BEYOND THE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PAST

Choosing presence over burnout.

Christmas begins months before it arrives. As soon as summer fades, the planning starts.

Menus are drafted, rewritten, reshaped—creative but not excessive, mindful of budgets,

aligned with the ethos of the business. Deadlines loom: costings, design, printing, rotas.

Adrenaline surges like a waterfall as you wait for the menu to be published, for the bookings

to roll in.

Order lists are drawn up, prep lists refined, service flows mapped—you are ready. Ready for

Christmas.

In hospitality, Christmas is not a single day of joy and celebration. It is a relentless season:

weeks of long, punishing shifts, frenetic service, raised voices, chaos, and sickness that

comes and goes. Day after day, the cycle repeats—all in the name of bringing joy and

celebration to others.

All at once, it’s over—the adrenaline-fuelled, frantic days, the sleepless nights, the meals

snatched and swallowed in minutes, the endless coffees you convince yourself are essential

just to keep going.

And what remains? You: an empty shell, drained of emotion, stripped of feeling. Enthusiasm

has vanished. There is nothing left to give—to your family, your friends, or even yourself.

Each morning grows heavier, rising from bed feels pointless, yet you persist. It’s expected of

you. Bills must be paid.

You retreat, craving invisibility. At work, words are rationed; simply surviving the day

consumes every ounce of energy. Messages from friends weigh like obligations instead of

comfort. Instagram reels go unwatched, invitations ignored, excuses rehearsed. Evenings

shrink to a glass of wine and a bag of crisps—your solitary ritual, a substitute for dinner.

Scrolling through social media only deepens the gloom. The joy of others sparks resentment,

and resentment becomes the only emotion you recognize. The downward spiral continues,

daily.

Life doesn’t pause just because you’re burnt out. Your mental health might be on the floor

and everything around you might feel like it's falling apart, but the world keeps moving.

Work still expects you to show up - be creative, passionate, organised and on top of everything - even when you have barely anything left to give.

How many times do we repeat this cycle? How many family Christmases are spent in

exhaustion—too much alcohol consumed in a desperate attempt to feel something, children

clamouring for your attention, pleading for you to share their excitement. How many more

New Year’s Eves will pass with the same question echoing in your mind: would everyone be

better off without you?

Hospitality is defined as “the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests,

visitors, or strangers.” Nowhere in that description are we saving lives. Yet year after year,

we drive ourselves to the edge of our own, sacrificing health and spirit to provide celebration

for complete strangers.

This year, choose differently. Value yourself: release the dark thoughts, speak the anxiety

aloud, nourish your body with good food, reward it with deep sleep, step outside into fresh air. Value your family: refuse the extra hours, spend time with those you love. Your presence

is worth more than any gift bought with overtime.

Author

Nina Cristinacce

The Burnt Chef Project Ambassador