Who is glad that the holidays are over? I am.

DMZ_1
DMZ_1 Posts: 2,889 Member
in Chit-Chat
January 2nd often brings about a sigh of relief from me. I am glad the holidays are over.

Before I get into the meat of why I feel the way that I do, I want to make clear that I had some enjoyable times this holiday season. I had a good Christmas Day get together, and a very pleasant Thanksgiving going back a few weeks.

Simply put, for the secular implications of the holidays, I'm in the wrong demographic. The holidays are not designed for the interests of the unmarried man without children, regardless of whether or not they are in a relationship. Holiday commitments, travel, etc get in the way of regular activities and often cause added stress. Guys who are looking to date have a harder time getting single women to commit to any get togethers where guys in relationships have to deal with expectations from the significant other. Neither situation is all too appealing.

Need to get something done in your professional life during the holidays? Good luck. Lots of business functions grind to a screeching halt during the holidays.

I'm excited for a return to more ordinary time. Happy 2014!

Replies

  • xxghost
    xxghost Posts: 4,697 Member
    I really enjoy the holidays. I don't allow a time meant for relaxation and family to stress me out.
  • sweetpea03b
    sweetpea03b Posts: 1,123 Member
    I enjoy the holidays for all the expected reasons.. but I'm with you on this. Time to get back to real life and routine that has really been screwed up spending time with family the last few weeks.
  • patrickblo13
    patrickblo13 Posts: 831 Member
    I am! I enjoy time with the family and all of the parties but I am a man of routine and I am damn happy to be back into routine!
  • DR2501
    DR2501 Posts: 661 Member
    Happy they're over so that I can focus on my goals again.

    Not happy to be back to work. The fact that professional stuff grinds to a halt is the main benefit IMO.
  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member
    The Thanksgiving-to-Christmas holiday season is my favorite time of year, and I really enjoyed it this year. However, as someone who is gluten- and dairy-intolerant, I am glad that the season of multiple treats sitting around that I cannot eat is over. IT sucks to see so much delicious food that I can't have around. Also my hubs really went overboard this year with treat season and is ready to get back on track, so I'm looking forward to that.
  • Cindyinpg
    Cindyinpg Posts: 3,902 Member
    I am. I manage a liquor store and I'm thrilled that it's over for another year. Too much of a circus.
  • sillygoosie
    sillygoosie Posts: 1,109 Member
    I'm a creature of habit and I don't like my routine being interrupted. The holidays are also pretty annoying with the music, decorations, crowds etc. I had a great time but I'm over it.
  • DR2501
    DR2501 Posts: 661 Member
    At least the decorations in bars etc will now go away - until September at least (they start earlier every year)
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
    I, too, am a creature of habit... and I enjoy my normal everyday life far more than the insanity of Christmas with 5 kids. Way too much work if you ask me. I LOVE seeing my kids enjoy it, but as I took that 8 bags of recycling to the curb this morning I was reminded how grateful I am that everything is, once again, open regular hours.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    I get it.

    I am VERY glad the holidays are over. The past 3-4 years I think January has gone from being one of my least favorite months of the year to one of my faves. ESPECIALLY the first week of the new year. Not because I'm on a high from resolutions (I don't make them really) but because I am so happy and relieved to be back into my usual routine! Decorations put away, holiday obligations over with, etc. And I actually DO like the holidays, I love my family & friends, get a kick out of shopping, gift-giving, parades, lights, the whole bit. But I like my normal ordinary life and I am happy to have it back!!

    As for MFP/health & fitness stuff...I found Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays to be much more challenging than I expected. I didn't go nuts or have serious self-control problems. And I didn't gain weight (aside from water retention that fell off a few days following each holiday). But it was still a challenge to navigate the holiday foods and events, straying from my usual very simple meals. The biggest issue for me was getting through family meals and eating this & that and then wanting to still have my usual splurges with my husband, the stuff WE really love (Thai, ice cream) but feeling like the combined "treats" in the same week really set me off my path of healthy eating. Even our grocery shopping was so different during Nov-Dec, and less healthy IMO (having to buy stuff requested by friends & family for events). Not good. I am glad it's done.
  • WhisperAnne
    WhisperAnne Posts: 453 Member
    I love the holiday season, with happiness and love in the air. What I don't love is the stress I feel for gift giving and how I have to avoid all the food temptations! my weakness is sweets. This year I over ate on Christmas and have since regretted it. ( put on a pound that I'm trying to lose now) so this year the holidays just stressed me. I don't have the same set of problems as you of course with our lives being different.
  • Cali_Chica
    Cali_Chica Posts: 895 Member
    It's definitely bittersweet when holidays are over. They're my favorite time of year but its nice to resume normalcy again
  • MM_1982
    MM_1982 Posts: 374
    Not much of a holiday person. Partially because I'm from south Florida and it's going to hit 80 degrees today.

    I love my normal routine (work, work out, go out, repeat) and the holidays throw a monkey wrench into it. I always end up putting on 2-3 pounds between Thanksgiving and Christmas, which isn't good either.

    I guess I'm just a routine person as well.
  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,064 Member
    Me!! So nice to get back to a routine.
  • judyde
    judyde Posts: 401 Member
    I am with you on this. The older I get the more I don't enjoy the holidays. For many years I was single and childless, then got married and now have twins age 4. I expected that with kids I would enjoy the holidays more and I don't. From a woman's perspective, there are a LOT of expectations around decorating, gift giving, cooking, etc. So count yourself lucky as a man! I think I could enjoy the holidays more if I weren't expected to cook and decorate. I find I really loathe decorating, to the point that we didn't have our tree up until 12/23, the lights weren't on until 12/24 and we never even put decorations on . I never got Christmas cards out, and didn't finish the photo book for my parents and in-laws for the kids.

    I do enjoy the parts that aren't work for me, so we saw the Nutcracker (local production), went downtown to see a light show, and I enjoyed some holiday parties. One plus was I actually lost weight over the holidays!

    I also dislike cold weather the older I get, so that's another bummer. Bring on summer!!!
  • DMZ_1
    DMZ_1 Posts: 2,889 Member
    I am with you on this. The older I get the more I don't enjoy the holidays. For many years I was single and childless, then got married and now have twins age 4. I expected that with kids I would enjoy the holidays more and I don't. From a woman's perspective, there are a LOT of expectations around decorating, gift giving, cooking, etc. So count yourself lucky as a man! I think I could enjoy the holidays more if I weren't expected to cook and decorate. I find I really loathe decorating, to the point that we didn't have our tree up until 12/23, the lights weren't on until 12/24 and we never even put decorations on . I never got Christmas cards out, and didn't finish the photo book for my parents and in-laws for the kids.

    I do enjoy the parts that aren't work for me, so we saw the Nutcracker (local production), went downtown to see a light show, and I enjoyed some holiday parties. One plus was I actually lost weight over the holidays!

    I also dislike cold weather the older I get, so that's another bummer. Bring on summer!!!

    That's a good accomplishment you lost weight!

    I'm a little surprised that you express this sentiment because the holidays are designed around the family unit, not the unmarried male. I've never met a single, straight man, especially a prototypical bachelor, who didn't think the holidays were anything but a massive inconvenience.

    It is true that no one expects me to cook or decorate. I like that.
  • Marcia315
    Marcia315 Posts: 460 Member
    I am with you on this. The older I get the more I don't enjoy the holidays. For many years I was single and childless, then got married and now have twins age 4. I expected that with kids I would enjoy the holidays more and I don't. From a woman's perspective, there are a LOT of expectations around decorating, gift giving, cooking, etc. So count yourself lucky as a man! I think I could enjoy the holidays more if I weren't expected to cook and decorate. I find I really loathe decorating, to the point that we didn't have our tree up until 12/23, the lights weren't on until 12/24 and we never even put decorations on . I never got Christmas cards out, and didn't finish the photo book for my parents and in-laws for the kids.

    I do enjoy the parts that aren't work for me, so we saw the Nutcracker (local production), went downtown to see a light show, and I enjoyed some holiday parties. One plus was I actually lost weight over the holidays!

    I also dislike cold weather the older I get, so that's another bummer. Bring on summer!!!

    That's a good accomplishment you lost weight!

    I'm a little surprised that you express this sentiment because the holidays are designed around the family unit, not the unmarried male. I've never met a single, straight man, especially a prototypical bachelor, who didn't think the holidays were anything but a massive inconvenience.

    It is true that no one expects me to cook or decorate. I like that.

    This member of the family unit has the responsibility to hosting dinner, decorating, shopping, wrapping, and doing whatever is required to have a memorable holiday for the family. It's a lot of work. I'm glad it's over. I also am happy I am not being assaulted by cookies and fudge wherever I go.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Nah...I get kinda bummed when the holiday season ends. I really enjoy them and I usually take quite a bit of my vacation time during this time of year..so for me it just means being back to the grind instead of out playing in the yard with my boys on a mid-week afternoon or hitting up the gym on a Tuesday at 10 AM instead of late after work.
  • namluv
    namluv Posts: 194 Member
    My husband and I stayed home on Christmas Day and New Years Eve/Day... Best. Holidays. EVER!!! So much less stress.
  • lilawolf
    lilawolf Posts: 1,690 Member
    I enjoyed my time off. Lazy mornings staying in bed til noon, hanging out with family and friends that I don't see enough, good food etc..........but, I am also looking forward to being back in a routine.

    I agree with the "lots of work" sentiment especially with keeping everyone fed and finding thoughtful gifts for everyone, and that much food/sweets/booze/laziness gets less and less enjoyable as time goes on. It helps that I like my job too.
  • DMZ_1
    DMZ_1 Posts: 2,889 Member
    My husband and I stayed home on Christmas Day and New Years Eve/Day... Best. Holidays. EVER!!! So much less stress.

    Great choice! That's actually the best of both worlds. If you can put in for vacation time, don't go to work, stay put (avoiding airports, a stressy situation), sleep in late, go to the gym, and just act carefree and irresponsible, I perceive that as ideal, especially when you have a companion to enjoy the time with. An opportunity for great decompression and recharging the batteries.

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