Post-Christmas Week = Bittersweet

I feel bad for the week after Christmas. That poor week in between the sparkle of Christmas and the champagne of New Year's.

At my house, that week is a strange mix of things... it's messy and a bit dirty cause I give myself permission to clean as little as possible. I usually also give myself permission to stay in my pajamas for a few days. I stuff my face with the last of the cookies and I read and drink coffee and watch movies and drink wine. The Christmas decorations seem a bit out of place, but I can't quite bring myself to take them down yet.

I have that strange fussy feeling of not wanting to do anything but knowing I'll feel better if I just do a little something. Like a workout. Or a tidy. Or some laundry.

It feels so refreshing to take a hot bath and cook a healthy meal. But equally refreshing to stay in yesterday's jammies and eat Lucky Charms for lunch.

After the mad dash to Christmas, and knowing that the fresh start of a New Year is approaching, it feels equally good to do absolutely nothing all day.

Like I said, the week is bittersweet. Lots of conflicted feelings.

I'm happy that the New Year is coming, but sad that Christmas is over.

I'm ready to pack the decorations away and swear off sugar for a bit, but I'm sad that I won't be listening to Nat King Cole's album again till next December.

And I feel like I have to make it "official"... this whole saying goodbye to Christmas thing. If I can procrastinate, it doesn't happen, right?

But I don't like to mix Christmas and New Year's, so alas. I need to start undecorating today. I need to dust and vacuum and do some laundry. I need the grounded feeling of a clean slate in my home... the clean slate that matches the coming of a New Year.

So this is my goodbye to some of my favorite details of this Christmas...