Ah, Twixmas. That glorious, liminal space between Christmas and New Year’s Eve where time is an illusion, pants are optional, and society collectively agrees to stop caring for a hot minute. Some call it Twixmas, others Dead Week, and for the truly unhinged among us, Feral Week. It’s the annual period where deadlines are punted into the next calendar year, email inboxes emit a chorus of “Out of Office” auto-replies, and you can subsist on a diet consisting entirely of holiday leftovers and wine at inappropriate times of day. Bliss.
You might be asking yourself: Why do we love Twixmas so much? Or, more importantly, why do we need it? The short answer is simple: capitalism is exhausting, and we all deserve a break. The long answer? Well, buckle up. This is going to get snarky.
Twixmas: A Cultural Phenomenon
Let’s start with the name. Twixmas. It sounds like the seasonal branding campaign of a chocolate bar company, but no. It’s shorthand for “betwixt Christmas and New Year’s,” because apparently we couldn’t be bothered to say that full sentence. Honestly, that’s fitting, given how lazy this week is supposed to be.
But the beauty of Twixmas lies in its very nebulousness. There are no rules, no traditions (other than not doing traditions), and no societal expectations other than perhaps texting your mom back when she asks if you liked the socks she gave you. Twixmas is a no-man’s-land of time, a swirling vortex where the Gregorian calendar takes a breather, and we’re left adrift in a foggy haze of good intentions and even better naps.
The Need for Doing Nothing
Let’s talk about why Twixmas is essential. Experts say that rest isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s literally life-saving. And no, they’re not talking about the kind of “rest” where you do yoga at 5 a.m. and journal about your feelings. They mean actual, unproductive, sit-on-the-couch-in-yesterday’s-sweatpants rest.
The Health Crisis of Overwork
Celeste Headlee, the author of Do Nothing: How to Break Away From Overworking, Overdoing, and Underliving, wants you to know that the grind culture we’ve been force-fed is slowly killing us. She points to the World Health Organization’s 2021 study that links long working hours to higher rates of stroke and heart disease. Shocker: working yourself to death isn’t a vibe.
But here’s the kicker—working longer hours doesn’t mean you’re getting more done. Studies have repeatedly shown that productivity plummets when you’re overworked. Yet somehow, many of us still equate busyness with self-worth. As Peggy Loo, a psychologist who specializes in burnout, puts it, “Sometimes how busy we are becomes a sign of personal accomplishment or value.” Translation: we’ve all been brainwashed.
Twixmas Rules (or Lack Thereof)
During Twixmas, though, we get a rare hall pass to do less and not feel bad about it. The societal guilt dial is turned down to a manageable hum, and suddenly it’s okay to just exist without trying to optimize your life.
Rule #1: Productivity Is Banned If you catch yourself thinking, “Oh, I should reorganize the pantry” or “I finally have time to alphabetize my spice rack,” stop. Sit down. Watch a movie you’ve seen 47 times before. You are not here to be productive. Twixmas is for eating cheese straight from the block and forgetting what day it is.
Rule #2: Pants Are Optional This is not the week for real clothes. The Twixmas uniform is sweatpants, oversized hoodies, and perhaps the novelty socks you got for Christmas. Bonus points if your ensemble doubles as pajamas.
Rule #3: Calories Don’t Count All bets are off. Those cookies you swore you’d “get rid of” before January? They’re dinner now. Twixmas is when you carbo-load like you’re about to run a marathon, except the marathon is 12 hours of binge-watching The Great British Bake Off.
How to Rest When You Still Have to Work
Of course, not everyone has the luxury of fully checking out during Twixmas. Some poor souls still have to clock in, whether in an office, on Zoom, or in retail purgatory. If you’re one of them, fear not—there are ways to embrace the Twixmas spirit even if you’re tethered to your job.
Set Boundaries Like Your Life Depends on It
Work your contracted hours, and not a second more. The phrase “That can wait until the new year” is your new mantra.Find Micro-Moments of Rest
Headlee suggests ditching your phone during breaks. Scroll through Instagram on your lunch hour if you must, but don’t fool yourself into thinking it’s restful. Take a walk, stare at a wall, or indulge in an aggressively mundane hobby like knitting or adult coloring books.Turn Down Non-Essential Chores
Just because you’re not at work doesn’t mean you should fill your free time with other responsibilities. No, you don’t need to clean out the garage right now. Yes, that pile of laundry can wait. Lean into the art of benign neglect.
Twixmas as a Lifestyle
What if we took the ethos of Twixmas and applied it year-round? Imagine living in a world where rest wasn’t something you had to earn, but a basic human right. Wild concept, right?
Normalize Doing Less
You know who else doesn’t work themselves into an early grave? Europeans. They take month-long vacations, have shorter workweeks, and generally understand that life is meant to be enjoyed, not endured. Maybe they’re onto something.
Create Restful Habits
Headlee advocates for small, sustainable changes. Maybe during Twixmas you realize you’re perfectly capable of only checking your email twice a day. Keep that energy going in January. Or perhaps you discover that a quick walk around the block is more restorative than 20 minutes of doomscrolling. Congratulations, you’ve just hacked your own well-being.
The Future of Twixmas
If we’re being honest, the rise of Twixmas as a cultural phenomenon is probably tied to the fact that we’re all collectively burnt out. Millennials and Gen Z, in particular, are spearheading the movement to prioritize mental health over hustle culture. And thank God for that.
Because here’s the truth: we shouldn’t need an excuse like Twixmas to give ourselves a break. The fact that this week feels like a magical anomaly just goes to show how skewed our relationship with work and rest has become.
So this Twixmas, embrace the chaos. Take the nap. Ignore the dishes. Tune out the world and tune into yourself, even if that just means zoning out to Hallmark movies for hours on end. After all, 2025 You will be here soon enough, and they’ll have plenty of time to worry about the real world.