Retirement During the Holidays
I want to talk today about one of my all-time favorite things, Retirement During the Holidays. Nothing is more awesome than to be able to enjoy the holidays, while you have plenty of free time. We had a bunch of people over for Thanksgiving and I was able to help my wife clean up the house the day before, and I cooked all day on Thanksgiving. Back when I was working, she would have gotten stuck cleaning all by herself. Instead, I was able to go shopping, do the laundry, vacuum the stairs, and help clean up the house. Now that I am retired, the holidays seem so much more relaxed and so much less stressed.
Work Projects
One of the things I disliked about my old job was that I usually had a big year-end project scheduled during the holidays, so I could work on the network, while everyone was away. It was great for getting the project done, but that meant everyone got a holiday vacation but me. I especially remember in 2019 when our company got bought and I was doing a big integration to switch networks. I was working 60-to-70-hour weeks, and it was tedious and stressful. If anything had gone wrong, I probably would have lost my job. By the time I completed the integration, I was wiped out. When I finally came home to relax, I found our custom Christmas cards sitting on my desk, that I had forgotten to send out. I threw them away a couple years ago, after I had retired and cleaned out my desk.
Stress-Free Holidays
The holidays should be a time of fun, family, parties and gathering. Instead, it can become a stressful time of balancing work and other responsibilities with your family and social obligations. There is rushing around to get everything done, shopping for gifts in the dark, putting up tress, lights, and decorations, and then trying to fit the holidays into your busy schedule on weekends, with a couple work days off. It can get exhausting. When you retire and take work out of the equation, it is magical how much more fun the holidays become.
Less is More
This year, my daughter suggested we draw names, and each give one gift, instead of buying individual gifts for every person. Our family is growing and last year there was a huge pile of gifts under the tree. It took us over an hour just to open them all. I got some nice gifts last year, but I honestly don’t need much these days. I definitely don’t need a whole pile of gifts and neither do my wife and kids. We also don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars each at this expensive time of the year. On top of all that, we don’t need to spend hours shopping for that cool gift for each and every person. So, I am really looking forward to Christmas this year, where the focus will be less on gifts and more on each other.
The Bottom Line
The bottom line is that the holidays are a breeze when you retire and have plenty of time to enjoy them. Most of the stress and pressure just melts away, when you can spend time with your family. Plus, you can do those holiday chores when you aren’t rushed and you can shop on weekdays, when the stores aren’t as crowded. Retirement is a blessing in so many ways, but it is especially a blessing during the holiday season.
