St. John's funeral director Geoff Carnell was at work New Year's Day — but it wasn't a surprise for him.

If it seems like you're hearing about more funerals than normal after Christmas, you're not imagining things — he says it happens every year.

Carnell told CBC's On the Go that winter months — with colder temperatures and flu outbreaks — tend to see more deaths than summer months. But every year, he said, there's a surge as the holiday season winds down.

They will themselves to get through Christmas because it's a special time. - Geoff Carnell

His theory? The prospect of seeing relatives one more time at Christmas helps sick or frail elderly family members hang on just a little bit longer.

"I believe that people, because of Christmas, and the fact that many Newfoundlanders and many others travel home during the Christmas season, that they know that they have an opportunity to see family members and they will themselves to get through Christmas because it's a special time," he said.

"And therefore, as you go into the new year, January can be one of the very busiest of the year in regards to the number of deaths."

Time off for staff hard to get after Christmas

It's extremely difficult to maintain staffing levels during the busy season, he said.

"What generally we do — if you got last Christmas off, you're not getting this Christmas off," he said. "It's that difficult. And sometimes all the planning in the world will just fall to one side if we're really busy. There's many a Christmas that I would be ready to come in if I needed to. I was here New Year's Day, for instance. You do what you must do."

The spike in business can sometimes stretch a funeral home to capacity, said Carnell, but clients generally understand.

People have a will to live, and I think [a family visit] generates that little bit of extra energy they need. - Geoff Carnell

"You explain to them that we're extremely busy and we ask if they can delay a service to accommodate others, and people are very understanding when it comes to that," he said.

Carnell said he thinks the phenomenon of people hanging on because of the prospect of seeing loved ones isn't limited to Christmas; that's just a common time for people to return home.

"People have a will to live, and I think that generates that little bit of extra energy they need, because they have something to live for."