A self-employed Christmas

Before you became self-employed, Christmas at work was probably either the most fun you had all year, or a horror you’d prefer to forget. Office Christmases can be wildly hit or miss and, if we’re being honest, can be often more of a miss (except here at Kingsbridge HQ, obviously).

Christmas in the ranks of the elf-, sorry, self-employed should be great, right? We take a look at the big differences between office Christmas and contractor Christmas.

The office Christmas party

Well, this one really depends on how much you enjoyed office Christmas parties to begin with. For many, they’re a chance to let your hair down, drink on someone else’s dime, and celebrate with people who you probably spend more time with than your actual family. For others, though, they’re a source of dread as you watch others have a bit too much to drink and wish you were spending time with your actual family.

If you fall into the former category, then the bad news is that, as a self-employed person, there are no office Christmas parties. If you fall into the latter category, then the great news is that, as a self-employed person, there are no office Christmas parties.

Time off over Christmas

Through late October/early November in offices throughout the UK, managers announce that they’re taking holiday requests for over Christmas and the air is filled with the clickety-clack of employees frantically completing forms requesting their chosen dates.

Then there are grumbles and moans as people find out they can’t have all the days they wanted, people try to work out how they can visit their nan if they have to be back in on the twenty-seventh, and didn’t Sharon from Finance have the whole week off last year too?

Because you’re self-employed, you don’t have to deal with any of that. Don’t want to return to work until January? It’s up to you. Of course, the flip side is that you don’t get paid for that time off, but you can’t have everything.

Secret Santa

The office Secret Santa is the Marmite of festive activities. For some it’s a joy to shop for a gift (costing no more than £15) for a colleague. For others, it’s an epic chore. To be fair, how are you meant to get a gift for Dave from IT when you haven’t heard the man speak in the five years you’ve known him?

Also, it’s not much fun to pretend to be thrilled when the new guy has clearly mixed you up with someone else and bought you a book on fly fishing.

Now you’re self-employed, you don’t have to worry about Secret Santa politics. You don’t have to buy a gift for anyone and no one has to buy one for you. That said, if you feel you’re missing out, you could always treat yourself to a gift. Costing no more than £15, of course.

Now it’s time to relax and enjoy Christmas however you choose to do it. Merry Christmas from the team at Kingsbridge, and all the best for the New Year.