This week is good opportunity to relax, recharge
The week between Christmas and New Year’s Day, with many people off work and students out of school, can be one of the best times of the year. Here are several ways in which families can relax and enjoy this special week.
Line up entertainment. Make a list of movies you’ve been wanting to watch with your family or books you’ve been desiring to read. Stock up your video library and bookshelf so you have all you need to relax and enjoy the week. This also may be a great time to listen to a new audiobook as a family — “The Chronicles of Narnia” is a sure winner.
Tackle a puzzle. Work on a puzzle as a family. Clear the dining room table and spread out a challenging and festive jigsaw puzzle. Put a plate of leftover cookies next to the puzzle to entice repeat visitors. Can you finish the entire thing before the new year?
Play games. Similarly, enjoy those classic board games that have been collecting dust, try a new one you might have received for Christmas or simply pull out a deck of cards and enjoy a fun game night with your loved ones.
Encourage unplugging. It would be a shame if this week were lost to digital devices. If it’s not already a practice in your home, create a central repository to store phones and digital devices while you enjoy more real-life experiences and activities at home. Replace digital activities with analog ones. Set out craft supplies and begin creating, build a blanket fort with your kids, walk around the neighborhood without your phone, write and mail physical thank-you notes for Christmas gifts you received, rearrange a room or begin learning a new skill.
Set simple goals. The re-entry to regular life after the holidays can often feel a bit rough. If you have a free week on your hands, perhaps you would benefit from organizing your space, thinking through the first quarter of the new year or journaling about your long- and short-term goals and plans. Starting the new year with a clean slate and a clear direction can be a great feeling.
Undecorate. Some people hold strict traditions regarding when they take down their Christmas decorations, but if you’re open to it, it can be a true delight to get your decor put away before the calendar sends you and your family back to work and school. You can take your time throughout the week or complete the task in one afternoon.
Resist overscheduling. You might see all of this open time on your calendar and be tempted to fill it, but consider whether, after all the celebration and revelry, you need some quiet, restorative time at home. The week after Christmas often provides an opportunity to take a breath, slow down, and bask in the cozy glow of your home with your family. Doing nothing at all can be underrated.
–Alan Goforth with The Epoch Times News Service
