Anyone who knows me well, knows that I need to stay home the day after Christmas. Pajamas until after noon, coffee half the day — not leaving the house except to walk pups. There have been very few exceptions to this luxury I give myself after a week or two of high-level activity and little sleep.
Our holiday traditions have changed greatly with different phases of life. Over 20 years ago we used to go with a group of friends to Chowning’s Tavern in Williamsburg where we ate, drank, played historic games at the table and sang along with entertainers who taught us old sailing/drinking songs. When we had young children, we helped them play with their toys until bedtime then watched television. We went out with other couples to dinner, the movies and parties.
Now we work on projects around the house that we’ve been meaning to get to, eat out, watch movies, read and catch up on work. We enjoy hanging out with our daughter and her partner from Pittsburgh, PA, and visiting family.
I get lazy after Christmas day because of the fervor I have been in for at least a week to prepare for our Christmas Breakfast hosting for family and the flurry of sharing gifts with 18-plus relatives. One real benefit of this, besides time spent with loved ones, is that there are leftovers for days which means no cooking for me. Also, we never run out of snacks with tons of leftover treats made as gifts.
This week, I am trying to eat healthy to counteract the weight gain I experienced in the past month. Last year, I joined a healthy habits Facebook group and realize that now I am only two pounds below my weight last January 1. I’ve got two days to keep my weight at that level or below.
Many people experience physical and/or mental depression this time of year. Since many of us are off work this week, we have free time to do what we want. Me? I don’t want to do much of anything. I guess it’s because my life is go, go, go – and I just want to stop, stop, stop. I still walk my dogs, do laundry and clean up a little. This year we are also fostering three six-week-old puppies who are fun to have around over the holidays. Everyone loved them at Christmas so they got a lot of valuable socialization.
What do you do for fun during Christmas-to-New-Year’s-Week? We would love to hear your ideas. Let’s face it” we should all maximize our time no matter what week it is.
Hope you enjoyed your holiday and, as always, thanks for Visiting,
Cathy
