Is it just me, or does the week between Christmas and New Years hold a unique, special feeling of more time to unwind? It is as if there is a little more quiet in some areas in life, more time to catch up with friends, more time with family, more time to organize your office files, more time get out in nature. The rushing too and fro is over, at least for a little bit.
My grandma once told me that the Christmas season really begins on Christmas Eve, for that is the first day that family gathers, the rushing around is done and the focus is on family, friends and spending quality time together. All that preparing to create that one special day can turn into a very unique and special holiday week.
Here are some ways to pass the time and wind down during the final week of the year:
- Share warm conversations over a café mocha or tea in a local coffee shop with friends before taking a leisurely walk in the warm winter sun along the Esplanade, Torrance Beach or one of the Palos Verdes Peninsula's many trails.
- Read a good suspense book and enjoy a hot chocolate while you’re hunkered down in an overstuffed chair at .
- Accept a spur-of-the-moment invitation from friends to meet for happy hour at or in Redondo Beach or the or in Palos Verdes.
- If you are off from work this week, take in a matinee at or . Whether it is a Christmas movie or a new box office release, you may find yourself enjoying a movie when you would normally have to be at work or school in the afternoon. As an added bonus, being at the mall allows you to exchange any gifts that may not have fit just right.
- You may have to work the entire week after Christmas. Often there’s different feeling in the air—a lightness, perhaps because Christmas shopping and any stresses the holidays might have brought on are now gone. Working that week certainly holds some benefits. It provides time to catch up on overdue emails, clean out files and organize your workspace. It also gives you time to review all you’ve achieved over the past year, which can provide feelings of accomplishment, gratitude and readiness to take on the new year.
- The week also gives you a little more time to savor what's left of 2011 and anticipate of a new year just ahead. This week can provide some quality conversations about the past year’s challenges, celebrations, accomplishments and vacations.
- You have time to linger. Whether you’re thinking about the moments that are still left of this year, spending time with family and friends or simply lingering with your thoughts, enjoy this extra special time.
We get so wrapped up in the go, go, go; allow yourself this special week between Christmas and New Years to linger a little more; reach out to a friend you haven't seen in awhile; or indulge in a hobby, activity or passion you enjoy. Spend more time playing, discovering and exploring. End the year feeling you enjoyed life as much as you possibly could.
