I am the Christmas freak of my family. I have created handmade advent calendars, ornaments, decorations; I have made piles upon piles of Gingerbread men; I have shopped intensively for gifts for all of my friends; I have watched every Christmas movie repeatedly each year (Santa Claus with Tim Allen is my favorite); I have a collection of ugly holiday sweaters.
But with my obsession with the holiday comes an obtrusive, unavoidable sadness once the holiday has passed me by. Every year, without fail, I get the “Post-Christmas Blues.” Last Christmas, I spent the holiday in New York City, wandering the snow-dusted streets, gazing up at the giant Nutcrackers I passed, visiting the MET and the MoMa. I wrote of how I felt when it was all over: “I already miss waking up in the city. The sounds of the honking taxis, screaming sirens and bustling crowds acted as an alarm clock in the morning. We walked along the streets, our faces fresh thanks to the crisp winds. I’ve always longed to see the city during Christmastime and the giant nutcrackers and ornaments and ice-skating did not disappoint. And yet now all I’m left with is sadness.”
Courtesy: Christmas Time in New York
It’s a sadness that penetrates my heart every year without fail – today, I’m sharing with you a few ways to beat the Post-Christmas-Blues, in the hopes that you do not fall victim to such a harmful low after such a beautiful holiday.
1. Document Your Holiday: Whether you take photos of your holiday-spirit every day or journal about what you did, you should try to document your holiday season. This holiday season, I will practice my Christmas adventures every day of the break and documenting the happiness and love that swells within me during this time of year. That way, when the Post-Christmas-Blues threaten to creep into your heart, you have written memories to remind you of the joy you felt during the holiday season.
2. Do a Christmas-Oriented Activity Every Day: Take your friends around the neighborhood to look at Christmas lights. Spend a few hours during a day off baking cookies and Christmas goodies. Write a few Christmas cards to your closest friends and relatives, explaining why you are thankful for them this holiday season. Delight in the little activities and the time spent with your loved ones.
Courtesy: Dyer and Jenkins
3. Spend Time Being Thankful: It’s easy for me to feel thankful during the Christmas season – my Father’s entire family gathers together at my Grandmother’s house for an extravagant Christmas Eve celebration full of laughter, gift-giving and unadulterated love and happiness. Take a moment out of your holiday season to just sit and dwell upon what you are thankful for this holiday season, whether that is your home, your education, your family, your friends, or your dog. I know I’ll be thankful for family, but also for the food that family makes when Christmas Eve comes around – yum!
4. Don’t Stress Yourself Out: If you spend your time worrying over the possibility of the “Post-Christmas-Blues” that may enter your heart after the holiday has passed, there is no way you will avoid it. Don’t think about the holiday being over. Instead, be present. Focus on the everyday activities that you participate in; focus on the gifts you are giving, the feelings you are experiencing, and the people you are visiting. Don’t let the Christmas season pass you by.
5. Don’t Have Unreasonable Expectations: I find that I am constantly hoping, beyond logic, that the holidays will hold as much magic for me as they did when I was a child. This is an insane hope but I wish it every year. The holidays will not be as magical as they were in previous years when you were young, impressionable, and in love with the idea of Santa. You have changed and so the holiday has changed for you and with you. This doesn’t have to be a sad thing. Recognize the change, and treat the holiday with a different kind of love and adoration. It can still be magical.
Have a Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays, collegiates. Remember to be thankful.