Working this December? Here’s how to keep your festive spirit

 

Don’t shake your head like that. It’s entirely possible. And here’s how. 

Stop complaining

Negativity breeds negativity. The more you complain about having to work, the more you’ll be focussed on the fact that you’re working. You need to simply accept that you going to be at the office and move on. Stop envying all those people who get to sleep late and binge-watch series or climb mountains and swim in the cooling ocean. Learn to accept your fate and you’ll be a lot happier.  

Make plans in your spare time

On a usual Tuesday evening, you may find yourself in front of the TV or relaxing with a book. But those routine activities aren’t going to keep the festive spirit alive. Instead, invite people over for a glass of wine or dinner. Go out to your favourite restaurant with your favourite people. Go for walks on the beach once everyone else has packed up for the day. 

Go in early and leave early

If you have the luxury of working flexible hours, try go into work a little earlier so you can leave earlier. This way you can still plan late afternoon activities and see the people you actually want to see. Put in the effort to wake up at 6am instead of 7am and you’ll be really happy you did when you get to knock off work an hour early. 

Think about the positives

You may think there are no positives to working through December, but you’re wrong. If you think long and hard enough, you’ll find there are quite a few benefits to working during the holiday season. 

For starters, you save money. January is known to be a difficult month because of the financial hangover of the festive season. But you’re not going to have to worry about that. You won’t be tempted to spend money when you don’t have to. No fancy brunches for you. No paying for unnecessary day-time activities or late nights at the club. Sitting at your desk means you’re far from temptation and your credit card is safe. And don’t forget, prices go up during the festive season. 

Then, you don’t have to waste time in shopping centres. If you’re working through the festive season, you’ve likely planned ahead and done all your shopping online already. Which means you get to avoid the Christmas rush and marked-up prices of absolutely everything. While being in the cool air conditioning of retail outlets may be appealing, the crowds of frustrated people and tantruming children is not. 

And you get to avoid the tourists and holidaymakers. Going to the beach in December may feel like a great idea… until you get there and are faced with hordes of tourists and holiday-makers. You’re not going to find a spot to place your towel and you’re going to have to queue for ages just to get an ice cream. And forget going out to the best restaurants with all your visiting relatives unless you’ve booked long in advance.

You can avoid pretty much any social activity you want to. Yes, even on the weekends. You can simply say, “Sorry, I have a deadline to meet.” Working through December is your ticket to avoiding holiday parties you don’t want to attend and limiting the time you have to spend with visiting relatives you can only handle in small doses.