Post-Christmas Day Holidays Invite Relaxation

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

With echoes of “take down the tree” already rising in conversations and on social media, it’s a good time to remember that for many, the holidays start the day after Christmas, kicking off a week when there are leftovers in the fridge, and no serious expectations that anything is going to be done until after New Year’s Day.

The lazy days between Boxing Day and Jan. 2 require no shopping, visits with friends and family who are still around and time to chill in a week when nothing really happens. (unless you are in the helping professions, law/fire service, retail or journalism.)

As the days are still short, it’s a good time to mirror how natural slows down in Winter, if only for a week. The season to take a breather from the driving force for productivity that seems to dominate the rest of the year. The best bosses and companies understand the need to give employees a chance to reboot, and this is the season for a quick break.

The trappings of this unnamed season of joy include random napping, junk food, cocooning in front of the television, reading and not wearing a watch. It’s also a time to explore the joy brought on by boredom, which can lead to unexpected pleasures only found in the wandering of the mind in no direction.

Norway, where the days are really short this time of year, has a word for the season: Romjul. The word translates as: “space Christmas,” a perfect description of the gift of space to breathe. The word comes from the Old Norse adjective rúmheilagr, a time that is not sanctified, which sets it apart from other words specific to Christmastide, the festival season of the liturgical year in many Christian churches. It refers to how this time didn’t have any legally binding sanctity, and it was not a time for work. Instead, romjul was a time to celebrate during a rare moment of respite from the grind of the rest of the year.

Romjul is a tranquil time when families get together, undisturbed by the outside world. By tradition, for families with children, it’s the season for baking and building gingerbread houses to be smashed and eaten by New Year’s Day.

Taking walks, eating leftovers and playing games are all part of the festivities.

I would add naps to the only to-do list that best serves this week. Happy Rojul!