8 Things To Do During That Weird, Lazy Week Between Christmas and New Years
December 26th - 30th sure are weird, aren't they? Your in-town friends are out of town and your out-of-town friends are in town and totally overwhelmed with social obligations. If you're working your 9-5, half your coworkers are out of the office and you'll spend an entire week organizing your desk snacks.
It's a strange, lazy week. We're not quite ready to pull down the lights and we (re: I) aren't quite ready to dive into the green juices and spin classes of January 2nd, either. I want to enjoy my Week Of Nothing but I'm not particularly interested in taking on anything too impressive or productive.
For the first time in the life of Yes and Yes and my self-employed career I'm taking alllll those days off. I'm not scheduling any posts, I'm not working with clients, I'm not quietly, secretly working on a big project. I'm going to do fun, non-impressive things.
Here are eight things I plan to do (and you might like, too!)
1. Read wonderful, delicious fiction
During my time off I'm prone to doing ridiculous things like reading business and self-development books. I'm giving my brain a break and re-reading some of my favorite books: these (of course) and this dog-eared buddy. Everyone ever has recommended Studs Terkel to me so I can't wait to pore over his books.
2. Wear all your closet orphans (and get rid of stuff you don't wear)
We've all got those cute tops we never wear or the skirts that don't match anything. It's amazing what happens when you force yourself to
make it work. It's fun to pull stuff from the depths of your closet and work them into a coffee shop or office-appropriate outfit. You might like it! It might be ridiculous! And if it is, you don't ever have to wear it again. If you're feeling really ambitious, you can even purge your closet (here's how.)
3. Try some new recipes from that pile of magazines
You can tell I'm a Grown Ass Woman because I have an enormous pile of women's magazines next to my bed. (That's the mark of an adult, right? Accrual of mail?) Each month I read them and each month I plan to make that kale apple almond thing. And then I eat popcorn for dinner again.
I'm going to go through my lady magazines, rip out those ever-loving recipes, buy the ingredients and fill my kitchen with lovely, homey smells and my belly with something other than popcorn or quinoa burgers.
4. Schedule video call catch-ups with far-flung friends
I have gone months interacting with friends exclusively via the Facebook 'like' button. You had a baby = like! You ran a marathon = like! You've taken your eye makeup situation to a level that makes me quake with envy = like! It's high time I saw my friends' faces and heard their voices and got the blow-by-blow of what's going on with their jobs/relationships/bangs.
5. Mix up some winter-friendly DIY beauty treatments
Now, I love a good yogurt aspirin mask, but that's more of an oily, summer skin kinda jam. This avocado lemon mask, this hair mask, and this cinnamon scrub would be lovely - particularly if they're applied while sipping peppermint tea and watching old episodes of Parks and Rec.
6. Finish a few projects that are hanging over your head I am captain "It's totally not a big deal, it really doesn't bother me" - about the cracked windshield, the Venetian blind my cat ate, my constantly crooked lampshade. But when I finally get around to fixing those non-problems I FEEL LIKE THE QUEEN OF THE WORLD.
I'm going to spend a few hours taking care of the those little, niggling problems during my down week. I imagine it will make me feel so powerful and capable I'll take to breaking things just so I can fix them.
7. Engage in a few good karma projects
I'm trying to get a head start on Santa's Nice List for 2015 and earn a few gold stars that I'll inevitably cash in on New Year's Eve. I think I'll work my way through some of these good karma ideas and hope that my NYE's shenanigans don't require a penance bigger than that.
8. Be joyfully anti-social (if that's your thing)
Did you know that I'm a friendly, chatty, packed-social-calendar introvert? By the time December 26th rolls around, I'll probably need a week of Quiet By Myself Time. Just Me And My Book Time. Haven't Unlocked The Door Or Left The House In Three Days Time. I can't wait!
What are you going to do during your weird post-Christmas week?
P.S. Did you know that I wrote a whole (free!) ebook devoted to actually enjoying winter? And I'm a third-generation Minnesotan of Scandinavian decent so this is pretty much and area of professional expertise.
3. Try some new recipes from that pile of magazines
You can tell I'm a Grown Ass Woman because I have an enormous pile of women's magazines next to my bed. (That's the mark of an adult, right? Accrual of mail?) Each month I read them and each month I plan to make that kale apple almond thing. And then I eat popcorn for dinner again.
I'm going to go through my lady magazines, rip out those ever-loving recipes, buy the ingredients and fill my kitchen with lovely, homey smells and my belly with something other than popcorn or quinoa burgers.
4. Schedule video call catch-ups with far-flung friends
I have gone months interacting with friends exclusively via the Facebook 'like' button. You had a baby = like! You ran a marathon = like! You've taken your eye makeup situation to a level that makes me quake with envy = like! It's high time I saw my friends' faces and heard their voices and got the blow-by-blow of what's going on with their jobs/relationships/bangs.
5. Mix up some winter-friendly DIY beauty treatments
Now, I love a good yogurt aspirin mask, but that's more of an oily, summer skin kinda jam. This avocado lemon mask, this hair mask, and this cinnamon scrub would be lovely - particularly if they're applied while sipping peppermint tea and watching old episodes of Parks and Rec.
6. Finish a few projects that are hanging over your head I am captain "It's totally not a big deal, it really doesn't bother me" - about the cracked windshield, the Venetian blind my cat ate, my constantly crooked lampshade. But when I finally get around to fixing those non-problems I FEEL LIKE THE QUEEN OF THE WORLD.
I'm going to spend a few hours taking care of the those little, niggling problems during my down week. I imagine it will make me feel so powerful and capable I'll take to breaking things just so I can fix them.
7. Engage in a few good karma projects
I'm trying to get a head start on Santa's Nice List for 2015 and earn a few gold stars that I'll inevitably cash in on New Year's Eve. I think I'll work my way through some of these good karma ideas and hope that my NYE's shenanigans don't require a penance bigger than that.
8. Be joyfully anti-social (if that's your thing)
Did you know that I'm a friendly, chatty, packed-social-calendar introvert? By the time December 26th rolls around, I'll probably need a week of Quiet By Myself Time. Just Me And My Book Time. Haven't Unlocked The Door Or Left The House In Three Days Time. I can't wait!
What are you going to do during your weird post-Christmas week?
P.S. Did you know that I wrote a whole (free!) ebook devoted to actually enjoying winter? And I'm a third-generation Minnesotan of Scandinavian decent so this is pretty much and area of professional expertise.
photo by * // cc
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