It feels like forever, but it’s wild to think that Christmas was only a month ago.  The build up, the anticipation, the excitement and the fanfare leads up to something magical and unforgettable and then, 24-hours later, it’s over.  Sure, there are days off and a break from the norm for perhaps another week or so, but then it doesn’t take us long to get back into the swing of every day life. On one hand it’s great to find our routine again, particularly with the kids, but at the same time, January is perhaps the month I dread most when it comes to ‘returning to normal’; especially at work.

For two weeks before and two weeks after Christmas, the office headcount reduces dramatically, making for a peaceful and quiet environment, but it also causes an almost complete halt to projects, productivity, and the things that  drive my day.  It’s an opportunity to catch up but it’s also the calm before the storm, because as soon as the first Monday after New Years arrives, everyone wants something, and they want it instantly.  Those weeks of peace and calm are instantly wiped out by unnecessary chaos and this need to start the year with a bang and have everyone firing on all cylinders.  It’s not just that we have to now catch up from the Q4 initiatives that we couldn’t accomplish because so many people and third party providers were away or shut down, but now we also get to stack on top of that the Q1 initiatives that we had set forth with our blinders on.  It’s an unattainable model that will undoubtedly cause burnout and a lack of any great progress until we at least hit March.  I say this with a confident belief that my business is not unique to this scenario; I’ve experienced this everywhere I’ve worked, so I’m not aiming to pick on any place in particular.  While that’s all true, that’s not actually what this post is about, this post is taking a different outlook.

The Christmas season is full of so many wonderful events – time with family, friends, food, laughter, snow games, and so much more – it’s a whirlwind of joyous activities that I look forward to every year.  Sure, it’s busy and I may have my rose-coloured glasses when I reflect on it sometimes, but all in all it is a time of year I truly cherish.  Now, as socially impolite as it may be to admit, I can’t and won’t deny that another big part that I enjoy is the gifts.  I enjoy giving presents.  I always have and I trust that I always will.  From time to time, I also can’t and won’t deny that I enjoy receiving certain gifts, namely the ones that are rooted in experience and come from the heart; and this year, Alison and the girls absolutely nailed it.

Upon opening a box that had been camouflaged to sound like it contained a new Lego kit (my wife is equal parts clever, sneaky and hilarious), instead of revealing a new building set, I opened up the lid to find a calendar designed and put together by my family.  Each month a different theme, full of colour, drawings, and personalizations that clearly took time and thought in creating.  Along with the calendar, however, was a piece of paper with a small message written on it…a clue, if you will.   They had created for me, not just a calendar, but a puzzle-based scavenger hunt that would send me scurrying around the house for the next thirty minutes, as I deciphered what they had clearly spent a lot of time building.  One clue after another, I ventured to my next location, picking up an envelope at each stop.  The envelope not only contained my next instruction or hint, but it was also accompanied by some form of ticket, pass, gift card or letter, each one indicative of an event that would transpire in the future.  In other words, they were providing me with events to fill up my already thoughtful and beautiful calendar.

Twelve clues later and I had collected everything from swimming passes and a Dairy Queen gift card, to escape room passes and blue jays tickets.  They provided me with something to look forward to each month of the year – a date night out with Alison, a rock climbing day with the kids, a family camping trip in the fall – whether it is intended as time as a family, time on my own or time one on one with the kids, 2025 has already been set with things I can’t wait to experience.

This calendar hangs in my office at work and it’s there by very purposeful design.  I all have goals to achieve, KPIs to hit, and projects to pursue; there will be times throughout the year where that workload becomes more than I can handle, and I can often times predict when those periods are going to be.  January may be a month more challenging than I’d prefer, but it’s also the month that I get to spend the day rock climbing with Nora.  It’s also the month that Audrey and I will go swimming, followed by ice cream and poutine.   March, I know, will be a tough one as we need to ensure we wrap up our quarterly goals, and the pressure is going to mount.  It’s also the month that we are going to a new escape room as family.   No matter which page I flip to, there is something taking place that is far more deserving of my thoughts and attention than what I’ve historically allowed.  Does that mean I ignore my work-related responsibilities?  Absolutely not; it just means that they don’t own me.  I’ve been given the gift of outlook, harmony and the reminder that I have constant love in my life.  So, one month later…and every month from here on out:  Merry Christmas, family.