – even if it is short. And often, Christmas does turn out to be special.
If it doesn't, it’s another full year before you have to face these challenges again. There does come a time, when there is nothing more you can do. I promise.
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