Yes, we all know the holidays are stressful. For those of us that may not be too severely affected, or so we tell ourselves, there is still anxiety. Where did we put all the sales slips in case something needs to be returned? They were right in the drawer over . . . . . . I know I saved them. How much wrapping paper is left, or should we buy two dozen more rolls while everything is half price? What color bows should I buy – I don’t know what colors will be stylish in 2020. Oh, God. Where am I going to put everything Santa brought? I don’t need more clothes – my closet looks like Target just restocked. Should I get rid of something? No, I like what I have. How long before the Toyotathon expires?
As a child, I can remember the tremendous letdown the day after Christmas. I know, we had all that new stuff to play with or wear. That was exciting, but opening all the presents was spectacular, and now it’s over until next year. Can we wait that long without our heads exploding? There would be a birthday in there somewhere, but that wasn’t quite the same. My birthday is in early December, and while it was never overlooked – my parents were good about that, it did get lost a little in the energetic runup “whoosh” to Christmas. Nobody ever went caroling with “It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Tom’s Birthday”. Let’s face it – for kids, there’s a definite letdown after Christmas. Memories of that feel on Christmas night lurk in my brain. The presents are opened and used, the surprises are gone, and an emptiness exists that New Year’s Eve can’t hope to fill. Plus, we’re going back to school the day after. New Year’s Day is a lot like the last Sunday night of summer. In fact, I might add that New Year’s is one of the biggest let-down holidays on the calendar. It’s not like Labor Day, where expectations are pretty low. Unless you’re going to a formal dress ball with the Royal Family, it’s just not a big thing. We usually have a glass of bubbly, watch the ball drop and confetti making a mess of Times Square, and . . . . . . off to bed. I do enjoy the parade on New Year’s Day, though, so it’s not totally without merit.
As adults and young parents, that letdown is mixed with a certain sense that life can return to some form of normal when the Christmas tree goes to the curb and the decorations back to the attic. A brief, modest sense of relief. Whew, we made it again this year. It’s mixed with some anxiety. Did I get enough stuff for everyone? Did I spend enough, even though the credit cards won’t be back to zero until June. Some of the “Did I do enough?” recedes into darker regions of our consciousness. It’s too late, so we have to try to let it go. Parents too have anxiety about balancing the numbers of presents for each child. Were they equal, or did we show favoritism? I remember my parents agonizing about it. My secretary, one hilarious year, had bought one daughter a set of tires for her car. In the never-ending balancing act, did that count as one gift or four? We have an only child, so balancing wasn’t an issue so much a deficiency issue as it was (and still is) “holy crap – look at all the stuff she’s getting.” The Head Shopper does it mostly online now, so we don’t see it all collectively until everything is under the tree. At that point, it’s hard to pull out packages because we’ve gone overboard. It’s difficult giving as a reason to retailers for returning items, “We’re so sorry – we just had too much this year. Do you mind taking these things back?” That and the fact that many of Herself’s purchases end up coming from China, which does not have friendly return policies. Children can focus single-mindedly on the holidays, not understanding that adults have holiday preparation on top of everyday living – jobs, meals, washing clothes, schedules.
We’re now into the retirement phase of life, when Christmas becomes a pleasant diversion. We can go to the stores during the day or shop online at reasonable times. No shopping at 10 PM, when the kids are asleep. Prime shopping for Her Ladyship is just before lunch, unless she’s into “Price Is Right”. Then, it can be moved up. I usually go to the grocery store after the day’s menus have been planned. There may be trips to Walmart, as The Daughter describes it, one of my “happy places”. We can decorate at our leisure. In fact, we may not put out as many house decorations as we have in the past. It’s all about choices and living in the moment. There are boxes of tree ornaments in the basement that we haven’t used in years because, well, honestly, we have enough to decorate the woods behind the house. I didn’t put up the outside lights either because we had major snow that came early in December and caught me by surprise. There’s a small window of opportunity for setting up outside lights – too early and they step on Thanksgiving’s toes – too late and the heck with it. Also, I don’t like running electrical cables across piles of snow. In truth, I don’t fully trust outside electricity. Another disappointment for The Daughter, who still is obsessing about the lilac bush lighting incident of ’88, about which I’m sure you’ve read in previous writings.
The house now returns to its fairly peaceful self. I get my couch back, for example. We return, as the broadcast networks say, to our “normal programming”. We tend to watch our television shows on their duly appointed nights. The occasional DVR, but mostly what’s on at that moment. The Daughter watches virtually nothing in real time except for award shows. The Emmys, the Oscars, the Golden Globes, and the Patriots – that’s pretty much it for her, and everything else is in electronic storage.
Today, I’m giving serious thought to taking the tree down, and maybe some of the house decorations too. Some folks like to keep them up through New Year’s, the more persistent ones until Valentine’s Day. For us, the sooner they’re safely away, the sooner the transition to normality is complete. Here again, is New Year’s Day too soon, and is the following weekend too late? Then, if New Year’s Day is on a weekend, we’re totally flummoxed. What happens to uneaten Christmas cookies? (Yes, you’re right – that never happens.). Oh, God. I ate all the Christmas cookies, and the fruitcake, and the plum pudding. Is the eggnog past its expiration date? (Throw a little alcohol into it and that will kill the germs.)
As we ride off into a new page of the calendar, actually a whole new calendar, making resolutions we probably won’t keep, let’s all remember to “make the New Year bright” and put the anxiety of Christmas behind us. God rest us, merry Gentle People. I think I’ll take a nap.
I'm Thinking...No! 