'At Christmas I no more desire a rose



Than wish a snow in May's newfangled mirth;

But like of each thing that in season grows.'

> Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), Love's Labour Lost

Christmas - that time of over-indulgence, added anxiety

and sheer stress. Bah, humbug!

Actually, I love Christmas. But the reality for so many

people at work is that hidden beneath the surface of

jollity and bonhomie is that it is potentially the most

difficult time of year.

The four work stresses of Christmas.

1. Christmas has become a giant milestone in the year.

This forces everyone into an artificial mindset that

demands that everything be completed 'before the

holiday.' As a result, the weeks before Christmas are

an absolute nightmare for many people. People who are

already overworked are forced to pull extra hours to

get work completed. Yet often, a moments thought by

those demanding the completion of jobs would show that

nothing bad will happen if they are held over until

early January.

If you are a 'holiday hurrier', spare a thought for

what is truly urgent and what is simply being hurried

because it is Christmas.

2. The social whirl. Just because it is Christmas,

everybody has to get on. And on, and on. Festive

parties seem to start as soon as the shops start

displaying tinsel - and that can be as early as

September where I live! If you are prone to suffer from

stress - as so many of us are these days - endless

eating and drinking in smokey atmospheres (even if you

don't smoke yourself) is just going to make things

worse. Not only are you lowering your bodies

resistance, but you are also severely limiting your

ability to keep on top of the heightened workload.

Don't be a killjoy, but equally, don't party yourself

into the floor.

3. 'What-haven't-I-done-itis'. When I worked for

advertising agencies, every Christmas was blighted by

worries of what I may have forgotten, what I may have

rushed and done wrong, what other people may have

messed up and so on. It was only in my last couple of

years that I cracked the problem. I made lists. Big

lists. I wrote down everything that needed to be

thought about from December 1st onwards. If I had a

newspaper campaign running I would call every paper to

double check the ad positions. And I would write down

the answers. I became obsessive about detail. And it

worked. On Christmas Eve I would make two copies of all

my notes, leave one on my desk and take the other home,

locked in my briefcase. Then, when the demon thought

sprang up during Christmas lunch that I had forgotten

something vital, I knew I had it covered - and had the

evidence to prove it to myself.

Funnily enough, just knowing that it was there made me

forget about it completely and enjoy my holiday.

The moral of the story is - don't plan for Christmas

Eve, plan for the days you will be home worrying.

4. Photocopiers and backsides. It might sound like fun,

especially after a few beers. Don't go there. That

glass can splinter! And even if it doesn't, do you

really want the evidence of a drunken moment to haunt

your career for years? There is always someone who has

had a few less drinks than you who thinks it's amusing

to hang on to the evidence.

Have a laugh, but try not to lose all your inhibitions.

A broken photocopier could be the least of your

worries!

'Call a truce, then, to our labours

let us feast with friends and neighbours,

And be merry as the custom of our caste;

For if "faint and forced the laughter,"

and if sadness follow after,

We are richer by one mocking Christmas past.'

> Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936), author, poet.

Christmas in India.

Christmas is a lovely time if worries about work don't

poison it for you. Try to plan ahead and have yourself

a very merry Christmas this year.