How do you keep the Christmas feeling after the 25th?

[Christmas21]

I've noticed the last few years that Christmas feels 'over' as soon as Christmas day is done.
We've got the panto booked for the 27th this year but does anyone have ideas for prolonging the festive feeling?

I find not emerging from the Christmas bubble helps. So continuing to wake up and snack on Brie in the mornings, have a lunch time tipple. Continue putting Christmas films on and ploughing through the Christmas chocolate. Playing with all the new toys.

We try and host a small party on the 27th / 28th with close friends, with lovely food and games somehow feels festive.

Long walks with mince pies and stollen on our return.

I also keep the Christmas music playing until New Years Eve

We have certain traditions so 26th is just us at home and we have a menu for that day. Then we go to the theatre on 27th, another just us day on 28th and then have an extended family meal here on 29th December so it continues until then.

However I take my tree down on 31st December so that the new year is non-Christmas as I like it that way. My Christmas starts on 30th November with getting the reusable advent calendars down from the loft and filling them. Hence why I am done by 31st. We like "traditions" that we have come up with over the years, food, activities etc.

I find not emerging from the Christmas bubble helps. So continuing to wake up and snack on Brie in the mornings, have a lunch time tipple. Continue putting Christmas films on and ploughing through the Christmas chocolate. Playing with all the new toys

Yep, same here! Christmassy events and treats (liks your panto booking) will help too.

DH is always off for 2.5 weeks at Christmas so we tend to have 12 days of festivities from the 22nd to the 2nd then de-Christmas on January 3rd .

We watch films, read, play games, walks, meet friends, go bowling, drink hot chocolate, lots of food, host friends and family, prep for NYE gathering etc.

Agree with the Christmas bubble comment. Keep away from social media if you know people who put their tree up in November but take their tree down on Boxing Day. Reading "so glad it's over, I want my clean and tidy house back" posts when for you it's still Christmas is a total mood killer. Also tv adverts for Boxing Day sales.

I'm wondering if some pre-Christmas traditions could just get moved to the week after. Panto is a good one, seeing the lights also works as would baking a gingerbread house.

It’s a hard one, because for me anticipation is best and I want to play Christmas music, watch Christmas cookery programmes etc. from 1st December, but at the same time the earlier you start the more likely you are to feel “done” by Boxing Day. So my advice would be don’t start too soon.

Once Christmas is over it's over.

I prefer the build up. You have 24 days in December to feel the magic leading up to Christmas. Plenty of pantos and events to do.

Before is more special IMO.

I must be a Scrooge because I can't wait for it to be over.

By not decorating on Nov 25th, as some people seem to do.

Christmas doesn't start till Christmas Day in this house, anything before that is just stressful preparation and the days between Christmas and New Year are my favourite in the year as we eat leftovers, read books, play with the kids toys and just enjoy some relaxed family time. Put your decorations up as close to Christmas Eve as possible and keep them up till after the New Year, and make sure there are plenty luxury foods to snack on and just enjoy doing as little as possible.

We don't have our Christmas dinner until the Sunday after Christmas day.that helps!

I love the Christmas season - and it’s definitely more than just a day here.
We have advent with all the preparations, advent calendars, making wreaths and garlands, Carol services and singing in Trafalgar Square. Leaving decorating and tree until the weekend before, so it doesn’t feel jaded.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are big events here and very family/village/Church focussed.. Then we do drinks on Boxing Day and usually have an invitation for drinks on 27th. We used to do the sales, lights and lunch out on 28th too, but that’s a bit off limits now. Usually book the Nutcracker at some point before or immediately after Christmas.

Then we tend to go away for two or three nights now. We used to spend time getting ready to go away on 29th for New Year with a big group, but the children are all grown now. We spend time walking, going for pub meals, playing scrabble, sequence or risk, swimming in the sea and eating cheese and Christmas cake.

Then back for New Year preparations and events. Usually a couple of drinks parties, supper and dancing on NYE, a NY day swim to watch, Church at some point which still has decorations, Carols and drink afterwards.

One of our friends always does Epiphany drinks, which is generally the last Christmas event.

I'm from Eastern Europe so NYE is the biggest celebration of the year, there's a lot of excitement for that.
Xmas is on the 7th of Jan but that's more religious (but still celebrated massively).
You then have 'old New Year' on the 12th Jan, where it is NY but by old style calendar (like thousands of years ago).

In fact the period from NY to 12th Jan is such a drunken debauchery that the government has given everyone a 10 day public holiday so people stay off work.

By mid-Jan even the most hardcore celebration lovers have usually had enough, so you throw your Xmas tree away with a slight relief 😅
Just prolong the holidays yourself! Don't take your tree down until Jan.

A few years ago we started going to a panto between Christmas and New year and it really makes a difference to us.

We put the tree up very late and take down early compared to many others otherwise it doesn’t feel special for the holidays if there for weeks. We also have a second event on Boxing Day (pre covid) so it feels like another Christmas Day.

Christmas ends at new year for us, we both have the time off work between so that helps. We see family after Christmas as we have quite a large family. Exchange presents then too which is nice as then gifts are spaced out. I don't take my tree down until after new year as I like it up for New Years. Then 2nd/3rd January the decs come down.

We did drive around this year after Christmas to see lights which was lovely, didn't have a chance on the run up and we will do that again this year. Also try to visit somewhere which is decorated, local farm or something.

Also have the Christmas food throughout the week and we will watch Christmas films or catch up on tv we have missed.
I always like to have some time to sit and watch call the midwife Christmas special!

Thank you all for the ideas. We tend to start putting the decorations up on the first weekend of December, so not super early.
I think I will organise more things to do in between Christmas and New Year.

Try not to celebrate Christmas during Advent.

We bring the tree into the house on Christmas Eve.

I like to spread out the people we're seeing over a few days and finish up with a day just DH & I (so as an example, see my parents, sister and her dc on Christmas Day, ILs on Boxing Day, friends on 27th, auntie, cousin etc on my side (along with parents again) on 28th, then On 29th DH & I spend a day watching Christmas stuff and eating the leftover Christmas food).

The other thing we've done is go away - as it's a Christmas holiday it means Christmas isn't over until we come home. This has been as early as 27th and as late as Jan 3rd, but I appreciate that's not an option for everyone!

@FullMoonInsomnia

I must be a Scrooge because I can't wait for it to be over.

And yet here you are on the Christmas board in August

Christmas for us starts on 1/12 and really does end after Boxing Day. We often have people over on 27/28 but then I’m wanting the house back to normal so the tree is down, house tidied etc.

We have tried to keep the bubble going but found ourselves doing stuff for the sake of it but for us the build up is the big part of Christmas. Panto, food, nights out, family, even TV, visiting Santa, stuff in the village etc etc. The lead up is Christmas for us, not the time between Christmas and New Year.

I think what I’m trying to say is do what’s right in your family to celebrate.

Unfortunately, many on the Christmas boards get frothy about how/when people do their decorations, eat, celebrations etc. Just do what’s right for you. Christmas means something different to everyone. Do it your way.

It still feels Christmassy to me until at least 1st Jan, and the decorations never come down until the 6th - January is dreary enough anyway.

I actually love the week between Christmas and NY - no more shopping, lots of leftovers to eat up, time for visiting places that are still decorated, e.g. near us, Hampton Court, time to watch any Christmas TV I’d recorded and hadn’t got around to watching. And I still play Christmas music until then.
If we still had dds at home I’d def.book a pantomime for then, or the Nutcracker ballet. Since we haven’t I usually watch a Nutcracker DVD anyway. 🎄