Christmas and New Year

 

The placement of Christmas and New Year’s Eve on the calendar seems like a cruel joke.  Other holidays are relatively spaced out: Easter in April, Independence Day in July, Halloween in October.  But between two of the year’s biggest holidays, we have only one short week. 

            Thankfully, there isn’t much preparation needed for New Year’s Eve, other than planning your party, or deciding which one to attend; but it can still be stressful: on Christmas, once the presents are opened, there is a tendency to look at your living room floor covered in wrapping paper and realize there simply isn’t time to get ready for the next holiday. 

Some simple advice is just take a breath, and realize that though, yes, there is a mess of Christmas stuff to dispose of before New Year’s, and yes, you only have one week to move on to the next holiday, it still doesn’t need to be done right. that. second.  Enjoy Christmas—the whole day—and maybe even give yourself the whole next day to unwind.  And instead of rushing to take down all your Christmas decorations, you can maybe add, as part of your New Year’s celebration, a de-Christmasing ceremony.  Whatever you do, however you handle it, remember this: Christmas and New Year’s—and all holidays—are meant to be enjoyed.  And while yes, stress is to be expected, it shouldn’t overtake the joy of being together with family, friends and loved ones.