So Much for the Night Before Christmas. How About the Morning (And Week) After?

So much for "'twas the night before Christmas.'" What about the night – and morning and week – after it? For those who don't celebrate the full 12 days, Dec. 26 is an abrupt end to a long Christmas season.

Many of us spent much of the past month raising kids and doing our jobs – but also baking cookies, addressing Christmas cards, buying and wrapping presents, standing in line at the post office, decorating the tree and the house, and squeezing in a few holiday parties.

It's all great (well, maybe not the standing in line part). But it's exhausting.

Don't get me wrong. I love Christmas. Yet I also like it when it ends.

Like me, my kids look at the bright side to the end of Dec. 25. "It's in a way sad, but it comes again next year!" says my 15-year-old.

My 12-year-old says she likes using her "new stuff" and thinking about what she might get with her gift cards. She even enjoys writing thank you notes to relatives, such as her aunt. "I haven't seen for her a long time, so it's good for her to know she chose well," she says. Awww.

It's my kids' favorite holiday. "Obviously," says my 12-year-old.

My husband, a baseball and horseracing fan, semi-jokingly ranks Christmas in his top four. "It's my favorite holiday, along with [fantasy baseball] draft day, Derby Day, and Breeders' Cup weekend," he says.

Meanwhile, I've put away the curly ribbon and the candy-cane wrapping paper, and my husband has broken down the boxes for recycling. The girls have relocated their loot to their bedrooms and have painted their nails with the new polish from their stockings. And they've talked about delighting in "It's a Wonderful Life," which we saw — at the theater — this afternoon. "I like old-fashioned stuff for Christmas," says my 15-year-old.

Now we're ready for the next holiday: New Year's Eve. Carson Daly, Blake Shelton, and Tony Bennett will ring in 2012 in Times Square. Us? We'll lift a glass of Martinelli's sparking cider at home. (It's warmer and less crowded.) And we'll keep filling in our new calendars. FYI, next year Christmas falls on a Tuesday.

For more stories about Christmas, read:

How to Bake the Best Christmas Cookies

How to be a Great Holiday Party Guest and Host

Exchanging Gifts with Family Members: How to Reduce the Angst

Christmas Thank You Notes

Postal Service Cutbacks and Your Family