Riding the emotional rollercoaster of the holidays

Bunkering down for the holiday season.

As I write this, we’re just over a week away from Christmas.

Cue the inevitable jokes about “where has the bloody time gone?”.

And then cue the inevitable question - “got any nice plans?”

Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, this holiday season is generally one where you’ll be swept up by it in some way or another.

Perhaps it’s a few days off over December, get togethers with family, or a ‘Christmas Set Menu’ card shoved in your face at your favourite restaurant.

Jolly ads in between our streaming shows and an abundance of deals on chocolate box sets (they get me every single bloody time).

Whatever it is, and whatever your feelings about Christmas, we’re swept up into the festive season whether we want to be or not.

There’s a lot to love about this time of year. Gift-giving, socialising, and a prevailing mood of jolliness.

But there’s a darker side to all of that stuff. Money worries, a pressure to drink alcohol or to have fun, a sense of loneliness.

For many men, I think it can often be a time of year that creates this perfect storm of masculinity where we can lean into things that we love, while also having things we’re struggling with really heightened. Many love the chance to get together with their mates, the late nights out, the series of jam-packed days of sports fixtures. I know it’s a staple of many men’s calendars.

But it can also bring sharply into focus many of the stresses and strains we carry.

“Did I achieve what I wanted to this year? Am I a failure if I didn’t?”

“I know I’m going to drink alcohol, but I’m not sure I’m ready for how I’ll feel after.”

"I want to say no, but I don’t want to be ridiculed for it.”

“Everyone keeps telling me this is the time to be happy, but I don’t know how to.”

“I have a difficult relationship with my family, and yet I’m told this should be a great time to be with them.”

It can bring up a lot of emotions, unanswered questions, experiences that we’ve not yet dealt with. Spending time with people we’d rather not, or spending time wishing people were here that aren’t.

We can sometimes take a masculine approach to it all, finding solace in alcohol, spending more on gifts than we should to prove we’re “doing alright”.

It can be a tough time of year.

Whatever you have planned this year and whether you celebrate or not, I hope you can find some time for balance and relaxation over the next few weeks.

This is a post to say we see you, we get it, and if you’re silently dreading the next few weeks, then that’s okay. Equally, if you’re buzzing for this time of year and love Christmas, then that’s okay too.

There’s no right or wrong here, no singular way of doing things. Just try to do the things that work for you, in between the inevitable compromises that have to go into the calendar.

We’re going to take a break from this newsletter for a couple of weeks, in the spirit of slowing down and recharging the batteries.

Have a good couple of weeks, and we’re looking forward to being back next year for more conversations that matter.

Let us know in the comments what you’re up to. What you want to see more of next year. What you have coming up but you wish you didn’t. Whatever is on your mind 👍

And have a good holidays, in whatever way works for you.

George and James x