Christmas: An Enjoyable Time Of Year Or A Hassle For Business?

Personally, I love Christmas. I think it’s a very special time of year, and refocuses our increasingly busy minds as to what the important things are in life. Not everyone feels the same though.

Each and every year, I see a number of posts by others, across all the major social media platforms, cry humbug at the stress, sales dip and general planning that ensues due to the Christmas shut down. That’s one way to look at Christmas, if a very negative one.

So, is Christmas a wonderful time of year, or do those who feel less rosey about it have a point?

A poll and the positives

Naturally, a poll had to be included in a poll like this. We get to see who really likes the festive period and who feels very Grinchy about it! Feel free to tell me via the poll below. Or, if you’re not fussed either way, there’s an option there for you too!

I’ll set my position out now, I love Christmas! I love having the tree up, decorated and lit up. I love the smell in the house with the food and drink that comes with this time of year. It brings a festive atmosphere to our home, which is nice to come back to especially when it’s dark, wet and cold. It’s even more festive this year now I have my Prefix Verandah up and covered in lights:

For me, it’s a time to relax, see friends and family, indulge in food and drink, forget about the pressures of work life and recharge for the New Year. It’s a time to remember that work is very much a means to an end. We work to live, not live to work.

These are just my opinions of course, and not everyone will have the same.

A business headache

At this time of year, business activity in our industry generally drops off. Although it must be said that in my conversation with my industry friends, there doesn’t seem to be much of a dip this time. In fact at our place, we’re still signing up big house fulls of windows and doors, which is not the typical sort of business we normally sign up at this time of year. It means we will hit the ground running well come the New Year, with good cash flow and plenty of fitting.

Still, more often than not there is a drop off, and this creates a planning, logistical and business quandary. Installers rush to get their final orders in, and of course they all want delivery before Christmas so they can be installed before Christmas. Then there is the inevitable let downs for those who don’t get their orders in in time. The planning of holiday days for staff, closing and re-opening times so factories can get back running. It’s all extra work at an already busy period of time for suppliers. So you can understand the gripes from some.

However, I would urge the humbugs out there to see beyond it and look at this time of year for what it really is. Forget the commercial aspect for a moment, we all know how mad it’s become, with eye watering amounts of money being spent on all sorts of materialistic things. Instead use the time off to spend it with others, enjoying company and forgetting about work.