The Most Awkward Week

Is this week still a part of the Christmas season? Is it still a part of the “most wonderful time of the year”. For most of us, the tree and decorations are still up but everyone is thinking about the right time to take them down. They’ve served their purpose and soon must be put away. If you’re like us, they’ve been up since Thanksgiving so you kind of get used to them – until they are gone.

I was in the car yesterday and the Christmas channels were still on the radio but they will soon disappear as well. The fancy coffee drinks that everyone gets addicted to will also soon go away. Given that they are mostly sugar, that’s not a bad thing. Does anyone still drink them after Christmas or does the vibe just feel off. Especially if you get one of the Christmas themed cups.

There is still a great deal of college football to watch and the games start in the middle of the day which makes things feel different. But all the “best” games are on the weekend so these feel more like afterthoughts with teams playing before sparse crowds. Not to say that you can’t have good games but many of them are clearly not “must watch TV”.

For those of us who play fantasy football, the season is coming to close. Most of us have been eliminated and are just playing for final position. Harder to get fired up when you are playing for 7th place although, once you are done, you can just watch the games without worrying about how certain players do. Still it is a sign of things changing because it was something that occupied your time for many months.

This is the week for some to spend gift cards and/or return things. Going to malls where the decorations are still up but the stores are picked through and the Christmas stuff is marked down. Again, it doesn’t give the same vibe as Christmas shopping so is this really still the “holiday season”.

I mean technically New Year’s Day is a holiday. I know this because there is no mail and our trash pickup schedule gets pushed back a day. I just wonder if it became a holiday because so many people are out late the night before. Other holidays seem to have a distinct purpose. I guess one can celebrate surviving another year and/or looking forward to the new one. 

And we’ll get all the boring “best of 2023” lists and stories. (Wait five years or so and then people will have a completely different idea of what was the “best”). Plus a recap of all the big things that happened this year. Or things that seemed big at the time but now have faded because we all suffer from limited attention spans. Remember the spy balloon? Or the imploding submersible? Or the smoky days when all of Canada was on fire? Do they seem important now?

Anyway, it’s just kind of an awkward week as we all wait to toss out the old calendars and put up new ones and try to remember to write 2024 instead of 2023. Things aren’t quite back to normal but it doesn’t feel anything like the week leading up to Christmas.

Is it still the holiday season??