The post Christmas-excess blues

As our diseased tree languishes on the front porch waiting for pick up day, I realize I am suffering from the post-Christmas-excess blues. Which of course I thought I wouldn’t have, especially because we managed to stick to our debt diet over the holidays (mostly). But I still feel like we overdid it ...

By Caroline Cakebread

Updated November 2, 2012

I have a turkey carcass simmering away in a pot on the stove. It’s one of our last remnants of Christmas cheer since we had to take our tree down early due to the disgusting odor coming from the trunk. And as I prepare for New Year’s Eve, my list of resolutions for 2011 is pretty much centered on cutting back after the excessive behaviour that marks each holiday season.

As our diseased tree languishes on the front porch waiting for pick up day, I realize I am suffering from the post-Christmas-excess blues. Which, of course, I thought I wouldn’t have, especially because we managed to stick to our debt diet over the holidays (mostly). But I still feel like we overdid it - not because we’re worried about the bills but because it still felt like there was just too much….everything. We ended up tossing or giving away a ton of food - mostly cookies and candy. And there’s always the likelihood that at least a portion of those gifts we spent time selecting will be returned or never used or opened. Let’s face it, that box of fudge someone brought would have been eaten right away in July - but at Christmas time, it lingers untouched because there’s so much other stuff cramming sideboard.

Now, I have come up with a few things to battle the post-Christmas-excess blues without spending any money. Most of it really involves paring down and making room. We’re doing a toy and clothing purge to make room for new things and to unclutter our rooms and storage spaces. We’re also keeping the generosity going by giving to a local charity to help them make their holiday fundraising target (for which they were a bit behind). And we are planning a cheap and cheerful card party on New Year’s day so we can see family members we were too tired to really enjoy during the thick of the season. I’ll put on a pot of chili and everyone can break out the last of the Christmas candies, cheeses and other goodies we haven’t finished yet.

Of course, I’ll spend some time planning and dreaming about all the good stuff that could happen in 2011 - because these days a little optimism is as valuable as gold. A big part of that means being grateful for what we do have this year while planning to improve our financial picture in the coming months.

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