Beating the Post Christmas Blues

Join our amazing community
Share what you know, learn something new!
register

Holiday_Mom

Well-Known Member
Premiere Member
Sep 12, 2009
3,808
6,160
113
I'm taking the decorations down little by little between now and next weekend. I'm also going to go out and do something for me the first day that the kids go back to school. That's when I really feel the let down. I did that this fall when the kids started back to school. That has helped. I also have a few meetings with friends scheduled to make it seem more fun as I adjust to the changes again.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Minta

Minta

Super Moderator
Staff member
Premiere Member
Oct 14, 2007
1,989
1,994
113
50
South NJ
So far so good on no Post Christmas blues .... Something else I am going to do starting in Jan/Feb is redo the cleaning plans. This way I can get the house ready for Springs/summer and hopefully when the next cycle of cleaning plans start back up in August/Sept the house will not be as bad and it won't take me as long to get the house ready for Thanksgiving/Christmas.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Holiday_Mom

Miss JoDee

MHH Member
Premiere Member
Apr 22, 2011
4,130
7,232
113
Gurnee, IL
I will continue painting. I will do the hall in January and the downstairs family room in Feb. I am debating it I will switch out the paint color for the 3 bedrooms. I want to have the house ready for sale whenever DH says it's time. He is planning to retire in October. So what do you think? Should I paint the entire house in the neutral silver gray that the Kitchen Living room and Bath and hall? My thought gray with different accent colors in the rooms.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Minta

luludou

Well-Known Member
Premiere Member
Dec 28, 2007
26,298
9,190
113
58
Québec - Canada
2018... more decluttering coming up! and the first few months of the year is a slow time, perfect for this
 
  • Like
Reactions: Minta

Cindylouwho

Well-Known Member
Premiere Member
Nov 4, 2007
1,307
452
83
I used to get the blues. Not so much anymore because of a few things:

1. I now leave the white hearth lights up and change the theme to skiing and winter.
2. We have gift ornaments on the tree that we don't open til Christmas Night (holds the surprise a little longer and really helps with the crash after the last box is opened).
3. Over the years January has become the time for new beginnings on how to make Christmas even more perfect next year -- which usually involves projects that start in January.
4. I eat and drink lots of wine and chocolate so that I'm completely grossed out and ready for a health kick starting in January. :) This year for Christmas I got the Salad Jar books. Yay!!
5. I jack the Vitamin B and D3 to fight off the low light.

DD has started a new tradition in the past couple years though that we may take up as a family. This morning her and her friends are off on a hike at the shore. Enjoying the great outdoors. It's like 30 degrees right now. How great is that for a New Years morning? After being up til 2:30am!

I know another family that flew out to Vegas for a few days on 12/26. Specifically to avoid the after Christmas blues. (I wouldn't choose that -- but it would be fun for lots of folks).

And another family I know goes skiing. (They actually also go skiing on Christmas morning and THEN come home and open Christmas presents). I love that! They also have a 7' Charlie Brown tree they cut down in the forest - and go out of their way to make it as sad looking as possible. It's really actually super cute! They are a great family and they have their priorities straight. I try to learn from them. :)
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Minta and GrammaDeb

MrsSoup

Well-Known Member
Premiere Member
Oct 13, 2007
19,147
10,581
113
Missouri
I often feel a sense of anticipation for the New Year once Christmas is over. I'm ready for the decorations to be gone and the freshness of the New Year to come so the new start and fresh beginning can begin. Weird? I wasn't always like this but as I get older it's definitely become more prevalent for me. I like the idea of new things to come and new goals to make and plan for, a reset of life if you will in some small way. Everything that was there before is still there, but there's a newness to it as well with the calendar change. There's magic in the changing of the year, so much new possibility.
 

sweetpumkinpye

Well-Known Member
Premiere Member
Apr 23, 2008
16,881
20,637
113
59
Canberra, Australia
Jess, that is a good description of how I often feel.
I put so much effort into giving the family the bet Christmas that I can and then it is over and I have nothing to work towards.
At the same time I think it is done, lets start fresh.
 

Holiday_Mom

Well-Known Member
Premiere Member
Sep 12, 2009
3,808
6,160
113
So far so good on no Post Christmas blues .... Something else I am going to do starting in Jan/Feb is redo the cleaning plans. This way I can get the house ready for Springs/summer and hopefully when the next cycle of cleaning plans start back up in August/Sept the house will not be as bad and it won't take me as long to get the house ready for Thanksgiving/Christmas.

Minta - I did this exact thing last year. Instead of getting ready for the holidays, I was getting ready for a graduation and party in June. It was great because I could shop for graduation themed items and other party supplies early because I had a plan already. I want to do the same thing this year even though there is no party.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Minta

Holiday_Mom

Well-Known Member
Premiere Member
Sep 12, 2009
3,808
6,160
113
I put so much effort into giving the family the bet Christmas that I can and then it is over and I have nothing to work towards.

Yes! This! This is why I'm going to start doing things that I like to do even if it is by myself. Then it is something that I can look forward to doing.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Minta

sweetpumkinpye

Well-Known Member
Premiere Member
Apr 23, 2008
16,881
20,637
113
59
Canberra, Australia
Great idea Mary.
I am working on things that make me happy. Trying to get this house tidy is on the top of the list.
Am doing a little bit of Christmas prep for this year as well, a nice balance.
 

FrostyShimmer

Well-Known Member
Premiere Member
Nov 4, 2007
2,330
747
113
I'm planning out my crafts for next year...watching clearances for things like wrapping and ornaments, clothing, that are cheaper this time of year. I do Christmas Kick-off boxes for the kids in my family, so I pick up all sorts of little Christmas items at a great price this time of year to go in those.

I used to feel so sad after Christmas, but I do better with it now. Instead of letting the Christmas stuff linger, I clear it all out in a swoop the day after New Years. I do a deep clean of everything. I find seeing everything refreshed and clean and new makes me feel better about the holidays being over. I immediately write down things I want to do differently next year. I set up email reminders for myself for things I forgot about for next year.

I'm making a "Days until Christmas" sign for my office. It's going to count down all year :)
 

sweetpumkinpye

Well-Known Member
Premiere Member
Apr 23, 2008
16,881
20,637
113
59
Canberra, Australia
FS, I love the idea of the Kick-off boxes. It's great to get a jump start on the new year.
I would love a countdown to see how many days left until Christmas, might need to work on that. I wonder if there is an electronic one that I could put on my ipad?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Minta

FrostyShimmer

Well-Known Member
Premiere Member
Nov 4, 2007
2,330
747
113
FS, I love the idea of the Kick-off boxes. It's great to get a jump start on the new year.
I would love a countdown to see how many days left until Christmas, might need to work on that. I wonder if there is an electronic one that I could put on my ipad?

When I was a kid I was always disappointed to get anything Christmas-themed on Christmas day because I had to wait a whole year to use it. Sometimes people would give me a Christmas shirt or something, and then by the time Christmas came around again it didn't fit anymore. Now I make boxes for my kids to open on the first day of the Christmas season with all of the Christmas things in them. They usually have a Christmas shirt, a Christmas book, Christmas lipgloss, hairclips, etc. This year, for the boys in my family I even found little green and red blade-less razors with candy cane scented shaving cream (which is really soap).

For my countdown, I just bought a wood-framed slate at the craft store. I'm going to paint it red and glue on a piece of decorative holly that came on a box of chocolates
 

sweetpumkinpye

Well-Known Member
Premiere Member
Apr 23, 2008
16,881
20,637
113
59
Canberra, Australia
FS I think your boxes sound perfect and those little razors with the shaving cream sound like such fun.
 

Holiday_Mom

Well-Known Member
Premiere Member
Sep 12, 2009
3,808
6,160
113
FrostyShimmer, I love your idea of a Christmas Kickoff Box! That is a brilliant way to make use of the post Christmas sales. I will keep that in mind for next year.

I did very well this year with the Post Christmas blues. I think part of it was that we had social events schedule 7 out of the 9 days from Christmas Eve through New Year's Day. The other part was that the day after New Year's Day, I had to take my daughters to the oral surgeon for removal of their wisdom teeth. It was so busy this year that I wasn't sad to see Christmas go.
 

jollykelly

Active Member
Premiere Member
Feb 22, 2015
292
125
43
Lehigh Valley, Pa
I am not sure if I have the Christmas blues or the winter blues! I find that the best thing I can do to beat this is to plan, plan, plan....for anything. I probably missed my calling as a Party Planner. Since we bought a very, very small condo (200 square feet!) in Ocean City NJ as a getaway place, I have been beating the blues by reading up on tiny house living, creative storage, easy summer recipes, etc. This has helped me a great deal.
 

tanya

Well-Known Member
Premiere Member
Jan 8, 2012
1,969
198
63
55
Im a bit like Frosty in the kick off box. Although I have our Elf deliver any Christmas items before Christmas. Kind of like a big Advent calendar. On the days he does not have a Christmas item to leave- he just leaves a chocolate.
 

Doodlebug

MHH Member
Jan 11, 2010
1,426
31
48
67
Oklahoma
My siblings our children and grandchildren(and greats for some) all gather at my house the Saturday after Christmas for our Christmas get together. So my decorations are still up through then. Then I leave the Snowmen up for the month of January. Never thought about leaving the icicle lights outside still up until this year.
 

housewife2

Well-Known Member
Premiere Member
Aug 3, 2008
5,187
5,737
113
74
va
i just finished watching christmas with the kranks. always a fun movie its a cold rainy day here
 

sweetpumkinpye

Well-Known Member
Premiere Member
Apr 23, 2008
16,881
20,637
113
59
Canberra, Australia
I am doing OK. Have been planning a lot for this year. My planner is full of things that I would like to achieve this year in the house, at work and for Christmas.
Am suffering with anxiety pretty badly at the moment regarding the changes that will happen when DD moves out, so that is something that I will have to deal with.