Hot on the heels of the Hauntvent series, welcome to the Advent 2025 series. This year, the series comes with a few twists, a bit out-of-the-box, irreverent, but hey, anything goes on Christmas. Why stick to what has been rehashed a gazillion times over? I spend most of the year writing about introspection and empowerment, so it’s time to let my hair down before the true Christmas celebration. So grab a mug of your favourite winter brew, get comfortable, and enjoy!
If you think your workplace has complicated HR policies, imagine being an elf at the North Pole with the Grinch as your HR director. Every December, Santa’s Workshop transforms from a cheerful wonderland into a high-stakes production floor where toys must be delivered on time, morale is mandatory, and yet somehow, the coffee machine never works.
This year, the Grinch has decided to introduce formal performance reviews because apparently “good vibes and candy canes” are no longer enough metrics for elf productivity. Elves are nervously updating their résumés (does proficiency in “sleigh assembly” count as management experience?), rehearsing their self-assessments, and quietly Googling “how to survive a performance review from a green, scowling HR overlord.”
Impostor syndrome is at an all-time high. Tiny elves with giant skillsets question whether they truly belong in a team that can produce 10,000 toys before breakfast. Meanwhile, veteran elves, who’ve been sanding rocking horses since the Ice Age, stress about whether their contributions are noticed beyond the glitter-covered paperwork, especially when the Grinch gives a sideways glare that feels like it could freeze candy canes mid-air.
©MJ Sabine
And then there’s team-building day. Nothing says “holiday spirit” like trust exercises on candy cane stilts, conflict-resolution workshops, and the Grinch judging your effort with a clipboard and a scowl that could rival Mount Everest. Accidental snowball fights may occur, but don’t worry, the Grinch is there to make sure you really reflect on your life choices while dodging flying snow.
I’ll let you in on a secret though: amidst the chaos, the laughter, and the mild terror of HR-led existential crises, elves keep coming back. They’re part of something bigger than spreadsheets and scowls. They know that their work (the joy, the play, the sense of shared purpose) can’t always be measured in KPIs. Maybe, just maybe, impostor syndrome is less about not belonging and more about finally noticing that you do.
So if your office feels a little like a magical winter workshop this December — deadlines, HR emails, and a green scowling boss in charge — take comfort. Somewhere in the Christmas galaxy, an elf is probably sitting at a tiny desk, rereading their self-assessment, thinking: “I made the world a little brighter this year, even if the Grinch gave me a one-star smile.”
After all, isn’t that what counts? And through it all, a snowflake drifted unnoticed onto the HR office window, a gentle reminder to pause, breathe, and remember that warmth and care matter more than perfect metrics.
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