Ending the holidays can be tricky.
You’ve memorized the words to “White Christmas,” made a steady diet of cookies and eggnog, and have even watched the Rankin and Bass Christmas specials so many times that the puppets no longer disturb you, and you think you might be ready to pack away the Christmas decorations for another year. But how do you transition? November seems like eons ago, your regular life a foreign land; how can you begin to return to your normal life? To help you along with this transition, here are some tips as to how you can begin second semester:
1. Listen to your favorite music
One of the most defining parts of the holidays is the music. It’s in every store, on every radio station, and chances are you got Michael Buble’s Christmas album from at least one of your secret Santas. So, it makes sense that the best way to ease out of the holidays and back into the regular world of music we know and love is by listening to it. Listening to that first song may feel a little odd, but eventually you’ll start feeling the rhythm, getting emotional, and dancing along to all the songs you know and barely even noticed you missed. Once you get into it, you’ll wonder how you didn’t miss it all more, at least until next November.
2. Make use of your gifts
You know that Bath and Body Works basket that you got from your secret Santa? Or that tiny Starbucks gift card that will most likely be able to get you a tall coffee and a cake pop at best? Either way, you can bet that as soon as the wrapping came off you were devising the most strategic and stealthy way to re-gift it. But, if it’s too late to send it off to any distant relative you forgot to send a card to, why not actually making use of it yourself? Give yourself a little treat after Christmas: spend that $30 Indigo gift card and give yourself a cozy date-night with a new book, buy that slightly expensive Starbucks drink that you’ve always been tempted to try, or even pamper yourself with mini candles and expensive body butter you thought would’ve made a great gift for your aunt. Chances are, taking the time to appreciate all the little gifts that people got you will remind you why you loved the season in the first place: because in some aisle in some crowded mall after hours of grueling fighting and shopping, someone took the time to think of you. And taking the time to do anything that isn’t baking, shopping and movie watching will hopefully help you transition back into the activities of the real world.
3. Go all out for your New Year’s Resolutions
New Year’s is the peak of the holiday season, and can be made especially useful as a transition tool into the new semester. As you make your resolutions, think about what your goals are for the new year, and all the things you plan to do to make it special. Chances are, planning a road trip or plotting your new courses for the fall will get you out of your holiday rut and thinking about the future.
4. Spend some time on your own
We love our families. We love our friends. Most of all, we love the unity and love we feel around the holidays having all of them around us and celebrating or caring for one another. But to be fair, it’s just as important to have some time to care for yourself. After all the holiday parties, gift exchanges and shopping, try to pamper yourself to get ready to start the new semester. Spend the day in your PJ’s, put to use that Bath and Body Works basket you planned on re-gifting, or binge watch Netflix without the guilt of putting off homework. You’ve still got a few days until the new semester—make the most of them!
5. Keep Giving
Every holiday during the year has a specific purpose, and a reason for being celebrated. On Valentine’s Day we’re reminded to love, on Halloween we’re reminded to accept the abnormal, and on Christmas (and other December holidays), despite the overly large emphasis on consumerism, we’re reminded to be more caring to those around us. The best way to transition from this period of celebration, especially if it’s your favorite time of year, is to maintain the message of the holidays. Did you go out of your way to find the special gift or card for your mom this holiday season? Why not make a habit of calling her once a week, so she always knows how much you care? Do you or your family members go out of your way to get more involved in your community around Christmas, be it for the Salvation Army, Sick Kids, or another charity? Why not begin volunteering there in your spare time? If you really are attached to the holiday, it’s probably going to make it a lot easier to transition into the new year if you never forget what makes the holiday so special in the first place.