Summary

The author finds a silver lining in losing the traditional Christmas experience due to the pandemic by viewing it as an opportunity to avoid the usual post-holiday January blues characterized by exhaustion, weight gain, financial strain, and sadness.

Abstract

The article reflects on the challenging aspects of the holiday season during a pandemic, particularly the absence of a "normal" Christmas. Initially feeling disheartened, the author experiences a moment of clarity and recognizes the often overlooked hardships of January, such as fatigue from holiday activities, weight gain from overindulgence, financial stress from excessive spending, and emotional lows from forced social interactions. By reframing the situation, the author appreciates the chance to 'save' January from these typical post-holiday woes, anticipating a more enjoyable January this year and preparing for a potentially more intense return to traditional festivities in 2022.

Opinions

The author expresses that the pandemic has made it difficult to articulate the feelings associated with the holiday season.
Pre-pandemic January is depicted as a month filled with negativity, including tiredness, weight gain, financial strain, and sadness.
The author admits a personal aversion to the month of January, considering it to be a personified embodiment of the negative consequences of the holiday season.
The usual Christmas traditions are seen as contributing factors to the challenges faced in January.
The author suggests that the absence of typical Christmas stressors this year provides a chance to break the cycle of January's negative impact.
There is an acknowledgment that the post-holiday period is often marked by a struggle to resume normal life, including dealing with social interactions and returning to work.
The author anticipates that next year's holiday season might be celebrated with even more vigor, potentially bringing back the dreaded January effects in 2022.

Where Is The Silver Lining In Losing Christmas This Year?

I had to dig deep to find it.

Image — *National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation*

It was hard to live in a pandemic for the last 8 months. But now that we are close to the ‘Big’ holiday, we have lost words to describe what ‘this’ is that we are feeling.

We are miles away from our comfort zone. New ‘normal’ is not fun. The only thing that would have made 2020 a bit better has been taken away from us — The hope of a warm and cozy Hallmark Christmas.

As this holiday season approached in the middle of a relentless pandemic, I felt almost ready to give up on all things ‘happy and joyful’. Then I had a moment of clarity. I confess it took me a while to go past the surface and dig that deep. But staying indoors does give you a bit of extra time to achieve that certain ‘pandemic’ clarity.

So I took a deep breath, went REAL deep, and asked myself these questions.

What is your least favorite thing about Christmas? What did you dread going into the ‘normal’ holiday season? What is the one thing you would get rid of if you could?

And my answer was “JANUARY”. Yes — that was my answer to all 3 questions above.

In the past years, most of us came back to post-holiday life in January with the same level of energy that you suspect you will have after getting beaten down in a month-long wrestling match. The look on the face of anyone walking into their office that first working day in January tells you everything you need to know.

If January was a person, he or she would be tired, fat, broke, and sad all the time. And this combination is toxic to live through year after year.

1. TIRED

We are tired. So much more tired than when we all left office the third week of December for the much-awaited “2–3-week Christmas vacation”. You know that this is saying something considering ALL December we are trying to hide from “those people” who don’t know whether to wish you Christmas or New Year or Holidays.

“Merry Xmas? Happy Holidays? Merry New Year? Merry Holidays?”.

The struggle is REAL.

2. FAT

We are Fat. Yes — those pesky holiday pounds.

None of our clothes fit. The gyms are packed. And we are so hungry on the new diet we just started.

Now that is the REAL Christmas gift. Santa always brings about 25 lbs every Christmas.

3. BROKE

We are Broke. Credit card bills have a couple of extra zeroes. We knew we were definitely poorer in January vs. December. Then we received the physical evidence that we do owe a lot more than we thought. Definitely one of the TOP 3 WORST January moments.

And yes, we are aware that we bought, wrapped, gave, and received way too many “gifts” that are already on their way to a nearby landfill.

4. SAD

We are Sad. We spent an extended period of time with people we do not care about. Of course, that is what we do during the most wonderful time of the year. A family therapist session would have been a great way to spend quality time together.

Instead, we are left with visible battle scars from last-minute shopping trips and invisible mental scars from powering through yet another unpleasant Christmas.

In Conclusion

So with my new found pandemic-induced wisdom, I will NOT be sad about missing all the Christmas parties and ‘Santa’ lines and gifts this year. Instead, I will reframe my thoughts on this holiday season and look at it as an opportunity to save January.

And January, you better be grateful and enjoy this moment. ‘cos we all know we are going to double down on traditional Christmas festivities next year. And January 2022 is going to be rough.

Check out more of my life lessons and insights here on Medium