Christmas and the Transcendence of Ambition

Every year as the weather grows colder and the calendar year winds down, my mind always recalls the story of the Christmas Truce of 1914. In the height of WWI, the Catholic Pope of that time, Benedict XV, suggested a temporary truce of the war in celebration of Christmas. While there was no agreement for an official cease-fire, the German and British troops in opposing trenches were inspired by the suggestion and declared an unofficial peace time on Christmas Eve. There was greeting and shaking of hands, exchanging of gifts of cigarettes and desserts, a game of soccer played, and even Christmas carols sung between the opposing militias. Thinking of this reminds me that Christmas time has a way of transcending the toil and urgency of the ambitious professional, giving each of us time to reflect on the ways we rose to the occasion and the ways we fell short in the prior year. It gives us a moment to remember what matters—what we live for, why we fight the battles we do, and who we are fighting for.

As recruiters, we see a distinct shift in the pace of the talent market around the month of December. Both job-seekers and employers are less eager to make a seismic shift “right now” as they are eager to well-cover their tasks at hand and then prime the pump for a full-speed start to the new year. It’s proof that to every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven. And while I am excited for the starting gun to fire as we kick off 2022 in a full-sprint, I’m thankful for the Christmas season and its ability to bring peace to all people—whether in the trenches or in the office—for as long as we dare to keep it.