Back into your sad box, Santa, for another 11 months.
It’s January 2 and Christmas is officially over.
Sigh.
It wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t such an unceremonious ending. You’ve got four or five weeks of slowly climbing that first big hill of the rollercoaster — tick, tick, tick — and the climactic pay-off happens. You top the hill, hands raised, and fly down the other side with the opening of gifts Christmas morning.
And then, at about 9 a.m., GOOD FEELING GONE! Hunched over, the kids retreat to their respective rooms with their loot, the way the janitor skulked away with the box containing the singing Looney Tunes frog. After that, they only appear for an occasional meal before disappearing for another two days.
There’s no gentle let-down to the end of Christmas. There’s no coasting back into the roller coaster starting “shack” with your hair blown back, laughing. Instead, the coaster suddenly stops, throwing everybody forward against their restraints, and some rude person unsnaps you and tells you to get off.
New Year’s Eve helps a little, I guess, but only because it’s a sanctioned holiday and we get another couple days off. There’s really no more to it than that, unless you live in New York City and you’re 25. Good will toward men? No, not really. The good will has mainly to do with champaign, noise-makers, and old people watching young people give each other tonsillectomies on TV for about five uninteresting minutes to the strains of some band nobody has ever heard of before beelining to their beds with cheap sparkling cider on their breath.
But just a week and a day ago, the world was 100% different. It was twinklely (as Rainman would say), emotional, musical, and poignant, all rolled into one. Your house was colorful and basking in the glow of hundreds of miniature bulbs. Every available surface contained some weird combination of Santa, Frosty, Rudolph, and Jesus, but it was OK. We were holding up candles in church, singing carols, and cruising through the neighborhoods with the best Christmas displays.
But now? Not. All the lights are down or unplugged because it’s a little redneck to leave them up past New Year’s Day. The decorations have been stuffed back into crates and your house returned to its boring old self. The excitement of opening your new Fitbit has subsided and now you’re faced with the realization that you have to actually USE it. Worse still, all those awesome sweets and goodies you made are gone and there are no more excuses to ignore your usual healthy eating routine.
I guess January is kind of like the Monday of the year. It’s back to work, and you’ve got to make it through another 11 months until the fun starts again.
The age-old question is this: How do we make that Christmas feeling last throughout the year?
After giving this some serious thought — like for about four seconds — I’ve come up with this. It’s easy to get into the Christmas spirit at Christmastime because the entire Christian world is doing it, too. It’s like doing Crossfit. If you’re me, there’s NO WAY you’re going to do that stuff alone in your own garage. But surrounded by a couple dozen other people doing it at the same time, it becomes a lot more doable. Christmas comes with the greatest support group in the world, so it’s easy to do.
But then, just like that, the support group is gone and you’re on your own in the garage trying to squeeze out 10 pushups. My unsolicited advice is this: you have to make a conscious decision to make that Christmasy, good-will-toward-man-feeling happen during other parts of the year. I know it sounds weird, but maybe we should buy some stranger’s coffee at the Starbuck’s drive-through in, say, May. Or call some long-lost friend or relative in September and tell them you love them. Why is this behavior only restricted to December?!
It’s crazy talk, I know.
But that’s my wish for you, oh reader of doofusdad.com: That you can bottle just a smidgen of Christmas spirit, squirrel it away in your pocket, and spring it on somebody at the most un-Christmasy moment this year. Who knows what kind of revolution of good will we could create?
It’s worth a try, yes? OK, good. Report back here with your non-December Christmas adventures.
And oh, I almost forgot. Happy New Year!
Mark, you have just said so perfectly what I have been feeling since I was a kid, and we had to put our (REAL) Christmas tree, out on the curb for the garbage man to pick up, Moulting dried needles all the way through the house, I might add. I remember my little sister and I at ages 4 and 8, crying on Christmas night, when the day was over, and we KNEW it would not come again for what to us, seemed like a million years. And getting up the next day, no brightly lighted tree in the room, everything looked so bare and depressing. Thanks, Mark. I am going to embark on a non-Christmas Christmas-y adventure today, thanks to you!
Awesome post! Thanks, Frances! Can’t wait to hear about your adventures.
It’s technically still Christmas until Epiphany, at least in the Catholic/Anglican/Episcopalian calendars – but yeah, I get you.
You’re right, Bob. I shouldn’t have said that Christmas was officially over, because that’s not technically correct. But for an old country boy Methodist like me, it pretty much is. Thanks for the comment, though!
Wow. That was pretty depressing. I celebrate Christmas until at least Epiphany. My boys, on their own accord, (ages 15 & 12) don’t open all their gifts on Christmas day. They space them out, usually for the whole 12 days of Christmas.
I think the world should stop pushing Christmas on us on November 1st. Then maybe we could all enjoy the Christmas spirit a little longer, as it is meant to be.
Vive Epiphany!! 😄
[hunting for the “thumbs up” icon…]
Sorry, Mary! Didn’t mean to sound depressing, but I was a little depressed when I wrote that. Being silly about it actually elevated my mood a bit. Thanks for your comment and Merry Christmas!
Oh man you nailed it! Such good lines they hurt so good!!!
Hahaha! I guess it’s true that misery loves company. Especially silly misery.
Several years ago I attended a banquet and the speaker’s message [Bob Kesling–Voice of the Vols] really hit home. He said we too often neglect to “Thank” the people that have had a positive influence on our lives. He said every Monday he writes a “Thank You Letter” to someone. I took his advise and started doing this. I made a list of the people I wanted to thank………..immediately came up with over 100. The next Monday I wrote my first letter [started to write 10 at once, but refrained. Now, I can’t wait for Monday morning—-this has been going on for several years and I add names to my list often [keep the list in my top left desk drawer] It makes Monday very special and starts my week off on the right path….not to mention that “warm-fuzzy feeling I receive.
I often wondered how the people felt when they got their letter……..several called to thank me and we talked. Last year, I attendee a funeral of one of these special people. His widow called me aside and told me how her husband cherished the letter I sent…………..he kelp it in his desk at work and showed it to many people.
See, I have Christmas every Monday.
Jim Buck
p.s gotta check my list to make sure Mark Johnson was or is on that list
Jim Buck, you are one awesome dude. I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that YOU have been a positive influence on MY life. Thanks for making me smile today, friend!