Opinion Its a six-day snow day; relieved from duty while normal service is suspended

Monday, 23rd December 2019, 3:31 pm

'During Betwixtmas, on the other hand, everyones too high on post-festive joy (hungover) to pretend they prefer work to leisure' (Photo: General Photographic Agency/Getty Images)

So this is Betwixtmas, as the John Lennon song (almost) goes. Weve reached that lazy stretch in between Christmas and New Year. Whether youre at work or motionless on the sofa, society at large is languishing in a sleepy limbo. Relaxing as it sounds, the lack of direction can feel discombobulating. But wish these days away at your peril. For it is Betwixtmas, not Christmas, that is the most wonderful time of the year.

December 25 may be jolly, but its also crammed with people to entertain and chores to do. Betwixtmas, conversely, is a chance to completely kick back. In our always-on work culture, there are no other times when switching off is not only acceptable, it is encouraged. Yes, no one expects you to do too much work on your birthday (well, if youre a journalist, at least. I imagine you get cut less slack if youre, say, performing heart surgery.)

And its assumed youll take some time off in August, even if negotiating the office summer holiday schedule is so fraught that it feels like a Pyrrhic victory when you finally manage to claw a few days away. But both those occasions come with a nagging sense that seeing as everyone else is at work, you should be too. Even if your inner workaholic isnt telling you this, a helpful colleague will do so instead. Truly, has anyone gone on holiday in the last decade without being texted a harried query by a desk mate that they insist is non urgent but send anyway?

Biscuits and chocolate for breakfast during Betwixtmas (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

During Betwixtmas, on the other hand, everyones too high on post-festive joy (hungover) to pretend they prefer work to leisure. Its a six-day snow day; relieved from duty while normal service is suspended offices close, businesses shut Britons shed their professional carapaces so swiftly, its almost as if its unnatural to spend every day of our precious time on earth working

But instead of dwelling on the depressing, concentrate on the bounties provided by this special time. Mealtimes are greatly improved, for instance. Breakfasts are handsome feasts of clementines and chocolate coins. Dinner is a ready-meal in front of the telly. Meanwhile, your expectations of yourself are so drastically lowered that lying in bed watching The Holiday for the 27th time in a month seems productive.

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Inevitably, though, that modern age menace, the self-improvement industry, tries to spoil the fun. From 10am on Boxing Day, the "new year, new you" narrative starts being parroted by everyone from the media to family members. This is easy to ignore at first but by the time your fourth consecutive day of indolence dawns, youre vulnerable. Suddenly, you contemplate donning a Fitbit.

But remember: once January comes around, youre not going to get such a plum chance to relax again for another 359 days. Youll need all the energy you can muster to resist the anti-indulgence brigade. Handy that youve spent the past week building up your strength by eating mince pies in bed, eh?

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Betwixtmas- that bit between Christmas and New Year- should be wished away at your peril - inews