10 Things to Do After the Holiday Season to Ease Into New Year
The holidays bring joy along with some aftermath. Leftover orange peels, mysterious photos on your phone, and the feeling that your pants have shrunk.
To smoothly transition back to everyday life without stress, we've prepared a list of 10 things to do after the holidays wrap up.
Why We Love Top 10 Listicles
The number 10 is a popular choice for listicles and compilations because:
- It represents completeness and orderliness — 10 rounds out the first set of digits, forming the decimal system and a setting clear boundary before numbers move into the teens.
- It's reliable — 10 is perceived as the most logical number. This is why lists and top picks often come in 10 points — 11 or 9 just seems disorderly.
- 10's always enough — Taking cues from the previous points, think of steps or squats: 10,000 steps or 10 squats are enough for daily activity. Doing more could be overexertion, and less may not meet the day’s physical activity norm.
- A decade milestone is a perfect hallmark for any company — 10 years mark the first serious stage of a company's maturity. Moreover, a decade is memorable and works well in marketing — "10 years of success" or "10 years of innovation."
10 Useful Things to Do After the Holidays
Feel free to select any item from the list, or mix and match them as you see fit.
Share Your Secret Santa Experience
After the holiday season, it's beneficial to chat or meet up with your Secret Santa game participants to share your thoughts on the gift exchange, showcase received surprises, and exchange positive vibes.
This can help gauge the success of the game and open possibilities for future games and holiday ideas. Perhaps you'll decide to celebrate every holiday this way or plan the next Secret Santa game on the MySanta platform.
Declutter Your Fridge
Say goodbye to those dried-out salads, aged deli slices, and forgotten candies in the back of your fridge. Conduct an inventory, toss out last year's groceries, and clean out the fridge and freezer. Then grab your relatives or friends and head to your favorite store for inspiration from new items neatly displayed, helping you cultivate a varied, fresh meal plan.
Sort Out Your Gifts
Categorize your gifts into three groups: items you'll start using immediately, things you might use later, and those you won't need. Organizing gifts is not just about freeing up some home space but also boosting your emotional well-being. Surrounded by things that don't bring joy or aren't used can create a sense of chaos and stress.
One great way to part with items that don't fit your needs is to regift or sell them to someone who'll be delighted to use them.
Ease Into Work Slowly
Start tackling your work tasks and adjusting your schedule while still in the holiday mindset. The classic post-holiday return to work often feels shocking — people feel anxious and dread leaving the festive relaxation for the demands of everyday life. Preemptively addressing this helps ease the transition back, maintaining productivity and motivation for early successes in the new year smoothly.
List Your Goals for the New Year
Don't rush to criticize and push yourself as soon as the old year passes. Relax during the break, give yourself a few days of orientation-less downtime, and craft a positive to-do plan.
Plan for what you know you can achieve, without setting sky-high goals. What are you looking forward to in the year? Set goals without pressure or tight deadlines. It could be simple things like more walks, warm gatherings, or any new experiences. Not "work out five times a week," but "find an activity that brings joy." This approach welcomes positive changes at your pace, building strength for bigger achievements when the time is right.
Set Up Your Eating and Sleeping Schedule
Setting a routine for sleep, meals, and personal development lays the foundation for a productive return to work. Without a stable sleep and meal routine, productivity will be shaky, and plans hard to execute.
Gradually adjust your bedtime to suit your work schedule and ensure a balanced diet that provides enough energy throughout the day. Avoid strong restrictions — it's better to adapt gently so the new routine feels less stressful. At the same time, make room for personal development: small but consistent actions that bring satisfaction and a sense of progress. When your fundamental rhythms are aligned, other tasks will be easier to manage, and work will become more comfortable.
Plan a Digital Cleanup
Throughout the year, hundreds and thousands of photos accumulate on your phone, piling up like layers. Unnecessary screenshots and blurry shots mix with valuable memories.
To eliminate digital clutter, take time to review your phone's contents. Manually sort through photos and videos, deleting what's unnecessary, or simplify the task with apps designed for quick gallery cleanup. Apps like Sweep Cleaner, Cleanup, and AI Cleaner efficiently identify bad shots, similar images, and outdated files, keeping only the essentials. This digital detox can simplify device use and make memories more accessible, adding a fresh feeling to the newly begun year.
Refresh Your Home Space
Holiday decorations not only become dusty but require meticulous upkeep and add a lingering holiday vibe. Unless you're a hardcore holiday enthusiast, pack away ornaments, label them for easy remembering next year, and store them in a cabinet or garage.
Ensure the space doesn't feel empty and dull by adding decor reflecting the season change and upcoming events. Include interior elements that herald spring's arrival: fresh flowers, lighter textiles, and decor tied to forthcoming holidays like Easter. This approach prevents the end-of-holiday feeling.
Join a Fitness Challenge
Yes, starting workouts should be soft and gradual. Yes, the sport should genuinely appeal to you — whether it's paddleball or crossfit. But if you're tired of starting each year alone, and nobody supports your enthusiasm — jump into a fitness challenge. The internet is filled with courses and marathons from reputable coaches. Many promise valuable prizes for victory, but the main attraction is the strong community formed through progress sharing.
Go on Your Dream Date
If you're in a relationship, the holidays may have passed in a whirl of family gatherings and various tasks, leaving little time for just the two of you. Early in the year is ideal for rekindling romance and doing something special together.
Choose an experience you've long wanted: dinner in a unique spot, a countryside trip, a night in a hotel with a scenic view, or a joint workshop. The key is the ambiance and new experiences reminding you why you're together.
As a single, use this time to reset your love life. The new year symbolizes new opportunities. Why not embark on a dream date? You could download a dating app or message someone you already know.
Conclusion
It's easy to slide into a post-holidays slump, but the right actions can ease you back into rhythm without extra stress. Just take your time, do everything with humor, and remember: there are plenty more reasons for joy ahead.
