Celebrating Birthdays & Christmas

Why People Press Pause is a series of nine articles about the real reasons people take a break. It’s not about why you should come to Woodfarm — it’s about why people leave their own doors in the first place. Over the years, I’ve noticed the same emotional triggers come up time and again — burnout, celebration, grief, change.

These are the stories behind the suitcase. The real reasons people press pause on life and find somewhere to breathe again.

Taking a break is rarely just about “getting away”. It’s about what’s happening before that. There’s usually a moment behind the booking that matters far more than the destination. This series is about understanding those moments. And if one of them feels familiar to you, then that’s reason enough.

Why a Birthday or Christmas Away Might Be the Best Gift You Ever Give

Celebrating Birthdays, Christmas & Retirements. Not just marking the milestone, but making it matter.

You don’t always say it out loud, but it’s there — that quiet thought that creeps in before a birthday, or when Christmas is looming, or when someone asks what the plans are and all you can think is: do we really have to do it the same way again?

It’s not ungratefulness. It’s not a lack of effort. It’s just life. It gets full. The pressure builds. And suddenly the idea of one more overbooked Sunday lunch or one more festive gathering where everyone’s rushing to enjoy themselves feels less like a celebration and more like a performance.

That’s when it starts. The idea of doing it differently. Booking a birthday weekend away instead of another big meal out. Skipping the shopping panic and choosing a peaceful Christmas cottage break where you can actually hear yourself think. We see it happen more and more — not because people want less, but because they want more of what matters.

Some book for themselves. Others book for someone they love. A partner who’s been quietly carrying the load for months. A mum who’s always hosting but never sitting down. A dad who says he doesn’t want anything but would be happiest with a proper pub lunch, a long nap, and a dog at his feet. A sister, a best mate, someone who doesn’t need more stuff — just a bit of calm.

Birthdays. Christmas. New Year. Easter weekends in the countryside. Mother’s Day escapes. Father’s Day with the dog and no expectations. There’s always a reason to hit pause — and never a wrong time to mean it.

We’ve had guests bring the whole family together on Onderneming, the big Dutch barge that sits gently on the River Alde in Suffolk. It’s become the backdrop for so many moments that couldn’t happen around a traditional table — where the pressure’s off, the roast is on your terms, and people actually sit and stay awhile. We’ve seen three generations marking a milestone, and we’ve seen others with no fanfare at all, just the river, the warmth, and the sound of real conversation.

Sometimes it’s one of the Barns, with a wood-burner going and the dog curled up in the corner. A couple marking a 40th, 50, 60th or 70th with zero fuss and all the comforts. No tight tables. No “just pop in for cake” drop-ins. Just space for the two of you.

And that’s the word that comes up again and again: space. Not just physical. Mental. Emotional. The kind that gives people permission to breathe. To actually enjoy the thing they’re meant to be celebrating.

You’d be amazed how often we hear it:
“We didn’t want to make a big thing of it.”
“She didn’t want presents, she wanted peace.”
“It was our first proper Christmas on our own.”
“We just wanted to wake up somewhere different.”

You don’t need loads of decorations or plans or reasons to justify the pause. You just need to feel like this time, it should look different. That maybe the most thoughtful thing you can do is take someone — or yourself — somewhere that doesn’t demand anything from you.

That’s why these breaks work. They don’t solve everything, but they give you a break from pretending you’ve got to keep the old rituals alive if they don’t feel good anymore. They’re simple. They’re real. And they leave you feeling something you don’t always get with more ‘stuff’ — clarity, warmth, and a memory that actually sticks.

If you’re already toying with the idea, then maybe it’s time. Not to run, but to choose with intent. A birthday that feels like a gift. A Christmas that gives you back your energy. An Easter that doesn’t involve travel chaos or too many chairs round one table. A Sunday that’s actually for you.

Retirement’s another big one. Not just a date in the diary, but the moment life really shifts gear. After years of routine, pressure, and putting others first, this is the first real chance to exhale. We’ve had couples book their stay as a quiet retirement gift to themselves — no speeches, no fuss, just the peace to process it all in a beautiful place. That gentle marking of a life chapter. If you know someone hitting that milestone, or if it’s you, this might be the pause that feels right.

This is the year you get to say, let’s do it differently.

And if that’s the feeling — we’ll be here when you’re ready.

Why People Press Pause

I hope you enjoyed reading this article and I hope you read some of the others. This series isn’t a sales campaign. It’s not a “Why you should pick Woodfarm”. It’s the opposite, really. It’s about you. Your life. Your moments. Your reasons. This is about why you leave ‘the norm’ for a while, whether you come to Woodfarm or not.

If I’ve done my job right, Woodfarm will feel like the natural answer when that moment comes for you. I want you to come to Woodfarm, of course I do. That’s how I make a living. But honestly, there is an almost infinite number of choices, and this is about why you decide you need one of them, not where you go.