Guess what- the second day of Christmas isn’t as much fun as the first (did you know that?) In our case, it really kind of, well… sucked.
First of all, I had to work. I have a HUGE grievance with the fact that Christmas fell on a Wednesday this year. Wednesday is already my day off! This meant I worked on Christmas Eve (but only till noon) and Boxing Day. Grr.
Second- my son is sick. I swear, he gets sick almost every Christmas. I guess it’s the excitement and stress of ending his semester, combined with travel. It wasn’t as bad as two years ago, when we both had Covid and he couldn’t even sit at the table for Christmas dinner, but he’s not feeling great.
The day started early for me, with a five mile run. Then I went to work, where we all agreed that Christmas was great, we wished we didn’t have to work today, but there was definitely a feeling of “we’re all in this together.” It wasn’t a bad day at all.
I returned home in good spirits… until I got in the door. My son was lying on the couch with a fever. My husband moaned that he was suffering from post-Christmas depression, and my daughter decided to go off on an angry tirade about her Christmas gifts. WHY did I get her a turquoise blanket instead of pink? Why didn’t she get any plushies? The clothes- which by the way I bought straight from the links she sent me- are ugly and need to be returned.
We’ve been down this road before. I’m not sure if it’s her way of dealing with post-holiday letdown, or if something else is bothering her… after sixteen years, I have a pretty tough skin. But it’s still not a very nice way for the holiday to end.
I’m wondering if things would have been better had I been home- maybe I could have stopped the slide into anger and depression, and I could have been here to nurse my son back to health. Or, maybe it’s just better for my own mental health to have to get up and go somewhere on Boxing Day.
Maybe the third day of Christmas will be better. OR, maybe each day will get exponentially worse, GAAAAAHHHH!!!! Still to come- cookie baking part 2, 2025 goals post, and advent calendar reviews. Tomorrow will be a new day.
How was your Boxing Day? Are you continuing the Christmas-y celebrations, or is it over? Do you get sad when Christmas ends?
10 Responses
Oh goodness, we all love our families so much, but sometimes the dynamics can be HARD. I’m sorry that your son is sick, that your daughter is being a teenager, that your husband is suffering the blues, and that you had to work. Though actually, working sounded like the best part of the day.
I’m lucky in that I do not suffer any post holiday depression. Sometimes I have to work (last year) sometimes I do not (this year) but I love this week between Christmas and New Years. I think I started loving it when I was a college student, and finals were done, then the stress of getting things done for Christmas and seeing various family members who are spread apart geographically in the short amount of time between finals and Christmas, and finally you have some quiet time before the new semester starts. That’s likely when it started. I love this time still, even when I have to work.
That’s not to say that I haven’t had difficult holidays and pre holidays and post holidays, because absolutely I have. And there’s something about the holidays that brings up so many sad feelings…I miss my parents (who are dead), I miss my siblings (who live far away), I miss my friends (who live far away), I miss my dogs (Who are dead) and it’s all HARD. Life has become more poignant for me as I get older. I want to spend my time with joyous memories of those that I love rather than grief. I’m not there, I’m suffering without them, but I’m trying.
Yes, I think i had the best day of anyone in my family, even though I had to work. And- yes. There are a lot of people and things to miss at Christmas, and it can be hard. I think back on my childhood Christmases and miss my parents so much.
I’m trying to enjoy this week and appreciate the more relaxed feel- but I can’t deny that I miss the happy anticipation of Christmas coming up. Everything feels a little blah now. But, that’s part of the whole thing. It has to end sometime.
Thanks for you thoughtful comment, Julie!
Oh Jenny so sorry to hear about having to work and the Boxing Day blues/sickness/teenage angst in your family dynamic. No fun at all, I hope your son recovers quickly and everyone gets over their moods by tomorrow!
Luckily I actually love Boxing Day – I guess because we usually have an extended family gathering on Christmas Day, so Boxing Day is a chance to relax and its a public holiday so no-one has to work (well, of course some people do, but no one in our family). And because its our summer holiday I always take off at least between Christmas and New Year so I’m facing some extended time off. (Perhaps you could take an extra couple of days off next year to soften the blow?).
Next year, the way the days work out, I’ll have Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off. My son has suggested I switch my work days so I work Christmas Eve and take Boxing Day off, and I’m thinking that’s a better option.
Your Boxing Day kind of sounds like our Christmas- we host a gathering on Christmas Eve, and are happy to relax on Christmas.
I’m glad for you that you have some time off now!
Ugh. That sucks that your son is sick and your daughter is having a hard time with the post-Christmas day let down. That is hard. I hope things look up tomorrow.
I want to keep the Christmas spirit alive at home, but I also am itching to pick up the messes and some of them are Christmas related. I’ll probably get to packing it all up around NYE. But that is quite a few days away.
Yes- the tree is starting to look like a “Christmas mess.” I’m always torn now- keep it up, or take it down and get it over with. We usually have it down around New Year’s if not a little before. Sigh! I don’t like this part at all!
Ugh, Jenny! Even the sad face emoji did not prepare me for the wave of sad things.
As Julie said, work seems like the best part of the day. Here’s hoping that your guys recover their health and happiness soon and that A finds some balance. I can never win with my teen either if that’s any consolation. I see you trying so hard with all the six-hour road trips and so much else and wish your efforts could be seen and appreciated!
Thank you Maya! Yes, I try to remind myself (and all these comments are helping me to remember) that she’s a teenager. I wasn’t always such a pleasure as a teen either. I have to tell myself that my efforts are appreciated- or they will be in retrospect.
Oh no, that is rough. I am sorry you came home to a sick son and an angry daughter. I hope today is a better day.
I was feeling better by the morning so we went to my parents as planned but I found out my sisters are worried that I had the actual flu and that the boys will get sick and spread it to everyone else… so now I am feeling like we should have just stayed home. 🙁 But it’s too late to go back at this point. We’ve all been together so now I just have to hope it really was something I ate because I will feel terrible if we get everyone sick.
UGH! But- I don’t think you had the flu! People don’t get over the flu that quickly. It really sounds like something you ate. Why does Christmas have to be so fraught with difficulties???