That quiet week

This is one of my favorite times of year: that quiet week between Christmas and New Year's.

If you're lucky and have a vacation schedule like mine, you have this week off. For me, this means time to relax, to recover from the semester. Time to enjoy what I received for Christmas and do a little knitting or other craftwork.

It still feels like a holiday to me. I do think the old tradition of "twelve days of Christmas" was a good one: start celebrating on Christmas, and then go until Epiphany. (Of course, that also was in a time and a place where Advent was more of a fast than it is now). But I like the idea of it being a time of year when adults can maybe put aside some of the trappings of adulthood and enjoy being a bit more childlike again.

(Note that there is a universe of difference between 'childlike' and 'childish.' And also note that putting aside the trappings of adulthood means you're already carrying them, and you will pick them back up after the break).

But being able to, I don't know, go out gallumphing around in the snow on snowshoes or cross country skis, or build a snowman, or throw snowballs. Or play games. Or tell ghost stories around the fire - that's a good old tradition that seems to mostly have died out, at least as a Christmas tradition, but it seems like it would be great fun.(The best known Christmas ghost story of all, of course, is "A Christmas Carol," which I try to re-read every year. But there are many other collections of Christmas ghost stories out there as well). Or make candy or popcorn or watch silly specials on television.

And for me, it's a real blessing to have this time off - as I said, to be able to recover from the semester and do what I want to do for a change, instead of doing what I MUST do.