Saves will be sent gradually, processed as they arrive, and I think by December 25, the host will have received them all... It's unlikely any of the players will plan to finish the map in the final days of the year... :) And if there are any such people, there will be few... So don't overcomplicate things.
We won't see the results on January 1st, of course. But not because they won't be published, but for other reasons...:D By the second, I think we already can... :)