Slowing The Season Down

If you're anything like me work takes over and squeezes the time more than anything else. If I could take a step back then there's a chance I'd have the opportunity to take in the build up more, as it stands year on year it seems to be getting more stressful and time consuming though.

Keep meaning to try harder and maybe this year I can make it happen.

Work for Tayto so the months leading to Christmas are always going to be crazy busy but two new people started in our dept last week so hopefully they work out and stay. I've done way too many Saturdays the last few years and these new recruits should help.

The kids are grown up, don't have any major bills over my head so I should really enjoy and appreciate the downhill run to Christmas a lot more.

As for working too hard and too many hours, as Murtagh says "I'm too old for this sh*t" :)

Do you mean the Party box size? The Christmas box that had 18 packs in it?

They made the most ever of those last year, well over a million. They must have flew off the shelves if they were hard to get so. Sorry if you had hassle.

One other element is how many things you pack into the run up. If you have a lot of social activities I find it goes in quickly. I try to leave at least one weekend in december run in to just chill out and watch a few movies in the evening. Really helps me to soak it up

I just don't think it's possible to try and make the season slow down. For me, most of my fondest memories of Christmas are as a child and once school finished, I literally had nothing to do but eat, sleep, watch TV and play. There was no life admin stuff like shopping, cooking, cleaning etc to break the Christmas feeling. I think the closest we would have go to it was the pandemic years, and I don't think anyone wants to go back there! Life as an adult is always going to be busy. I insist on cooking/baking everything from scratch, so I tend to spend a lot of the 23rd, 24th, 25th and 26th in the kitchen. I'm not one for sitting around doing nothing, so I'm not sure what I would do if I wasn't feeding everyone for three days, so I've decided to embrace it and hope that I am giving my nieces and nephew some good memories and traditions that they will think back of fondly in years to come and recreate them for their families.

I wasn't well at the beginning of December, so I had no nights out at all in the run up to Christmas and I felt like I missed out this year and that dampened my Christmas spirit. I think it's trying to get the balance right of nights/days out to soak up the atmosphere, and spending afternoons/evenings at home enjoying the glow from the Christmas lights, eating and drinking whatever you fancy, and just taking time out to spend quality time with your nearest and dearest.

Superb post.

I actually think that the fact the time is going quickly is a sign that its all good, and ultimately the fact I'm still looking forward to each years build up & enjoy the Christmas holidays is the ultimate result. Adult life will never slow down in reality.

When you hear of bad things happening to people & Christmas becoming less important it makes me realise how lucky we have been that we've been in a position to enjoy so many great Christmas's & not to take the good times for granted. So rather than rock the boat I'd be happy for many more to go the way the previous ones have!

Nice read this. Last year we got our keys to our first home on Dec 1st and moved in on the 23rd of December. I also agreed to a new job & handed in my notice once we signed. So to say the run in was overshadowed last year would be an understatement.

I cannot wait to embrace it this year and begin to make our own traditions.

Oh I missed the arrival of Elf 2 - congratulations!!

I totally get the wanting to slow things down. One of the service lines I manage is seasonal with most work coming in between Sept and Dec with Nov and Dec being mental and a lot of late nights. I work up until the last working day as this does be the deadline so do be burnt out by the time the big day arrives!

Changed roles in Jan of this year and was told I would be able to hand off this service line but that hasn’t happened 🤣 I’ve two trainees dedicated to helping me full time on it this year so hopefully that will take the pressure off

Is it too soon to bring this thread back?

Weeks in the countdown are just flying by, it's good from a work point of view but no good for Christmas prep. Getting Christmas dinner in work tomorrow, then my dept in work are heading to a restaurant and a pub Friday evening. Next week will be a wind down in work and then we are really into it.

It's like being in a speeding car with no brakes.

One of my fondest memories of Christmas oddly enough is lying under the tree doing my homework listening to music when I was about 9-12. As soon as the tree went up until the end of the school term I would do my homework under it looking at the lights. A bit of an odd but very strong memory I have.

I can distinctly remember those old fashioned lantern tree lights. I loved them.

Sorry to hear that Andrew, do try to take care & look after yourselves, I can only imagine how devastated you both must be.

I’m so sorry to hear this, mind each other xx

Oh no, very sorry for your loss. Look after each other.

Thanks for the warm messages, it means more than you think.

Andrew I'm so sorry to hear. My thoughts are with you and your partner at this terrible time. Its an awful thing for you both to go through.

Really sorry to hear that Andrew xx

I saw lots of those boxes in Lidl yesterday. Do me a favour, whoever came up with that 'Merry Crispmas' slogan, give them a hard stare from me.