Who would be writing about RFP responses over Christmas? Maybe the same person working on one over Christmas.
Clients have a habit of making proposal submissions due just after Christmas and other big holidays (think Thanksgiving, for the US of A) rather than just before. It’s understandable: They sure don’t want to have to deal with extra work at those times! I’ve lost track of the number of bids I’ve worked on that were due the first week of January, pretty much requiring work for the proposal team over Christmas.
And if it’s a really large bid, a submission date anytime in January amounts to the same thing.
The best thing proposal managers can do is to be upfront with the team about expectations at the outset, and then to schedule (and hold to!) a short break for people.
The best thing proposal team members can do is to be upfront with their family members about expectations at the outset, and then to relax and enjoy it. Life is too short to be miserable in your work, even on Christmas or Boxing Day.