A lot of people say that the biggest letdown of the year is the day after Christmas (generally speaking), but personally, I think that it’s the day the Christmas decorations come down. For Jordan and I, that day was yesterday.
After church and lunch, we went to Wal-Mart to buy some Rubbermaid containers, and then it was time to take everything down. Well, almost everything. Our naked tree is still sitting in its place until we figure out where to throw it away, and fallen pine needles and glitter remain. Our apartment looks so bare now, and it makes me sad. How could the holidays have gone by so quickly? It seems like we just bought our tree!
I can’t seem to shake the sad feeling. I thought a two week break from work (compared to the two days that I got last year) would leave me feeling refreshed and renewed, but I actually feel quite the opposite. I feel depressed that the holidays went by so quickly. I feel anxious that I have to go back to my new job tomorrow. I feel excited, but overwhelmed that this is the year that we will be buying a house, and as I recently learned (because mine won’t make it much longer), a car. I feel stressed.
For right now, I have one more day to soak in the faint pine smell of our Christmas tree, watch daytime TV, and prepare myself for the reality that I will have to face tomorrow. Ready or not, real life awaits me 
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Do you find it hard to go back to work after an extra long break?
Are you feeling the post-holiday blues?
I totally know how you feel, Emily! Post-Christmas winter is no fun especially in the Northeast or Midwest where you are! Its so healthy to be honest about it though. No need to bottle those feelings up. I’ve decided to take it one day at a time and find something truly good in each day. Then at the end of the week I can look back and say Wow that wasn’t so bad
Ugh! Sorry to hear you are feeling so blue. It sounds like you have a lot of stressful things coming up this year, and taking down the decorations was the final reminder that the fun is over
I only took one day off this year and I think that helped with NOT feeling the blues as much. And we just had our holiday celebration with my husband’s family, so spreading it out helps too. I usually get the blues in the springtime.
Oh yeah, I am definitely with you on the post-holiday blues. I felt the same way after our decorations came down! Everything just looks so bare. I hope your spirits are lifted soon!
I suffer from the post holiday blues but really I think it’s because I’ve always gone south (for college and now my job starts around the same time up north) and so I’m preparing to go back to the Winter of Upstate NY. I’m excited for the changes but not the cold.
I was sad to see my 3 week break come to an end, but I thrive off of having a routine, so I am ready! I was also super ready to take down Christmas stuff on January 1st. Every year my feelings differ about whether or not I’m ready for the holidays to be over!
Ugh, I know that exact feeling! To be honest, I always think I’ll feel refreshed after the Holidays or a long time off of work (like the honeymoon) but I tend to almost always feel dread, anxiety and stress the day before going back and sometimes the first day back. Usually though after 1-2 days back and getting back into a routine I actually feel great. I tend to feel more productive and get more done in less time too which is the bright side of it.
I definitely like to have mini-goals and fun set plans with friends & family to look forward to in January – March since I find I can get pretty blue with the lack of holidays/sun/time outside.
And I still haven’t taken my decorations down…
My roommate and I took down the Christmas decorations we had in our apartment yesterday, and it was a major bummer. I’ve always found my apartment to be strikingly hideous (lots and lots of white walls and no artwork to hang on them [and no budget with which to buy artwork]), but the Christmas decorations did a great job of hiding the boringness and making things look really great. Now that they’re gone, I’ve been reminded of how ugly my apartment truly is, and it’s no fun. I wish we could have holidays that warranted significant decorating like Christmas year round! (Although given the amount of money I spent on Christmas decorations and the fact that I had a hard enough time finding a place to store the Christmas decorations, it’s probably for the best that that’s not the case haha)
I was forced to take down my decorations about 3 days ago, when my husband (in a panic) knocked over our tree in attempts to get to the closet behind it and turn off our water because a pipe in our kitchen was gushing water. Amazingly nothing broke, but I was really hoping to keep it up for a little while longer
It just seemed to add magic to our house. I would be all for keeping a “holiday tree” that has a permanent home in our living room and just changes ornaments according to the season 
That’s a cute idea!!
I definitely found it a little bit hard to go back to work this morning, but at the same time, it was kind of nice to get back into a normal routine. I love Christmas, and I usually get hit with the post-Christmas blues when everything is over, but this year Christmas was so crazy that I’m almost happy to have things calming down. Now if only the weather would warm up and the days would get longer, I’d be a happy camper. Soon. Soon
I was okay after Christmas was over but definitely not excited to go back to work…seriously, I’m positive I’m meant to be a stay-at-home wife/someday mother. I love it!
Meee tooo! That’s the only role I feel completely comfortable in (and I’m not just sitting at home eating bon bons
).
haha exactly! I hate the negative stigma there is now too about wanting to be a stay-at-home wife/mother.
Me too!
I didn’t have a break this holiday so I guess I don’t have that problem! I do miss the college days of having a month off though.
I actually think it would’ve been easier if I didn’t have a break. I didn’t feel like this last year!
it is always tough coming off xmas, especially because there really isn’t any extended breaks till summer which is sad to think of .
I’m so sorry you are feeling down girl. I felt the same way last week when I had to go back to work. It will pass quickly once you get back in the swing of things!!