Women on Top - Death of the Alpha Male?

As usual, the weeks preceding Christmas tend to be oversubscribed with too many things to do – work schedules are in over-drive with over-time to complete all of the things we won’t be doing from 23rd December, shopping lists over-indulge in goodwill to find good gifts to all men and social schedules overdose in over-eating and over-drinking through an endless chain of Christmas parties, only to be followed by over-compensating in painkillers (or regret) as we wish that it really was well and truly over….

This week I too have started this very Christmas crusade but as I get race-ready for the back-to-back marathon that will keep me always-on from dusk to dawn I wonder ….are we all equally as capable of being festive-effective or, when the seasonal stop watch is set to non-stop, is it prime betting odds that women will come out on top?

Transitioning from office floor to shop floor, the championship Christmas bout of email vs retail is a no-contest knock-out for the female. Multi-task trained to buy gifts galore, the female Christmas shopper swiftly weaves between stores and, within a matter of hours, has the challenge fully wrapped up and under the tree.

The adversaries of the advent, however, the belts and braces brigade result bruised from their crusade and, as I watch them searching in solitude to box their affection to perfection I wonder …. how is it possible that every yuletide year, the simple task of getting our gift right results as a ribbon-wrapped raffle as uncertain as marmite?

Balancing the boardroom with the bar, however, is a festive task our men embrace with a little more zest and, as we change from our trousers of decision making into something short and sequined I wonder….how much of this revived interest is related to the appearance of a little black dress? 

What would be traditionally considered as crossing the line during office time suddenly gets lost in the male non-rule book of Christmas time and, as eggnog and bubbles seasonally flow, our business men go where none should respectably go….the quest of morning-after regret office party mistletoe. Is it a life of TV cocoa and elasticated waists that makes our men forget boundaries when faced with a night of short hems and lace, or ...as we successfully climb the corporate ladder with each step we take do we need the same caution on the seasonal social ladder not to land on a snake?

So, as I look forward to the magic of Christmas, I wonder …is the real reason for the Christmas season a Darwinian dilemma that Santa stamina has just 24 hours to keep up, or is it Mrs Claus that is actually on top?

 ‘Til next time, Pandora