I always feel a bit blue the day after Christmas. The presents are opened, vacation’s almost over, and the eggnog will soon be disappearing from the grocery store. If you also have a bit of the post-holiday blues, here are a few ways to overcome them.
Play a Game with the Family
I have a very competitive family, so we love to play games around the holidays and at family gatherings. We’ve played everything from kid-friendly games to hours long Risk battles. We usually stick to Rummikub or Chickenfoot (a dominoes game.) They can be played by anyone who can count and match colors (although some concept of strategy does help.) I see families on TV talking while playing games, but mine seems to focus on the game with laser-like intensity. Either way works when you’re trying to beat the holiday blues.
Go for a Walk
Bundle up in your heavy coat, hat, mittens, etc., and then go out for a walk in the snow or brisk air. After being inside for so long, the fresh air and sunlight (even if it’s faint) will perk you up.
Take Your Time Undecorating
I take down my decorations as carefully as I put them up. It gives me a chance to recall where I got the ornament or when I picked up the wreath one more time before they disappear until next Christmas. There’s no need to shove everything away on December 26th. Transitioning to your January decorations more slowly to give yourself time to decompress.
Read a Winter Novel
Sit down next to a crackling fire and read a novel set in the winter. It doesn’t have to be a Christmas book, and I’d avoid anything Russian, but you can find other classics and modern novels set in the winter that will entertain you, and possibly scare you a little. (Dean Koontz, anyone?)
Cut Up the Christmas Cards
There are two great uses for Christmas cards: 1. cut out the pictures so your kids can use them for crafts throughout the year, or 2. cut out the photos and add them to your albums so you can watch your friends and relatives change through the years. Like taking your time removing your decorations, looking at the cards one last time will remind you of the warmth of the season and keep it in your heart just a little longer.
Bake Something
Who says baking is reserved for Christmas? Why not make a fresh batch of cookies or bake a loaf of delicious cranberry nut bread to enjoy in January? You can bake anytime of the year. I wouldn’t recommend busting out the Santa cookie cutters, but the snowman and snowflake cutters are still completely appropriate.
Of course, the standard suggestions also apply: make sure you get enough sleep, avoid drinking too much, get at least 15 minutes of sun a day (or take Vitamin D supplements), and don’t let yourself wallow. That’s the most important – don’t let yourself wallow or you might be tempted to try retail therapy to alleviate your blues. Ultimately, that will only make you bluer.
Do you have other tips for handling the post-holiday blues? Share them in the comments.
