Surge

A leading staycation operator has highlighted a big rise in people opting to use Christmas Day to make their holiday booking

There was a time when Christmas Day was all about opening the presents, over doing it on the festive feast, then sleeping it off in the front of the telly.

But times changes, and it seems a growing number of people are using the time off to plan ahead. And one emerging trend identified by holiday park operator Haven has been a big rise in the number of advanced bookings it has taken on December 25.

Historically, Christmas Day was quiet for the firm and other holiday companies ahead of a normal rush just after the new year. But Haven says that in recent years bookings have increased steadily, with a 46% leap on Christmas Day last year. While it did not provide exact numbers, bosses said it equated to hundreds of bookings on the day. Given the success last year, Haven says it is now anticipating a record breaking Christmas Day again.

Others will leave it 24 hours, but Boxing Day has also become ever more popular for families thinking of their holidays to come. Haven says Boxing Day bookings last year were up 28%, and it expects to take thousands of bookings over the two peak festive days this year.

Simon Palethorpe, the company’s chief executive, said: “Once the presents are unwrapped, carols sung and turkey stripped, more families are using their time together to book their Easter and summer holidays. Not only is selecting your family holiday on Christmas Day less likely to lead to a row than a board game – booking early with Haven can result in a great deal and big savings compared to those who book later.”

The coming weeks are when many people turn their attention to next summer’s getaway, with the dark months of winter encouraging many to dream of sunshine breaks to come. Experts certainly say that booking early can mean big savings, with operators traditionally launching early bird deals amid a marketing blitz around this time of year.

A peak of bookings is expected on January 3, or what is dubbed ‘Sunshine Saturday’ given the spike in business. Research released by trade body ABTA ahead of 2025’s big day revealed that 68% of people were planning to go abroad this year, and 45% were looking to explore a new country for their holiday.

Trade experts at consumer group Which? has this advice: “Don’t feel pressured into booking in a hurry. Time-limited deals aren’t always everything they promise so take the time to consider your options, and shop around to make sure you’re getting the right holiday for you, at the right price.

“Holiday booking scams are common at this time of year so if something looks too good to be true, always think twice. There are lots of dodgy ‘deals’ on social media, and fake listings can even make their way onto booking sites. Always avoid listings requesting payments by bank transfer, and consider doing a reverse image search on villas or rentals to check the images haven’t been lifted from elsewhere.”

Denzel Perryman quickly listed name after name as he dove deep into his mental roster of the 2015 Chargers.

Manti Teʻo, Melvin Ingram, Kavell Conner and Donald Butler took Perryman under their wing, the Chargers linebacker said. The 11-year veteran said he relied on older teammates when he entered the NFL as they helped him adjust to the schedule and regimen of professional football.

“When I was a young guy,” Perryman said, “my head was all over the place — just trying to get the gist of the NFL. They taught me how to be where my mind is.”

With the Chargers (10-4) entering the final stretch of the season and on the cusp of clinching a playoff berth heading into Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys (6-7-1), veterans have played an important role in the team winning six of its last seven games.

A win over the Cowboys coupled with either a loss or tie by the Houston Texans on Sunday afternoon or an Indianapolis Colts loss or tie on Monday night would secure a playoff berth for the Chargers.

Perryman, who recorded a season-best nine tackles in the Chargers’ win over the Kansas City Chiefs last week, credits Philip Rivers and the rest of the Chargers’ veterans for showing him “how to be a pro” a decade ago. Now he’s passing along those lessons to younger players in a transfer of generational knowledge across the Chargers’ locker room.

“When I came in as a young guy, I thought this happens every year,” safety Derwin James Jr. said of winning, starting his career on a 12-4 Chargers team in 2018. “Remember the standard. Remember, whatever we’re doing now, to uphold the standard, so that way, when guys change, coaches change, anything changes, the standard remains.”

Running off the field at Arrowhead Stadium, third-year safety Daiyan Henley charged at a celebrating Tony Jefferson, a veteran mentor at his position who was waiting for teammates after being ejected for an illegal hit on Chiefs wide receiver Tyquan Thornton.

After the game Jefferson and Henley hopped around like schoolchildren on the playground. That’s the atmosphere the veterans want to create, Jefferson said, one in which younger players in the secondary can turn to him.

“That’s what we’re here for,” Jefferson said. “For them to watch us and follow, follow our lead, and see how we do our thing.”

It’s not just the veteran stars that are making a difference. Marcus Williams, a 29-year-old safety with 109 games of NFL experience, replaced Jefferson against the Chiefs after being elevated from the practice squad. The 2017 second-round pick played almost every snap in Jefferson’s place, collecting four tackles.

“That just starts with the culture coach [Jim] Harbaugh creates,” defensive coordinator Jesse Minter said. “It’s really a 70-man roster.”

Harbaugh highlighted defensive lineman/fullback Scott Matlock’s blocking technique — a ba-boop, ba-boop, as Harbaugh put it and mimed with his arms — on designed runs as an example of a veteran bolstering an offensive line trying to overcome the absence of Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater.

Harbaugh said his father, Jack, taught Matlock the ba-boop, ba-boop blocking technique during an August practice.

“He’s severely underrated as an athlete,” quarterback Justin Herbert said of the 6-foot-4, 296-pound Matlock, who also catches passes in the flat as a fullback.

With three games left in the regular season, Jefferson said the focus is on replicating the postseason-like efforts they gave in consecutive wins over the Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles.

“It was good that they were able to get a taste of that,” Jefferson said of his younger teammates playing against last season’s Super Bowl teams, “because these games down the stretch are really what’s to come in the playoffs.”

Dec. 12 (UPI) — Shares of Lululemon stock surged Friday after CEO Calvin McDonald announced his retirement.

The Canada-based company’s stock value spiked more than 9% in premarket trading following its announcement that McDonald was resigning from his role.

“The timing is right for a change,” McDonald said on a call. “I’ve described being CEO of Lululemon as my dream job. It truly has lived up to every expectation and given me the opportunity of a lifetime.”

McDonald expects a Jan. 31 departure from the athleisure company and will cap more than a year of lackluster performance.

Lululemon’s NYSE shares climbed 9.35% to $204.50 in recent trading, following a roughly 10% surge the day prior.

The company disclosed McDonald’s exit alongside fiscal third-quarter earnings and another batch of disappointing guidance.

According to the company, Lululemon’s board has engaged an unnamed “leading” executive search firm to replace McDonald.

The outgoing CEO will remain as senior adviser until March 31.

Lululemon named CFO Meghan Frank and Chief Commercial Officer Andre Maestrini as interim co-CEOs while it hunts for a permanent leader.

Meanwhile, Board chair Marti Morfitt will assume an expanded role as executive chair.

“As we look to the future, the board is focused on identifying a leader with a track record of driving companies through periods of growth and transformation to guide the company’s next chapter of success,” said Morfitt.

Lululemon reported quarterly revenue of $2.57 billion, up from $2.40 billion the same period last year.

McDonald pointed to a robust Thanksgiving weekend demand that helped the company clear outdated inventory through discounts.

He said early holiday results were “encouraging” as it looked ahead to the current quarter.

“I also want to acknowledge we’ve seen trends slow a bit since Thanksgiving, which we’ve taken into account in our Q4 guidance,” McDonald continued.

But he added it projected revenue of $3.50 billion to $3.59 billion, which was slightly under Wall Street forecasts.

Lululemon has grappled with mounting pressures over the past year, including competition and tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Over the summer, Lululemon sued Costco for selling a “confusingly similar” clothing line.

“However, despite this, we expect revenue trends in the U.S. and Q4 to be modestly improved relative to Q3,” according to McDonald.