Post Christmas/Holiday Funk.....

[TimeforMe]

Anybody else get this? Every year I go through the same thing and can't seem to snap myself out of it. I absolutely LOVE the holidays and get so sad when they're over. Plus DS will be going back to college on Tuesday, I go back to work on Monday and it's business as usual. Living here in the northeast, winters are long and get so blah. Maybe once I get back to work, I'll snap out of it.

 

[SookieStackhouse]

I too absolutely love Christmas and the Holidays. I start getting very excited shortly before Thanksgiving and stay that way all season. I noticed myself starting to get a little sad a few days BEFORE Christmas because I knew it was going to be over soon. It is depressing to put away all the Christmas stuff, and it all be over with. I generally like that week in between Christmas and New Year though, to hit the after Christmas sales!

I am totally sad tonight because the "party" is officially over and it will be back to business as usual on Monday.

 

[minniecarousel]

Been there - felt that. Is there something you have to look forward to? a trip or an occasion? I hated it when my boys went back to school. I liked having them home for their Winter break.

Plan something, even if it's just a Saturday lunch with an old friend. The winter blues are no fun.

 

[C.Ann]

I used to.. I would be sitting around thinking, "Is that it??"

Finally figured out that the key to not having those feelings is to have something planned to dig right into after the holidays - preferably something that will last all winter..

Last winter I jumped head first into painting all of the ceramic, resin, and plastercraft pieces I had here in my DD's attic (where I live for the winter).. It was so much fun!! I could hardly wait to get up in the morning and get started.. Then in the evening, I crocheted afghans and lapghans that were donated to a worthy cause..

This winter I'll be back to scrapbooking again.. (That's what I did the 2 winters before last - got quite a few different ones done - some that were special gifts for others..) First I have to do some major sorting down in my craft room and the outer room that my Dson-in-law designated as "mine" when we moved in here though.. Lots of stuff I need to get rid of; have him sell on Craigslist; or donate to a worthy cause.. While I'm at the lake this year he's going to renovate my area down there - make it one huge craft/scrapbook room approx. 30 feet by 18 feet - so I want to get rid of whatever I can and put everything else in totes so it will be easier for him to move out of there while he's doing the actual work..

Once that is done, I will be jumping right into doing the scrapbook(s) of the Christmas trip to Disney that I took my DD, her DH, and my DGD on back in Dec. of 2006.. Last night and today I spent all of my time going through my photos on my computer - looking for the "best of the best" - so I can print them out..

When I actually get started working on them, you probably won't see much of me on here - although I will try to pop in from time to time..

Find a "project" you can do.. Doesn't have to be as big as what I'm doing, but something you would enjoy - that you've been putting off forever.. Maybe organizing your recipes; sorting through your photos and getting them into albums if you're not into scrapbooking; buy yourself some jigsaw puzzles and get a roll up case to store the partially completed puzzle in if you can't leave it out all the time; etc..

The key is to have something to look forward to - something you are really going to enjoy - and before you know it, the winter will be over!!

Give it a try.. It might lift your spirits considerably..

 

[TimeforMe]

We're actually going to visit DS at the end of this month at school (in Pittsburgh) for his 21st birthday so I am looking forward to that.

I like your idea, C.Ann, of beginning a project--I get so lazy sometimes.

 

[beaucoup]

I'm the opposite. The holidays are stressful. I come alive again for New Years and can't wait to start fresh.

 

[Fintastic]

Yep, I think the first Monday back to work after the holidays is the most depressing day of the year. I've had this past week off so I'm really, really dreading going back to work on Monday. There's just nothing to look forward to for months. My next day off isn't until April.

 

[Robindianne]

Yep, I think the first Monday back to work after the holidays is the most depressing day of the year.

This.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Sorry to hear that I always find myself looking forward to the snow, and snowmen ect. I also usually like to plan whatever my Spring project will be this time of year. Last year I landscaped the front of the house, this year I'm doing the back. I really enjoy planning the plants I will use based on size, color and the time of year they bloom and designing the shapes of the flowerbeds so I'm ready to go when the ground is all soft for the spring thaw. I find I am always happy as long as I have something in front of me to look forward to, day in & day out

 

[indimom]

I think a lot of people feel that way. I agree that you need something new to fix your mind on.

I've started a new January ritual that I enjoy quite a bit. I spend the month using Picaboo (online printing company) to create my scrapbook of the year. (Then I wait until they have a sale to order it! .)

For about 5 years, I let my digital pictures just sit on disks, so now I'm creating albums out of them. Each January, I create an album for the current year, and one for a past year until I get caught up. It easily takes me a month to do it's so much fun to look back on all our good memories.

When I catch up on all my digital pictures, I'm going to have to go back into the deep dark past and create albums out of my film pictures. (I never got rid of the negatives, so I'm going to invest in having them transfered to disks, then build my albums.)

It's fun for me and I really look forward to it each year.

 

[mrsltg]

I hear you, OP! It's so hard to be looking back on what I consider the best time of the year. My birthday is 9/10 and I look at it as the kick-off of my favorite time. I love the Fall! I especially hate how dark the streets look when all of the Christmas lights are down... I agree with everyone else - get yourself going on a project. It helps get you through the "blahs" that seem so common at this time of year.

 

[plutotek]

Once all the decorations are put away, we decompress by just catching up on some TV and movies. The two weeks at Christmas/New Year's are a 'lazy' 2 weeks at work since we're not allowed to do any major projects other than emergency maintenance work, so that helps.

Once the year is under way, I start working on designs for my Halloween displays. This year, I'll also be working on a Christmas display that will have home-built characters and an actual story, so I'll start graphing out those figures to determine my supplies.

We also sit down and plan our project list for the year, as well as our vacations.

 

[LuvCuteBoys]

Always.... mine's slightly different though as I hate the week between Christmas and New Year's. I absolutely HATE NYE and NY as holidays. I don't get the point of them.

I only get Christmas day off (unless I decide to take vacation that week), so the first day of work after Christmas is what gets me. This year was especially bad because we didn't actually get a separate Christmas holiday since Christmas was on a Saturday. So we just got our normal two-day weekend. Now that NY is over, I'm fine again and can enjoy the rest of winter

 

[HeatherC]

I always try to plan some fun things for January. One thing I LOVE to do is go to the spanat Foxwoods for the day with a girlfriend or my sister. They charge $35 for the day. You can use the exercise equipment, steam rooms, sauna, jacuzzi and even order room service up to the beautiful glassed in atrium pool area.

Last time they even had free fruit and tea and coffee along with little bottled waters. You don't need to have any treatments either.

We then usually go to dinner in the casino.

It is a great relaxing way to beat the winter blues without spending a lot of money. Other than the $35' you don't even need to spend any more. You could always bring in snacks and just head home for dinner.

Saw you are in CT. so thought you might be interested.

My sister and I are already trying to plan a date.

 

[TimeforMe]

I always try to plan some fun things for January. One thing I LOVE to do is go to the spanat Foxwoods for the day with a girlfriend or my sister. They charge $35 for the day. You can use the exercise equipment, steam rooms, sauna, jacuzzi and even order room service up to the beautiful glassed in atrium pool area.

Last time they even had free fruit and tea and coffee along with little bottled waters. You don't need to have any treatments either.

We then usually go to dinner in the casino.

It is a great relaxing way to beat the winter blues without spending a lot of money. Other than the $35' you don't even need to spend any more. You could always bring in snacks and just head home for dinner.

Saw you are in CT. so thought you might be interested.

My sister and I are already trying to plan a date.

Ohhh, a friend of mine told me about this. I forgot all about it--thanks for the reminder. Sounds great!

Indimom--love the picture idea. It's definitely something I need to be doing.

Thanks for all the replies, everyone. Lots of good ideas. Nice to know others share in my "funk". I know it's a temporary thing, but it's nice to hear how others deal with it.

 

[Sammy]

Yep, I think the first Monday back to work after the holidays is the most depressing day of the year.....

LOL...my thoughts exactly!! I'm always in "full tilt holiday mode" from Thanksgiving through New Year's, and then suddenly it's all over! Back to work tomorrow and the same old daily grind. We don't even have a spring vacation to look forward to this year. Winters in NH seem sooooo long!