Feeling Let Down After Christmas? |
The day after Christmas can be a letdown. After weeks of preparation, parties, and anticipation, the festivities end, and we are left facing the demands of a new year. Unlike the British, Americans don’t celebrate Boxing Day, and most of us don’t have 12th Night celebrations either. Instead, we clean up wrapping paper, put away the leftovers, and wonder what the new year will bring. If the holidays went well, we savor the memories, but if we spent our holiday trying to please others and disappointing ourselves, it can all feel flat and tiring.
Part of the problem is that we are conditioned to think of Christmas as a magical holiday. The image of a precious baby celebrated by angels and a caring grandfather who rewards good behavior with gifts fuels our hopes for a holiday that will make us feel good about ourselves and the world. While most of our childhood holidays were more nuanced and the realities of adulthood tarnish the magic of the day, we often cling to the idea that if we just prepare enough, give enough, and do enough, we will feel a part of something warm and meaningful. When we fail to achieve that magical feeling, we might get sad, angry, anxious, or bitter.
So maybe the week after Christmas is the time to do an honest debriefing. What did we enjoy, and what didn’t seem worth it? Were we trying too hard to exceed the neighbor’s decorations, to buy bigger and better gifts for everyone on our gift list, to bake every cookie we remember our mother making, or thought she should make? Did we leave enough time to socialize with the........