For someone who lives for the holiday season, the subtle march towards New Year’s means some very low-key anxiety. It’s too much to say that I’m sad when the holidays are over – though if you jump onto Reddit, there are some great threads of people who commiserate on the sadness that accompanies the end of the holiday season. Unlike a lot of the toxic yuck that can populate Reddit, some of these threads like “Crying Now That Christmas Is Over,” “I Always Get Sad When Christmas Is Over,” “I Get Sad After Christmas,” and “My cure for PCD – ‘Post Christmas Depression’ We Call It,” are quite lovely, as people share their feelings of ennui after the rush of the holidays.
I love the holidays and I start to ‘celebrate’ as early as the first week of September, which I consider the start of the fall season (even though it’s usually summer weather). I put celebrate in quote marks because obviously, I don’t start putting up Christmas trees or wearing ugly holiday jumpers yet. But there are tiny signs that we’re heading towards the holiday season in September, particularly when I’m perusing the magazine aisle and already see holiday issues of home or cooking magazines.
For me, the holiday season eases into a time when things start to get cosier and nicer. London is a great city for the holidays because the sparkly lights distract from what is a wet and muggy season. From October to about March or so, the weather is cold and can soggy and can be quite dreary. The holidays offer a great diversion to the yucky weather. The shopping, the food, the decorations take your mind away from what is, frankly, a rather ropey time of the year when it gets dark super quick and it’s easy to start getting the blues.
So, it’s natural that once Boxing Day peters to a close, Chrimbo-files like myself, start to face the rest of the long winter with some dread. But like many, I’ve found some tiny tricks that ease the transition from the onslaught of holiday cheer to the abrupt halt. These are tips that I find work – again, these are tips that work just for me – so if you have any great ideas, let me know.
- Listen to Christmas music not just during the holidays. This comes with a great caveat. Lots of people love Christmas music. An equally large number of folks hate Christmas music. In fact, I find that there is a direct correlation between the hatred of Christmas music and a history of working in retail. So, listen to Christmas music, but do so with headphones so that you don’t bother those around you. So, for me, Vanessa Williams’ Star Bright is a perennial listen, as is Vince Guaraldi’s Charlie Brown Christmas record. These albums – and many others – offer a calming, temporary feeling of holiday goodness even if it’s July and sweltering outside.
- Watch Christmas films or television not just during the holidays. Remember my tip of not playing your Christmas carols out loud and annoy others? Same goes with this suggestion. Christmas movies and Christmas TV is great during the rest of the year – especially if you’ve had a hectic day at work. Nothing compares to relaxing to some mindless holiday fluff in which people are nice to each other, give each other gifts, and maybe even launch into a chorus of “Jingle Bells.” I don’t like the Hallmark holiday movies nor do I like the Netflix originals – I never got into those, but I love watching holiday episodes of sitcoms. Frasier does annual holiday episodes that are the best. Kid shows like Sesame Street and Arthur also have classic Christmas specials. And the Chanukah episode of Rugrats is brilliant. (In fact, I have a compilation/playlist of holiday episodes of 90s-era Nickelodeon cartoons – they’re pretty brilliant.)
- This suggestion is something that I can do with others. Make holiday food. Eating stuffing is great all year ’round. And do you like turkey? Well, get a turkey breast anytime of the year and throw that sucker in the oven. On a related note, that also overlaps with number two, you can also watch Christmas episodes of cooking shows. I had to recover from an accident a couple of years ago, and honestly, the holiday episodes of Nigella Lawson, Valeria Bertinelli, Ree Drummond, Ina Garten, Rachael Ray, and Martha Stewart saved me. I still read holiday cookbooks, too all year, imagining a large, elaborate festive smorgasbord, even if it’s summer.
- Take down your decorations. So, during the pandemic, I kept my decorations up for the whole year – it was nice having the holiday stuff decorating my home office as I worked from home. But that was during lockdown, when it was okay to break with routine and do anything to purchase some calm for oneself during what was a scary time. But in ‘normal’ times, it’s better to hide them away. Keeping them up as the rest of the world marches on, makes it feel a bit Miss Havisham, like you’re trying to freeze time in your flat.
- Try thinking of things to do during the year that will give you milestones to look forward to throughout the year. I’ve just signed up for a marathon. It’s something that I would never do – and I’ll probably not do it again – but the training has lots of scheduling, which gives my year some kind of structure. I also have some trips lined up (maybe?) throughout the year.
The title of my blog post is derived from the song “Keep Christmas with You (All Through the Year),” which is the Sesame Street Christmas specials. The lyrics – by David Axlerod – talk about letting the feeling of Christmas last all year, even after the decorations are boxed away, and the gifts are shelved. Part of the lyrics point out that aside from the presents and the decorations,
“Christmas means the spirit of giving/
Peace and joy to you/
The goodness of loving/
The gladness of living/
These are Christmas too.”
That’s part of the reason why I’m doing the marathon – it’s to raise funds and awareness for people living with MS. A big thing about the holiday is the giving and the kindness. In Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Scrooge learns to celebrate Christmas by being kind to the poor.
So, it’s fine to be sad during Christmas. After all, the holidays are usually the only time we see family and friends because of work and school obligations that take us away. (Honestly, we see our co-workers more than our friends and loved ones.) And it’s okay to indulge it that disappointment. It always feels like the holidays flew by and we didn’t do enough. I was planning on seeing The Nutcracker. Didn’t happen. I also wanted to see a panto. Didn’t happen. I thought of visiting Kew Gardens to see the holiday lights. Yeah, didn’t happen. I still got to do the Prince Charles Cinema’s sing-a-long of A Muppet Christmas Carol (an obvious classic). I hosted several parties and attended a few. Sure, work was rough this year (Always is when you start a new job), but the rest from work is rewarding. So, allow yourself some tiny morsels of holiday cheer, no matter what time of the year, and September will come in no time.
A Seat in the Aisle 
Leave a comment