To not want things to go back to normal next week

[Toowittoowoooo]

We’ve been in a cosy bubble this Christmas, just me, dh and dc.

We rarely get time off together and have had a particularly difficult six months.
We’ve spent lovely days just playing games, walking the dog, days out, nights by the fire.
I don’t want it to go back to *Normal next week.
The school rush, back to work, all just only being together in the evenings. Feels like life passes you by and you only get your four weeks together each year.

I have seen dh really relax in the last few days.
I haven’t planned to take the tree down on New years day like I normally do either, just want it all
to continue a bit longer.

Does anyone else feel the same?

I tend to work through the Christmas and new year period so nothing much changes but I quite like that!

When the dses were younger I dreaded the going back to school bit after every holiday. They struggled and it was nice to have more time.

I changed my job this year so now work 12.5 hour shifts and I think that works much better for me, I enjoy the extra time off, 9-5 never worked for me!

I also have a hopefully warm holiday booked for the end of January which really breaks up the winter.

It's been lovely. I really appreciated just sitting down with the kids doing puzzles and playing games. Also eating together. Our life during term just involves rushing about like headless chickens I feel.

I'm looking forward to normality being resumed personally.

Celebrate what you HAVE HAD,and enjoy it

I totally feel like this! I seem to be surrounded by Kole who can't wait for the kids to go back to school.

I've worked from home and it has been such a relaxing treat.

As of next week it's leave the house at 7 am, get home at 7 pm 🥺

I don't want it to end either. I love having all my chicks in the nest including dd back from uni (although she's here til feb)
Three of my dc play a ridiculous amount of sport so much if a time in the evenings and weekends is spent on it and it's been lovely having a break from it all.

Absolutely, OP. I love Christmas. I don't want to come back to the UK (we go to Norway for the holidays), don't want to take down the decorations that are up there...we'll be leaving them up until Candlemas. I love my job and everything, it's just Christmas that I hate being over! Always been the same, and more so now I've got kids. It feels like such a special time and it's too short, in my opinion.

We'll be dragging out the celebrations throughout January where we can. Bleak month, I've always hated it! It's not the weather, it's just the feel of it. Blergh!

Same here with DS19 and 17. Will be hard when DS19 goes back.

What days out did you do on?

I'm struggling with it all. The return to the grindstone, 2025 in general... Normally I'm keen for routine but I just want to cry when I think about this cosy period coming to an end.

Tomorrow morning, I'll have to say that my dad died last year. It feels like consigning him to ancient history. I've never dreaded the turn of a year so much.

There are going to be large-scale redundancies in my sector starting as soon as we get back. I'm beside myself with fear. I love my job and don't want to do anything else. I'm also on a decent salary and can't find anything similar which would come near to this. DH is on minimum wage and even with my salary, we struggle. I'm terrified about our future and all I can see when I think ahead to 2025 is bleakness.

We had a city break booked for February but took the decision to cancel it just in case the worst happens with work. We were able to get most of the money back and the idea of a holiday seemed so frivolous but now I wish there was something to which I could look forward.

Sorry, my reasons seem different to the original post but I read the thread and just had to get my thoughts out. These past days have been so lovely and I've shut out all of the worries and stress but with hours left in 2024, it's all getting to me now.