As harvest wraps up and you start planning for the new year, it’s natural to begin thinking about the bigger questions – the future of your farm, what the next few years might look like, and how to make sure everything is set up properly for the long term.
And with Christmas just around the corner, you might have found yourself thinking, “We’ll talk about succession when everyone’s home.”
If succession has been on your mind this year, the holidays can seem like the perfect opportunity. The whole family is together, there’s a bit more time, and it might feel like the right moment to start the conversations that haven’t happened yet.
But when you look a little closer at what Christmas is actually like for most families, it becomes clear why those conversations rarely go where you’d hoped, and why they often leave you or someone you love feeling caught off guard or unsure of where to go next.
There is something special about having everyone home again. It’s a chance to catch up, share stories, and slow down after a big year.
But Christmas also brings emotion, history, and old family patterns right to the surface – often without anyone meaning them to.
People naturally fall back into familiar roles, are tired from the year they’ve just had, and most families simply want the day to feel light and enjoyable.
Succession, on the other hand, touches on identity, roles, fairness, and the future. It brings up deeper feelings that need time and space to be worked through properly.
My advice?
Succession is not a conversation that fits easily between lunch and the backyard cricket match.
Succession isn’t a one-and-done conversation – it’s a series of steady, thoughtful discussions that unfold over time.
To have those conversations well, you and your family need:
A hot December afternoon full of visitors, noise, and a busy schedule rarely gives you that.
And when the timing isn’t right, even a well-intended comment can land awkwardly, create tension, or shut the conversation down before it even begins.
Instead of raising succession at Christmas, a far better way forward is to choose a time in the new year when:
When the timing is right, everyone communicates differently. You hear each other more clearly, you think more practically, and the decisions you make together tend to be stronger and more confident.
This is the environment succession conversations deserve.
If you’re wanting to approach succession with more clarity in 2026, I’m offering free 45-minute Strategy Sessions in January.
It’s simply a conversation – a chance to talk things through, understand your next steps, and begin planning in a way that supports both your family and your farm.
If you’d like to talk it through, you can book a time that suits you here.
Want to read more about succession planning? Go to our blog.
Already have an accountant and solicitor? Discover why farming families may still benefit from working with a succession planner – and why getting the family decisions right first can make everything that follows clearer.
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