By JACKIE TAYLOR | December 31, 2025

Twixmas

It’s amazing how quickly the year has passed. Christmas is a memory; the tree is still up and decorations are in their places, but soon, they’ll be boxed waiting for next year’s holiday time.

With that, I learned a new word today – Twixmas. Maybe you know what it is, but I didn’t. So, for those who are wondering as well – according to AI, “Twixmas (or Twixtmas) is the informal, cozy term for the quiet, in-between days (roughly Dec 27-30) between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, a period of relaxed downtime for resting, eating leftovers, catching up with family, or gentle activities before the year’s official end. The name blends “twixt” (an old word for “between”) with Christmas, capturing that hazy, slow-paced festive lull where work stops, and productivity takes a backseat for relaxation.”

This year, the calendar favored us with a Thursday Christmas. Most of America had a four-to-five-day Christmas break followed by another four-to-five-day New Year’s break – unlike last year where Christmas fell on a Wednesday making it awkward to take a full holiday break.

I’m actually looking forward to Twixmas; I’ll have my granddaughter for almost a week and we plan on taking the time around New Year to do a bit of close sightseeing.

My family mainly stayed away from clothing purchases from retail sites as gifts, so we didn’t fall into the trap most of America is in with returning unwanted sweaters, socks, etc.

But, Axios.com reports, “Why it matters: Americans return tens of billions of dollars’ worth of unwanted Christmas gifts every year, turning good intentions into one of retail’s biggest annual money sinks.”

Twixmas is a time of gift returning. The article continues, “The post-Christmas return rush typically peaks in the days immediately after the holiday. Returns jump 25%–35% beginning Dec. 26 compared with earlier in the month, according to Adobe Analytics.”

Another word new to me was coined by retailers dealing with returned goods. Axios.com says, “The weeks-long surge, dubbed “Returnuary,” extends well into January, keeping return counters and shipping networks busy.”

Go to a Kohl’s or TJMaxx and witness the great return in person, if you so choose to torture yourself like that. Axios.com continued, “By the numbers: 20%–25% of annual sales are expected to be returned in 2025 — representing roughly $1 trillion worth of merchandise, according to data from returns platform Seel, which factors in last holiday season’s return surge.

Holiday returns spike about 16% in November and December, when early shopping collides with last-minute buying, per Seel.

The average returned item typically falls in the $100–$200 range, returns data firms estimate.”

New, but not unexpected, are fees that retailers are charging for the return of those unwanted Christmas gifts. Last minute buying may save the Christmas, but it adds up in additional costs when that sweet thought is returned.

WTVR.com reported, “The post-Christmas return ritual just got expensive. Major retailers are abandoning decades of hassle-free returns, now charging customers up to $45 to send back unwanted gifts as stores scramble to offset crushing logistics costs from an estimated $850 billion in annual returns.

“Macy’s now charges $9.99 for mail-in returns. T.J. Maxx and Marshalls charge $11.99. Other stores, including J.Crew ($7.50), Abercrombie & Fitch ($7.00), H&M ($3.99) and Zara ($4.95) all now charge fees between $4 and $8.

“It can now cost as much as $45 to return certain electronics at Best Buy.”

I imagine returns are a pain. No product comes back in the same condition it left the store. Think about boxes from Amazon when they’re unpacked. It’s virtually impossible to get the product back in the bag, box, etc. and make it look ready for another customer to purchase.

We the purchaser are now starting to feel that pain.

Enjoy your Twixmas time! Happy New Year and be safe out there.