Yahoo News My guide to getting the most out of Twixmas
Ah, Twixmas, truly the most wonderful time of the year. Forget Christmas Day, or that manic run-up to it where you are forced to be endlessly social, wreaking havoc on both your liver and your bank balance. That is categorically not the most wonderful time of the year – in my opinion, there are dark Mondays in January that are more fun than forced festivities in the run-up to Christmas. But the bit just after it, where you have cooked the turkey, given the gifts, tolerated your in-laws, mopped up tears (not to mention the bread sauce that has somehow made its way onto all your soft furnishings), and can safely retire to the sofa until 2024? Yes, this is the most wonderful time of the year.
The word “Twixmas” may be an awful one, a cringeworthy portmanteau of “betwixt” and “Christmas”, but it signifies one of my favourite weeks: that festive lull that is neither here nor there and that is traditionally thought of as being a bit “meh”. Until relatively recently, I had seen this as a nothing period, a time to wallow in all the things I had failed to achieve in the previous 51 weeks and agonise over when I was going to be rich enough to be one of those people who seems to move to the Caribbean for the end of December/beginning of January. Those people being the ones all over Instagram, behaving as if it is perfectly normal to spend Boxing Day in a bikini, on a beach, in front of turquoise blue waters. The fact I always spent twixmas binge-watching whatever reality show has been popular that year, stuffing my face with leftovers and Lindt chocolate balls, seemed to somehow be symbolic of my general laziness. It simply never occurred to me that it was actually a sign of the opposite.
Now, I revel in Twixmas. I love the fact I don’t have to do anything because everyone else is busy doing nothing, too. I adore this one week of the year when I do not have to be “on”, when I am not obliged to look at my emails or worry about work, because we have all come together and agreed that none of us are going to look at emails or worry about work. I mean, yes, I appreciate that Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus and all that, but I think it’s also a tacit agreement we have made with one another to lie down on the sofa and do bugger-all without worrying about FOMO (the fear of missing out on anything). It’s the one time of the year that I feel my boss and I can really (not) look in each other’s eyes and say “I won’t bother you if you don’t bother me”… and genuinely mean it.
So with this in mind, I offer you my guide to getting the most out of Twixmas, so that you are ready and raring to go for the new year.
Switch off social media
It’s a time to relax and just be, in the safety of your own home. Anything that disturbs your peace has to go. If you spend all year scrolling mindlessly on your phone, comparing and despairing at other people on Instagram, or stupid posts on Facebook, give yourself a break from it now. See this as a holiday for your brain. Remember: all the apps will be there when you go back to work on Jan 2. And if you can’t put down your phone for a whole week, at least try to lock it in a drawer for a few hours of each day.
…and your alarm clock
Now is the time to go to bed when you want and get up when you want. It’s the time to listen to your body and let yourself wake up naturally (or as naturally as is possible if you have small children). When you get up, revel in that feeling that you don’t have to be anywhere, and you get to spend the day exactly as you want. We don’t get these opportunities often, so enjoy them!
Move when you wake up in the morning
I find that I am much more able to do bugger-all if I have prioritised going outside, doing some exercise and getting some fresh air in the morning. It means I can come back and legitimately lie on the sofa all day without needing to listen to the stupid voice in my head that wants me to think I’m lazy.
Focus on pleasurable things
Twixmas is about just being – having lots of baths, reading all day, eating chocolate, playing games, that sort of thing. My family and I don’t often get the chance to sit and play Monopoly for hours on end, or to watch a Christmas movie. There’s usually a million other things to do, like clear up builder’s dust or ferry the child to a gymnastics competition. This week and this week only, I’m going to enjoy having fun with my family, thank you very much.
Focus on what you have achieved, not what you haven’t
At Twixmas, it’s easy to get into a headspace of “I need to improve myself and make up for all the things I didn’t do this year”. Shaming yourself for not doing something doesn’t make you more likely to pick up good habits in the long term. Instead, think of all the things you are proud of this year (it could be something as simple as doing a park run, or not arguing with your other half over Christmas) and watch as you attract more achievements for the next one.
Make mistakes
So much of Christmas is about perfection. Let Twixmas be about lowering your standards and expectations of yourself. Stay in your pyjamas all day. Don’t bother with make-up, or washing your hair. Most of all, ignore all the tips I have given if they don’t work for you, and spend this week as you damn well want. Most of all: happy Twixmas!
