Hello hello, and welcome to Episode 45 of Life On the Brink!
It is Christmas week, which is astounding and thrilling, and also the official start of winter. It sort of crept up on me, but so far winter has been agreeable. I think I've definitively decided that my favorite day of the year begins at 5:30pm on Christmas Eve and runs until 5:30 on Christmas Day. What a wonderful 24 hours!
Today, though we’re talking about that highly-underrated time in between Christmas Day and the new year.
I don’t know about you, but the past couple of weeks have been a big rush of deadlines, rehearsals and performances. And then also, of course, those special Christmasy things, traditions and spending time with family and trying to wrap presents whenever there’s a spare hour. There’s so much that leads up to the big day, so much business and wonderful anticipation, that we can only really slow down once the day is done.
Today we’re diving into all the loveliness that is the week in between Christmas and the New Year. Also known as “The Hush.”
What’s in my teacup? A matcha latte! (p.s. check out Episode 19 to learn how to make one yourself)
I know sometimes the last week of the year is portrayed as a joke, one where we never know what day it is and the house is a mess. But if you think about it, that can be incredibly freeing. For one week out of the year it’s perfectly acceptable to have no (or minimal) schedule, the house doesn’t have to be perfect, and most likely there are lots of leftovers and sweets. It’s totally fine to stay in your pajamas all day and most people have decided that work is on pause until January 3rd.
And if you do have to work, I hope that you're able to find time in between those shifts to enjoy this week as well.
Rather than let it be a stressful, confusing time, today we’re going to dive into all the possibilities that this week holds.
Allow me to direct you to this book: “Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year” by Beth Kempton. Within this book, and also within her podcast, “The Calm Christmas Podcast,” she refers to this stretch of time as “The Hush.” Here’s a quote from episode 11 which describes it perfectly:
“These are the days in between. The liminal space that hovers between the festivities and before the fresh new year. A time of long walks, hot coffees, languid lounging with leftover chocolates, adding birthday dates to the new diary, telephone catchups, old memories, new plans, making time, telling stories, everything on pause.”
With those delightful and inspiring words, here are 8 simple ways to enjoy and savour The Hush:
(also, disclaimer, Christmas isn’t really done til January 6, so all Christmas things are still acceptable in my eyes)
1. Go with the flow. As we know, there’s very little structure to this week, so don’t fight it, just flow with it. The days of the week are arbitrary during this time, and if there's like an opportunity to do something at a weird time of day or a weird day of the week, why not just go with it? You have the time and opportunity now that might be harder to find in the new year.
2. Get offline. This might look like restricting your time online, or maybe having a phone-free or tech-free day. Josh and I are planning to have a “blackout date night” where all technology is put away for the evening and everything is lit by candlelight. Any opportunity to get out of the cloud and back on earth won’t be regretted.
3. Get situated. This week is the perfect time to finally accomplish some little tasks that keep getting put off. It might be clearing out your email, ordering books for next semester, assessing the calendar for the coming year, any task that gets put on the backburner but will help you feel relaxed and ready come January.
4. Get tidy. Ditto, but for the house. It’s a great opportunity to check in with a couple chores that get ignored more often like checking the batteries in the smoke detector, cleaning out the fridge, putting new gifts away, maybe purging and organizing your closet.
5. Rest. Deadlines are essentially on pause, and now more than ever there’s no excuse not to rest and enjoy yourself. Maybe have a “me day” (or “me hour”) where you have no “shoulds”, no responsibilities and do exactly whatever you want. It might be exploring, it might be at home, it’s up to you!
6. Plan something fun. After the high of the holidays, I always like to formulate a little plan for something special either in January or February. This year Josh and I had a little Valentine weekend away and I spent the doldrums of January’s winter days planning something fun, bringing anticipation back on the scene. This could be as simple as a dinner party, a visit to a friend, going to a movie. Get it on the calendar so you can start looking forward to it!
7. Read a piece of fiction. While I do enjoy a self-help or informational book here and there, now is the time to get lost in a story. Maybe you have a book on your shelf you’ve been saving or have been meaning to read, now’s the time! While a movie or t.v. show will tell you right off the bat how long it takes to watch, reading a book of unknown-reading-time gives yourself the gift of time.
8. Reflect and reset. Sometime before the new year, take even just an hour to sit down with yourself and reflect on the past year. I like to pick 3-5 highlights (start with gratitude), then look at any goals I set for myself. Reflect on how far you’ve come, things you’ve learned, then look to the next year.
What do you want to bring into the coming year? What goals are you setting? Where or who would you like to be by this time next year? And truly, honestly, are you enjoying your beautiful life? How can you enjoy it more?
These are just ideas that I have and will personally be putting into place next week, but feel free to get creative! This is basically free play time, and it should be enjoyed. Then we can enter 2022 with a clear, rested mind. You're prepared for the next season, you know where you're headed, and you're enjoying where you are.
Again, check out Beth Kempton's book "Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year" or her podcast, they're so delightful.
And now, just cause it’s adorable and is perfect for the in-between week, check out this adorable music video (felt AND stop motion?). Enjoy!
This Week’s Little Joy: I’ve been greatly enjoying season 2 of The Great on Hulu. It’s not particularly festive, but it is gorgeous and witty and hilarious (but also violent and a little disturbing, so maybe look into it first). It’s such a good show, and would make for a great story to get lost in during this quiet week.
What I’m Listening To: The album is called “Winter Songs” by Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo. It does have some beautiful Christmas carols on it (The First Nowell is so stunning it stopped me in my tracks), but also some original compositions and other wintery things. Gjeilo is a brilliant and highly emotive choral composer, I just love him. This album is perfect for a calm and uplifting end to 2021.
Thank you so much for listening, and thank you for all the love and you have shared this year. I can’t wait for the things to come in 2022, and until then, friends, a very Merry Christmas to you, and a Happy New Year!