Awards: Season vs Calendar Year

I am confused about why awards like the ballon d'or are given out in december, at the end of the calendar year.

The standard seasons for european clubs run from late august/early september to may. Shouldn't awards be given out after the champions league final or something like that, not in december. Giving the awards out now makes voters consider 3 full months of games in a NEW season, as well as the entire previous season for a player...

Does anyone know why awards aren't given out in the summer after the club seasons are over?

I've wondered this many times. But I don't mind, cause individual awards don't mean much. They're not even accurate, otherwise Xavi would have won it at least twice.