This year, I was decidedly lax with my holiday spirit. Don't get me wrong, I still did my wrapping and my trimming, but there are numerous things that I decided to skip this year.
For starters, for the first year since I've been married, I didn't mail Christmas cards. Not because I didn't have anyone to send them to, mind. I just didn't want to mess with them. I didn't want to sort through pictures, I didn't want to spend hours finding the right card, I didn't want to devote one of my free evenings to the labour that is addressing the darned things. I just plain didn't want to even mess with them.
Nor did I hang the stockings. Or the mistletoe. I hardly decorated the house. I didn't bake cookies, I didn't break my back, hunched over dozens of gingerbread men giving myself carpal tunnel with a piping bag. I didn't trot out my fake snow for my displays and I didn't almost break my neck hanging garland over my bar. I didn't even put out my prized nativities. Everything just stayed in the boxes, secluded and gathering dust.
I think, now that my well-trimmed tree is once again in its box in the garage, that I can safely say my case of the holiday blahs came from an overwhelming December. It's hard to get excited about writing the same three lines of text in itty bitty print on envelopes over and over again when you know exams are looming and your time with a pen could be better spent. Plus? I was out of town for almost a week before Christmas anyway, there simply wasn't time. Or motivation.
Part of me feels guilty, like I cheated my family members out of a much more enjoyable holiday. But do you know what? Another part of me points out that instead of gaining weight from all the cookies and candies, I actually LOST weight in December. And that same part of me was rejoicing this afternoon when I only had two boxes of decor to stuff back into the closet instead of five. And that I didn't have to switch out pillow covers or linens or hand towels.
Now, I'm hoping that decidedly Scrooge part of me is sufficiently pacified for the next few years. I actually do enjoy the decorating. I like making my home a holiday haven. But this year? I'm giving myself a pass and an "excused absence" note. And I'm totally cool with that.
