After sailing through weeks of holiday cheer, we’ve chugged straight into that awkward phase of winter when the Christmas lights remain hung but not shining, the presents have been carted home but not forgotten, and the tree still lurks in its corner, unlit but not yet de-tinseled. The children are back in school, wearing clothes so new they bear the creases from their time in boxes beneath the tree. Across the street the blowup Santa that leered at us all December has deflated into a puddle of red and white plastic, spreading over the winter-brown grass.
Each year during this in-between-time after the festivities, and before the drudgery of winter and fulfilling resolutions and packing up the Christmas boxes for another ten months in storage have set in, I vow to appreciate Christmas even more the next time around. I promise myself to begin the carol blitz sooner, to write more cards, to really revel in the celebrations.
But after several successive seasons of diving into the holidays ever-earlier, so that by December first I want to hide in my house with the radio off lest I hear another droning version of “My Favorite Things” (which, come on, is not a Christmas song), I am making a new vow: from now on I will take the holidays as they come. The end will always seem abrupt and the detritus left afterward — those plastic Santas on the lawn, the unlit bulbs, the drooping trees — will always seem sad. I will relax more, and afterward I will shun the post-Christmas letdown, instead thinking of the joyous times spent with family and friends over the previous weeks and looking forward to the coming spring.
And that, six days late, is the only resolution I made this year.
I loved Devil in the White City. Different. And I’m a history and crime fan. So.
Those huge inflatable Santas creep me out. And they’re proliferating and breeding with the snowmen or something… some neighbor had up a snowglobe with an actual ROTATING carousel inside. Wha-?! I can’t imagine the electricity bill… .
Good resolution. Sounds a lot less stressful. I’m unsure, no offensive intended, how starting Christmas earlier would’ve lead to appreciating it more. Apples to oranges. *shrug*
I have the post holidays blues – but I am going to try and adopt your attitude. I just love Christmas so damn much it is a disease. I wish I could have a christmas tree year round!
because of my super powers, i was able to bypass the most commercial part of christmas and focus on the joy 🙂
like i predicted, there was some drama from the family when they found out i meant it that i wasn’t giving christmas presents, but they got over it (hopefully).
the weekend after christmas was when the decorations came down and like most years, you find a single decoration or string of light that you forgot to pack into the box before you put the box in storage and you are left with it for the rest of the year, a christmas orphan. this year, it was the cute reindeer hat that i decided would be sooo cute on my cat that came off as soon as i put it on her head…
I’d say that’s plenty, resolution-wise. I vowed this year not to get over-stressed, and it worked…pretty well. I guess I’ll give it another go next year.
you’ve captured early january perfectly! our tree is still up, looking naked w/no presents. 🙂
Jess, we have several neighbors with giant, electrical snow globes and carousels and the like in their yards, too! They trot holiday-appropriate ones out for Halloween and other occasions, too. Their dedication is almost as frightening as their electrical bills must be! As for starting Christmas early, it seemed like once I really got into it, it was over, so I thought I’d try to get into it early so I’d have a chance to appreciate, but it was still over and I was sad.
No Milk, we talked about doing something similar, except having everyone give the money to charity. Didn’t go over well on the few test cases we discussed it with. Will try again in the future.
Alyssa, good luck with the vow! I’m impressed that it usually works for you!
Thanks, Emily. Ours is still up, too. Will come down this weekend, I think.
As resolutions go, it’s a pretty good one. I really enjoyed this post!