It's the most wonderful time of the year - unless you're looking for a ride home.
The staff Christmas party season is in full swing and back with a bang after several years of Covid restrictions.
But anyone who has ventured into Belfast city centre for some festive cheer will know the stress of arranging transport at the end of the night.
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Finding a taxi is a struggle, especially with nearly a third fewer drivers than pre-pandemic. Bus and rail services are limited, although Translink has added some late-night services for the Christmas period.
It has inevitably prompted renewed calls from politicians and others for an overhaul of the public transport system.
An "overhaul" gives the impression of a shake-up that would take a long time and shedloads of money. Some long-term plans are of course progressing, such as construction of the integrated transport hub.
However, there are a range of small, low-cost changes that could be made right now that would vastly improve some of the public transport network.
Take for example the Antrim Road, which has been named as the favoured northern route for the north-south Glider.
Stormont parties generally support expanding the service, but the completion date is 2027 at the earliest - and there is a huge question mark over finding the funding for the estimated £150million price tag.
In the meantime, three simple changes could deliver a streamlined Metro bus service tomorrow that would provide faster, more reliable public transport rivalling the Glider years in advance of its roll-out.
Firstly, make the bus lanes 12-hour like Glider bus lanes. Currently, southbound bus lanes on the lower Antrim Road only operate weekdays during the morning school rush of 7.30am to 9.30am.
But after these hours cars are inexplicably allowed to park in the bus lanes, blocking buses and creating traffic bottlenecks - particularly in the afternoons as the school day ends.
Secondly, reduce the number of bus stops. Many are already within a short walking distance of each other, and even a slight reduction would improve journey times.
Thirdly, go cashless. By removing the ability to pay the driver in cash, or even abolishing the receipt of change, picking up passengers at every stop would be a much speedier process.
Customers can still pay via contactless card, but it would also encourage more people to download the Translink app and pre-pay for tickets - similar to the Glider.
Instead of fumbling for change, a flash of their phone screen to the bus driver grants entry to the bus with minimal faff.
And as for concerns that some older people may be less tech-savvy, they travel for free anyway using their senior smart pass.
These changes, coupled with services running later into the evening, would help provide a faster, more reliable and simplified service that would encourage more people to leave their car behind.
But while parties are vocal in backing the Glider, you will be hard-pressed to find them lobbying for these sorts of changes which would largely deliver similar improvements.
It seems the fear is losing votes from motorists and businesses, for whom bus lanes would be considered an unpopular policy. Many traders and drivers are not prepared to lose parking spaces or face more traffic in exchange for better public transport.
It is typical of how short-termism and parish-pump politics hold back changes in Northern Ireland which may be challenging but are ultimately for the greater good.
If parties are serious about overhauling our public transport system, then political leadership is needed to push through improvements.
But without a step-change, staff office dos will face many more years of transport nightmares before Christmas.
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