WEEKEND EXCLUSIVE: Why the Shire Still Belives It Can Fit 46 Catch-Ups Into December - Despite All Evidence to the Contrary.

Skey Waverley | Social Reporter | Sutherland Shire Gazette

22 November 2025

As December looms, residents across the Shire have entered the annual phenomenon known as The Great Pre-Christmas Cram - a frantic, ritualised attempt to “catch up before Christmas” with every person they’ve successfully avoided since Easter.

Despite having only twelve feasible social evenings remaining in the year, locals are now attempting to schedule an average of 46 events: a combination of long lunches, panic-booked breakfasts, and at least two “quick rosé catch-ups” that are historically never quick.

Calendars are buckling.

WhatsApp groups have become ungovernable.

And Shire residents have begun engaging in a new November behaviour: aggressively clearing social admin so it doesn’t roll over into next year like emotional tax debt.

“It’s not that I want to see everyone this side of Christmas,” said one Caringbah woman, scrolling in despair. “It’s that if I don’t, it becomes a 2026 problem - and 2026 is already full. I’ve mentally committed at least eight things to ‘future me,’ and she’s not coping.”

Experts warn the psychological pressure is real. Every unaccepted invitation triggers a silent panic about becoming socially insolvent; every cancelled plan feels like losing a high-stakes bet.

“You only get one shot at pre-Christmas peopling,” said a dazed Cronulla man, 31. “If you back the wrong event, that’s it. You’ll carry that guilt into the next financial year.”

The triaging of friendships has become brutal. Shire locals are now sorting contacts into “non-negotiables,” “maybe next week,” and “absolutely not before 2026.” Several residents have admitted to pretending their calendar “just can’t do another thing” despite it containing large blocks labelled simply do not talk to me.

Yet, somehow, the entire region presses on — fuelled by tradition, social fear, and the universal desire to start January with a clean emotional spreadsheet.

As one Miranda local summarised:

“It’s exhausting… but if I don’t finish my social admin now, I’ll be catching up on it until April.”

December catch-ups