Christmas Doesn’t Have to Be the Finish Line

Executive business coach Joanna Denton reflects on how years of chasing deadlines made Christmas feel like a finish line instead of a celebration – and how loss, love and perspective have helped her rediscover what truly matters at this time of year.

For a long time each December, it used to feel like I was sprinting towards a finish line and utter collapse.

The Christmas holidays weren’t a reward at the end of the year – they were somehow the final hurdle in a race to complete deadlines, juggle logistics, all the while also making it all feel “magical.”

Back when I was still working in tax in Luxembourg, 31 December was the deadline for completing and submitting our clients’ annual VAT returns. Hundreds of files to get out the door, last-minute client submissions, long hours into the night and weekends (but don’t worry – pizza all round on the firm if you worked past 9pm).

Oh, and don’t forget the Christmas shopping.

If I was coming home to the UK for Christmas, I would often book two return flights – one after Boxing Day for friends if I hadn’t got all the returns out the door; a second in the New Year if I hadn’t got them done and dusted.

Christmas wasn’t a celebration. It was a finish line.

Now, more than ten years since my last “VAT busy season”, I notice the pattern hasn’t really shifted.

It still feels like I need to work through Christmas, get projects done, plan things for next year – and at the same time, get the Christmas shopping done, help Mum organise things for the big run-up to the holiday and the “Orphans Lunch” we do on Boxing Day for friends who are on their own.

I still find it difficult to stop and realise – this isn’t how it needs to be.

This year, everything feels a bit different. It’s our first Christmas without my dad, and for those traditions probably contributed to a certain pressure to do it all “right”. Bless him – I love him to bits, but now that he isn’t here, well more than likely have a nice meal all together, but not stress ourselves overly about making sure there’s gravy, bread sauce and cranberry sauce for the turkey – or making both rum sauce and hard butter for the mince pies.

I think we’ll simply concentrate on what matters most.

Time together.
Time with those we love.

Because here’s the truth: Christmas doesn’t have to be perfect to be meaningful.

It doesn’t have to be measured by how many presents are under the tree, or how smooth the gravy is. None of us need to sprint to the tree, to the ground to have a magical day. Being together and fully present is what makes it so special.

So, to the woman who’s feeling the weight of it all – this is your gentle reminder:

You don’t have to do everything on your own.
This is not a solo project.
This is not a performance.
It’s not a test of endurance.
It’s a season.
A moment.
A pause.

You get to be part of it too.

So whether it’s a quiet cup of tea with the dog at your feet, a walk in the crisp air, five minutes in the armchair while everyone else negotiates the Quality Street – take it.

Take the pause.
Take the breath.
Take the space to feel the softness in the middle of the rush.

This year, I’m being very intentional. I’m booking time off. I’m making space for joy, for grief, for laughter, for memory. I’m saying no to the chaos and yes to what matters to me.

And I invite you to do the same.

Let this be the year we stop treating Christmas like the finish line.
Let it be the start of something softer.
You’re allowed to enjoy it, too.

JD Speaking and Strategy Ltd.

River House, 48–60 High Street, Belfast, BT1 2BE
Tel: +44 (0)7790585297
Email: joanna@joannadenton.com
Website: www.joannadenton.com