Your Last Impression Is Your Lasting Impression: The Real December Reset Leaders Need
with thoughts from Olive Pique, HOST’s resident event expert and mascot
Chill out
✍️ A Note from Amy
I’ve said it for years, and it shows up in our work, our events, and our leadership philosophy:
“Your last impression is your lasting impression.”
And there’s no month where that rings louder than December.
December is the final chapter of the year — the moment where teams take a breath, look back, look ahead, and feel everything all at once. It’s sentimental and stressful, magical and messy. The inboxes get fuller, the energy gets thinner, and somehow the expectations get higher.
But here’s the truth we don’t talk about enough as leaders and business owners:
December isn’t just emotionally loaded. It’s financially loaded too.
As much as I care about my team’s wellbeing — and I truly do — the honest founder reality is that EOY numbers matter. Cash flow matters. Project closeout matters. The choices we make in these final few weeks determine how we start the next year. It’s crunch time, and unless you work in retail, you’re trying to make five calendar weeks behave like a full quarter.
And yet… out of those five weeks, we don’t actually have five.
We have maybe 17.5 business days.
Seventeen and a half days where productivity drags because everyone is equally enchanted and distracted by December’s holiday glow. People are juggling school concerts, travel plans, flu season, end-of-year reviews, client deadlines, “just checking in before the holidays” emails, and the annual office debate over who’s bringing what to the potluck.
And still — we push forward, because this stretch matters.
That’s why I wanted this month’s blogs to shift tone. To be more personal, more grounded, more reflective of the real balancing act we all do in December: leading with heart while steering the ship toward the numbers that keep the lights on.
Because how we end 2025 — the tone we set, the grace we offer, the clarity we bring — will shape how our teams return in January. And if your last impression is your lasting impression, then December deserves intention.
So let’s talk about what this month really feels like, and how we can end strong without burning out.
Let’s figure it out, together.
— Amy O’Neil
Owner, HOST Events | ONAR Event Services
why everyone hits “low power mode” in december
December has a rhythm all its own. Not slow, exactly — more like a chaotic, glitter-dusted shuffle where everyone is moving… just not always in the direction they intended. People describe the month in shorthand — “after the holidays,” “when things settle,” “in the new year” — because nobody is fully in the present. And honestly? They’re not wrong.
But let’s be clear about one thing:
A December slow-down isn’t a sign of disengagement. It’s a sign of human bandwidth hitting its natural limit.
Leaders feel that tension the most. It’s the final sprint to close the year, hit financial goals, wrap client projects, settle budgets, renew contracts, and prepare for a January that always arrives faster than we think. The calendar may say there are five weeks left, but the working reality is closer to 17.5 business days.
Meanwhile, teams are running their own version of December: school concerts, holiday travel logistics, family obligations, cold and flu season, end-of-year reviews, “circling back before the holidays” client emails, and the emotional whiplash of trying to wrap up a year’s worth of work while also wrapping gifts.
And yes — the data backs up the dip in energy. Gallup reports workplace stress peaks in Q4 for nearly half of employees.¹ The APA finds that 38% of adults experience increased holiday-related stress.² MIT’s research shows that high cognitive load can reduce decision-making quality by up to 14%.³
This is why even the highest-performing teams hit “low power mode” in December. Not because they don’t care. Not because they’re slacking. But because December is a logistical, emotional, financial, and psychological circus — and everyone is doing their best to juggle.
And leaders? You’re juggling flaming torches while standing on one foot.
If the energy feels different right now, that’s because it is. And understanding that difference is the key to leading well through it.
how leaders and employees actually feel in december
If Section 1 explains the why behind “low power mode,” Section 2 is where we get honest about what December actually feels like on both sides of the org chart — because the funny thing is, leaders and employees are experiencing the same month, just from different vantage points.
And both groups assume the other has it easier.
What leaders are actually feeling
December for leaders is a pressure cooker. You’re closing books, reconciling budgets, squeezing in final invoices, pushing last deliverables across the finish line, chasing payments, renewing contracts, planning Q1, mapping staffing needs, and trying to keep morale intact while staring down spreadsheets.
You’re doing math in your sleep.
You’re waking up thinking about revenue projections.
You’re praying for clean financials.
You’re hoping clients don’t go dark until January.
It’s operational.
It’s financial.
It’s survival and strategy all at once.
And if you own a business, the stakes feel even sharper — because the way December ends doesn’t just affect “next quarter.”
It affects your entire runway.
What employees are actually feeling
Meanwhile, your team is walking through December with hearts full, calendars packed, and brains overloaded.
They’re thinking about:
travel plans
school shutdown weeks
sick kids
shipping deadlines
budgets tightening
holiday emotions
end-of-year reflections
and that creeping feeling of “I really want to do good work but my brain feels like gingerbread.”
They’re not unmotivated — they’re stretched.
The shared truth
Both groups want the year to end well.
Both want clarity.
Both want to feel like the work mattered.
Both want January to start clean, not chaotic.
But December has a way of making everyone feel like they’re carrying a secret burden the other side can’t see.
Leaders think, “I need the team to stay focused.”
Employees think, “I hope my leader understands what I’m carrying.”
Neither is wrong.
Neither is selfish.
Neither is disengaged.
They’re just tired.
And human.
And operating within the unique physics of December.
What we’ve seen at HOST this year
Across hundreds of virtual, in-person, and hybrid events in 2025, one trend was unmistakable:
Teams didn’t want more. They wanted ease.
The most requested experiences weren’t the longest or the flashiest.
They were the simplest. The most flexible. The ones that didn’t require heavy emotional labor or prep.
Teams wanted experiences that:
created connection
didn’t drain the tank
respected the season
offered a little joy, not a big production
felt like a breath, not a task
Every single industry felt this shift.
And honestly?
I get it.
December isn’t the month to add more demands.
It’s the month to remove friction.
This is the emotional heart of the December Reset: understanding each other’s load, not assuming the worst, and designing work that aligns with what the season actually requires.
the december reset: a better way forward
If December has taught me anything over the years, it’s that teams don’t need perfection at the end of the year — they need permission. Permission to slow down just enough to stay steady. Permission to focus on what actually matters. Permission to breathe without feeling like they’re falling behind.
A real December Reset isn’t about pushing harder.
It’s about leading smarter, softer, and more human.
Here’s what that looks like.
1. name the season out loud
One of the simplest leadership tools in December?
Acknowledge that it is December.
Say the quiet part out loud: “We’re all stretched, we’re all juggling, and we’re going to adjust expectations accordingly.”
When leaders name reality, teams exhale.
When leaders pretend December is a regular month, teams panic.
Clarity is kindness — especially right now.
2. move everything down 20%
Call it the “December 20% Rule,” but it works every time.
Reduce meeting lengths by 20%.
Reduce deliverable volume by 20%.
Reduce internal expectations by 20%.
Not to lower standards, but to match bandwidth.
Your quality stays the same, but your team’s stress drops instantly.
3. trade big gestures for small moments
This is the sleeper leadership strategy of Q4.
We think teams want grand celebrations — and sometimes they do — but in December, what they really want is ease. They want connection without the production. They want a moment that doesn’t require downloading a plugin or coordinating 17 schedules.
Think:
a 10-minute gratitude circle
a quick HOST game with zero prep
a simple “camera-off” work block
a shared playlist
a company-wide “respond tomorrow” email pause
These micro-moments cost little, but they go far.
4. protect downtime like it’s revenue
Because in December… it is.
If you want people to walk into 2026 ready, grounded, and energized, then their brains need space to decompress now. Define what’s urgent and what isn’t. Draw clear boundaries around when the team is truly off for the season and hold them.
A rested January team produces more than a depleted December one.
5. lead with the tone you want reflected back
December amplifies whatever leaders put out.
If the tone is frantic, the team absorbs that.
If the tone is clear and steady, the team stabilizes.
If the tone is warm and intentional, the team mirrors it.
The end of the year is where leadership presence matters most — not in the grand gestures, but in the micro-choices.
6. focus on connection, not correction
December is not the month for heavy audits, performance scares, or sweeping process overhauls (save those gems for Q1, preferably after everyone has had caffeine and sleep).
What people want now is warmth, direction, and reassurance that the work they did all year long mattered.
That’s the December Reset in its simplest form:
Create conditions that help your team close with clarity, not collapse.
🫒 Olive Has Thoughts
This is my first winter working at HOST, and I have discovered something fascinating about humans: you all run two operating systems in December.
One is “business as usual.” The other is “sparkly chaos mode.” And both are somehow active at the same time.
I’ve learned that humans will go to great lengths to pretend everything is normal while simultaneously attending 14 holiday events, wrapping gifts at midnight, and saying “I’ll circle back after the holidays” with the sincerity of a legally binding contract.
I have also learned that humans hit something called “low power mode.” At first, I assumed this meant you needed a software update. But no — it means you need rest, warmth, clarity, and possibly cookies.
My conclusion? December isn’t a productivity malfunction. It’s a built-in reset. And when teams end the year with softness, gratitude, and a moment to breathe, they don’t power down—they reboot.
I will continue studying the complexities of “Human December Mode.” So far, my findings indicate you’re doing your best… even when your calendars suggest otherwise.
— Olive Pique, HOST mascot + first-year winter anthropologist
what december momentum actually looks like
Here’s the part most leaders don’t say out loud: December momentum doesn’t look like speed. It doesn’t look like breakthrough strategy sessions or heroic bursts of productivity or reinventing processes before the ball drops.
Real December momentum looks… calmer.
Quieter.
More intentional.
It’s not the acceleration — it’s the alignment.
Teams in December aren’t trying to sprint. They’re trying to land the plane without turbulence. And honestly? That’s good leadership: knowing when to push and when to guide people gently into the gate.
December momentum looks like:
clarity instead of clutter
decisions that close loops instead of opening new ones
boundaries that protect rest
communication that cuts through noise
gratitude that acknowledges the year’s effort
moments that matter, not tasks that drain
connection, not correction
a soft landing, not a crash landing
When people look back at a year, they remember how it ended.
Not the spreadsheets.
Not the frantic emails.
Not the final metrics.
They remember tone.
They remember how supported they felt.
They remember whether December gave them stress — or space.
This is where your quote becomes the anchor of the whole month:
Your last impression is your lasting impression.
If teams end 2025 feeling exhausted, unseen, or rushed, that energy comes with them into January.
If they end feeling appreciated, steady, and grounded, they return with momentum you couldn’t buy if you tried.
The recency effect isn’t just a psychology term — it’s a leadership strategy.
And the leaders who understand that December isn’t a test of endurance but a window for intention? They’re the ones whose teams start the new year stronger, clearer, and more committed.
December doesn’t need to be perfect.
It just needs to be human.
A Softer Landing Today.
A Stronger Start Tomorrow.
If this season has you reflecting, resetting, or simply catching your breath—you're not alone. December is where tone is set, momentum is shaped, and teams begin preparing their hearts and minds for the year ahead.
If you’re ready to create meaningful moments for your people—light, simple, connective ones—we’re here when you need us. No rush, no pressure. Just support.
faqs
1 Gallup — State of the Global Workplace: Engagement, Stress & Wellbeing Gallup Workplace
2 American Psychological Association — Holiday Stress Statistics APA
3 MIT Sloan School of Management — Cognitive Load & Decision-Making Research MIT Sloan