The end of the year is stocked up with back-to-back holidays, parties, and gift giving, but have you ever noticed that sad moment right after it’s all over? Seeing family and friends and enjoying holiday festivities are the best, but there are a few things that make the post-holiday season the worst!
1. No more presents.
Of course, this isn’t the most important part of the holidays, but they definitely liven up the party! Just because your grandma shows up doesn’t mean she’ll be bearing a card with some cash this time around.
2. Back to school.
Among the worst of the post-holiday miseries comes the dreaded return to class. It’s always fun seeing school friends again, but break never seems long enough when we’re talking books and classes at 8 a.m. Getting back into a rhythm is the tough part.
3. New Year's resolutions.
While we would all love to stick to our New Year's resolutions, how often is that actually the reality? With the exception of a few, these resolutions are usually pretty short-lived, as they become a burden, and soon after, non-existent. The fun of it is coming up with a good one, then it becomes an internal competition for how long we can keep it up!
4. Leaving home.
Leaving home means doing your own laundry again, cooking your own food, and doing your own grocery shopping. One goes from being surrounded by immediate and extended family to a lot fewer people that are that close to you. There’s always that empty feeling when you leave your family home.
5. A whole year before the holidays come around again.
On the bright side, you have a whole year to build up a new Christmas list. As we head into the colder parts of winter, there is nothing to look forward to but the promise of summer, only because it brings us that much closer to the holiday season again!
6. Post-holiday season depression.
This occurs mainly because of the chilly weather, or seasonal depression. Starting with Thanksgiving, November and December are full of back-to-back holidays. Going from constant activity to nothing major until Valentine's Day in February can sometimes leave you with nothing to do.
7. Packing your gifts.
Getting all of your things home from college is already a struggle when coming home at the start of winter break. We often don’t consider the room we might need to carry gifts (clothes) back to school. Essentially, this means that two people will need to sit on your suitcase to close it, rather than just one.
8. You have to leave your high school friends.
Reuniting with your high school friends is always something to look forward to, but the goodbyes never get easier. One day, everyone will graduate from college, and seeing each other often might not be possible.