It’s the day after Christmas…and I LOVE this day! I’ve turned on all the many twinkle lights all over the house. Candles are lit. I’m listening to my LWD 2019 Christmas playlist. I have a nice hot cup of Earl Grey at my side. It’s so peaceful.
I love Christmas but let’s be honest – it takes a lot of work to pull it all off. Gifts to buy and wrap, Christmas letters to write and cards to address, meals to plan and cook, cleaning, decorating, etc.
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The Day After Christmas
But the day after Christmas? No expectations, just pleasure.
The house was clean in preparation for Christmas day and I make sure everything gets picked up and dishes done so on this day all I have to do is make the bed, wash today’s dishes and maybe throw in a load of laundry. Or maybe not.
I slept in a bit after David left this morning. I never sleep well and it’s worse in the few days before Christmas because my mind is racing with all those last minute tasks. I gave myself permission to go back to sleep for an hour and it’s amazing how much difference that one hour can make.
As soon as I finish writing this I’m going to watch a cheesy Netflix Christmas movie – A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby. I fully expect it to be every bit as ridiculous as the first two in this series. And I’m sure I will love it anyway.
I will probably write thank you notes at some point today. I keep the cards we receive each year and I make thank you cards from the previous year’s by cutting off the front of a few, write on the back and address them like a postcard. I like being able to reuse them and it saves a bit on postage.
We have various leftovers so dinner will be easy tonight. And we have homemade cookies!
After dinner this evening we’ll watch one of the Christmas movies we haven’t watched yet this year. Maybe The Bells of St. Mary’s.
And that is why I love the day after Christmas. I give myself permission to relax and simply enjoy the afterglow of Christmas.
What about you? How do you feel about the day after? Do you continue to enjoy all things Christmas or do you consider it over and take down the tree? What is your favorite part of the holiday? Or if you celebrate a different winter holiday, leave me a comment and tell me your favorite tradition.
Hi – I have a huge letdown after Christmas Day. Every year like clockwork. I’m 56 and it doesn’t change. I wish I could figure it out. 😊
That’s interesting. Do you think it could be unmet expectations? That’s part of the reason I started embracing the custom of the Twelve Days of Christmas. No matter how hard I worked there were still Christmas things I didn’t get done. A few Christmas cards still left to send, a few decorations I didn’t get up, Christmas movies I didn’t watch. I now allow myself to do those things in the days after Christmas and it helps me not feel like I failed. Maybe you could plan a few things you enjoy just for yourself in the days right after Christmas.
We had been trying to celebrate both the Winter Solstice and Christmas. But it was just too much, so we decided not to any more. That hadn’t been the plan at first, but as the holidays approached, and our stress levels rose, we decided to reconsider. We were celebrating the Solstice because we wanted to, and Christmas because we felt like we should due to family celebrating it, which told us immediately what we should do. I like the way we did it this year better. It’s not so stressful, so I was able to relax, enjoy our own celebrations, enjoy the holiday glow, and really feel like I was making time for my family when I spent most of Christmas Day itself on the phone to one or the other of them hearing about how their celebrations were going. We’re planning on doing it this way from now on. It makes no difference to us if family open their gifts on the Solstice or Christmas, and this way is less stressful and more enjoyable for us, so we’re sticking with it.
That is wonderful! It’s often difficult to let go of expectations and do what works for you but in the long run it’s so much better.
I agree. 🙂