I was listening to an interesting piece on Newstalk recently in which Alana Kirk, known as The Midlife Coach was speaking about a study that was carried out in the US last year, focused on the invisible workload within the household.

Essentially what she was saying is that although we live in a society in which the domestic workload is now much more balanced than it was in previous generations, the mental workload for the most part still rests with the woman. And this applies in most households, regardless of whether there are children to be cared for, older relations or pets.

For example, Dad may be great at bringing the kids to football training at the weekend but it’s usually Mammy who is thinking about whether the training gear is clean and managing the sporting calendar to ensure everyone is at the right place at the right time.

In many households, all the family may have pitched in to make the Christmas dinner or do the wash-up afterwards. But it’s often the wife who plans out the meal and makes out the shopping list remembering to have everything ready to make Granny’s stuffing, Grandad’s bread sauce and her sister-in-law’s favourite trifle.

In our house, my husband is chief Christmas present wrapper, and he does a very good job of it. But I’m the one that does the shopping for the presents, ensuring that all our nieces and nephews are counted for and that we have a nice box of biscuits for Mrs Murphy up the road.

Alana says, if you were to sit down and make a list, many would be shocked at the extent of the invisible workload undertaken by women.

Look, I know this is generalising to a certain extent and this isn’t the way in every household, but it does point to the continued relevance of Nollaig na mBan.

Now women are coming together and 120 Women’s Sheds have been set up across the country

This tradition is mainly Munster based, especially in Cork and Kerry but we should all be embracing it. Historically, it’s a day off for women in recognition of all the hard work they do over the festive season.

In the past, women would gather together in someone’s house, chat, have a drink and sometimes, a sing-song. Nowadays, you can book in for prosecco brunches or themed Nollaig na mBan dinners, and they are still an excellent opportunity to catch up with pals. But it doesn’t even have to be that elaborate. In some households, it’s celebrated with a cup of tea and the end of the Christmas cake, saying, ‘well done, we did it’.

This connection and friendship is very important and Jacqueline Hogge has a piece on why it should be celebrated all year long, not just on Nollaig na mBan.

Much credit is due to the explosion of Men’s Sheds across the country in recent years, an excellent opportunity for men to come together especially in their retirement years.

Well now women are coming together and 120 Women’s Sheds have been set up across the country. Women are learning Tai Chi, going on local trips together and doing flower arranging. Most importantly, it’s an outlet to meet up with people and this extends beyond the weekly meeting. People are saluting each other in town or stopping for a chat in the local shop.

If you’re looking for something new to do in 2025, attending your local Men’s Sheds or Women’s Sheds could be the best thing you do.

Wishing all our readers a very Happy New Year.