Just reading your addition to this thread @kmakm and thinking how important it is. I was diagnosed through Breastscreen at the beginning of December. I had my first appointment with the surgeon the next day and had bookended Christmas Day with surgeries. My oncologist squeezed me in at the end of the day in late January as he wanted to make sure he saw me before he went on two weeks leave. It seems I was lucky. My cousin got the recall from Breastscreen a couple of weeks after me and had to wait until mid-January just to do the follow up diagnostic screening. She only had her MRIs last week. I agree - they have their own lives and no matter how dedicated, it is just a job (though I'm not sure my surgeon ever takes time off). However, I don't think it's right that everything just closes up shop for Christmas - we're not talking the building trade, here. There should be some sort of back up - even if it's an automatic referral for counselling in the meantime.
