Now that we’re well into the new year, having celebrated Christmas and New Year’s, watching “Muppet Christmas Carol”, “Holiday Inn”, and the Tournament of Roses Parade (which was a bit soggy this year – marching bands in rain slickers just isn’t the same), it’s time to regroup, take a deep breath, and return to our normal living patterns.
Yes, we all know the holidays are stressful. For those of us that are, shall we say, a bit older and therefore may not be as severely caught up in the anxiety, or so we tell ourselves, there is still just a bit. 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? Should we restock, or wait until next year? What color bows should I buy – I don’t know what colors will be stylish in 2026. Oh, God. Did we get everything put back in the right place? Should we get rid of some of the decorations that now fill closets and most of the basement? No, because they’re all treasures. Inherited, or someone special gave them to us. Made in Kindergarten by someone now in their forties. All those car commercials – should I replace ours?
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 feeling 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 were going back to school the day after, so New Year’s Day is a lot like the last Sunday night of summer.)
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 into boxes. 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? My parents agonized about it every year – particularly my father, who didn’t do any shopping except for my mother. My secretary, one hilarious year, had bought one daughter a set of tires for her car. Did that count as one gift or four? We have an only child, so balancing wasn’t an issue so much as a deficiency issue as it was (and still is) “holy crap – look at all the stuff she’s getting.” The Head Shopper does it all online now, so we don’t see the piles collectively until the wrapping starts. 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 obscure Asian countries, which seldom have friendly return policies. Children usually focus single-mindedly on the holidays themselves, not understanding that adults have holiday preparation on top of everyday living. Like meals, jobs, and laundry.
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. We decorate at our leisure. In fact, each year we tend to scale back the house decorations to special items, special gifts, 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. (Secretly, I thank the Weather Gods.) 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 Princess, who, even in her forties, asks if I’m going to put up lights outside.
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.
Last week, we took down the tree and packed up the decorations. Most fit in the containers from whence they came. Some didn’t. Did they reproduce while exposed to air and sunlight? Some folks like to keep their things up well into the new year, the more persistent ones until Valentine’s Day. I still see some lights in the neighborhood and we’re almost halfway through January. 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. Just kidding – I hate fruitcake, and Her Ladyship isn’t a fan of plum pudding. Is the eggnog past its expiration date? (Throw a little alcohol into it and that will kill the germs.) The Princess flew back to Atlanta yesterday, but I had to ship two boxes of stuff that wouldn’t fit in her suitcase and backpack.
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! 