Post-holiday blahs? Check out ideas to lighten your spirits in January and beyond

You've taken down the tree, packed away the lights and are still finding cookie sprinkles in places where they don't belong.

One possible cure for those post-holiday blahs: Give yourself a getway gift, like one that fills the air with uplifting music and fireworks at EPCOT. Or if you still need a little Christmas, right this very minute? There are options for that in St. Augustine and DeLand through later this month, too.

Here are a few ways to sprinkle some joy in January and beyond.

'Luminous: The Symphony of Us'

Walt Disney World's EPCOT has long offered guests a year-round festive, globe-hopping-in-Orlando journey.

But the park has added a wonderful touch of worldwide unity with the sparkling, sentimental nighttime show "Luminous: The Symphony of Us." It debuted in December and is certain to evoke holiday-like feelings no matter the date on the calendar.

That's because "Luminous" is, in a word, glorious.

A little background: "Luminous" replaced "Harmonious," which brightened Walt Disney World's 50th anniversary celebration starting in 2021 after a long, successful run of "Illuminations: Reflections of Earth."

For many, "Harmonious" lacked the overall punch of the emotion-charged "Illuminations," which debuted in 1999 and was a beloved, evocative show.

"Luminous" feels like a welcome home, getting it right from the start, kicking off with bursts of light, emotional music and "Welcome" messages from countries circling World Showcase Lagoon.

The perfectly voiced narration starts with a bang, too: "Everyone on this earth is part of the great symphony of us ... welcome to the great gathering. Each of us a unique instrument playing harmony to each other. And even though we are all playing different parts, it's our unified heartbeat that connects us, reminding us that we are more alike than we are different, a rhapsody of rhythms that unites us and connects us through our commonalities."

Guests glide easily through the stages and emotions faced in this global journey called life: Birth. Family. Play. Love. Loss. Unity. It's all there, with water, music, lights and fireworks — rather than projected images that were a big part of "Harmonious" — telling "our" story. It's enjoyable from varied angles around the lagoon, too, so don't stress the spot you're in as much as just kicking back and enjoying (and don't forget to watch for the changing sights on Spaceship Earth).

The show's soundtrack blends old and new Disney with fresh arrangements and that eye to unity, opening with "Heartbeat Symphony." Sing along with familiar tunes like “Friend Like Me” from Aladdin, and “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” from “Lion King.” Then slide into reminiscent with “When She Loved Me”  from “Toy Story” and “Recuérdame” from “Coco." Hearing "You'll Be in My Heart" from "Tarzan" sung in different languages reinforces the idea of global togetherness.

“A lot of emotion is where we kind of went with this one,” Steve Davison, creative executive for Disney Live Entertainment, told USA TODAY. “You just feel it, and even without seeing some of the visuals now, people just cry when they hear the soundtrack.”

He wasn't kidding. It's tear-inducing in that way you feel when you've missed something or someone, and see it off in the distance. That happy kind of tear that quickly turns to ahh, aww and awe.

And, Davison told USA TODAY, "“People will cry. It's just one of these things where if you allow yourself to have that emotion, let it … just for once in the darkness.”

If that happens, do the Elsa thing and let it go. You'll come back to smiles and cheers for the eye-popping finale and the narrator's closing words.

Yup.

Glorious.

Christmas sights, lights: Yes, in January

Need one more dose of holiday light-bright in a state where Santas surf?

To the north, St. Augustine's award-winning 30th annual Nights of Lights, which runs through Jan. 28, boasts more than 3 million lights in the city's historic district. It's truly a dazzling display, drawing guests from across Florida and far beyond. Stroll on your own, stopping at decorated shops, pubs and restaurants, or check out paid trolley tours.

In the mood for opulent, delightfully over-the-top in some cases, yule eye candy?

In Central Florida, Stetson Mansion in DeLand opens its doors through Jan. 20 for paid tours of its annual Christmas spectacular.

Per the mansion's website, "The 1886 Stetson Mansion is the largest and most spectacular "Gilded Age" residence ever built in Florida before 1900." (Yes. It's that Stetson, the "House That Hats Built" in 1886 for famed hat maker John B. Stetson. You'll see hats amid the cool yule.)

And the Christmas decor, different each and every year, is exquisite. The detail in every one of 10 rooms, the color explosions and the history behind the mansion itself are all explained fully and colorfully by tour guides, or on the self-guided tour, by the rooms' designer (who's one of the owners).

This year's room themes: Staircase, Coming Home for Christmas; Reception Parlor, Mapping Out Christmas; Music Room/Library, Stetson, An American Icon; Dining Room, Christmastime In Our Enchanted Woods; Kitchen, On This Day; Servant Staircase, Christmas Greetings From the Frost Family; Black and White Bathroom, Elf Wash and Fold; Elizabeth Suite, A Celestial Celebration; Gillen Suite, Peacock Pageantry; and John B. Stetson Suite,  A White Christmas with Bing.

For the self-guided tour, you'll get a link in your confirmation email so you can listen to the designer on your phone. You'll need to move fairly slowly to take in everything you're being told. Still, the self-guided tour instructions bill it as a 60-to-70 minute event. Written and audio room descriptions explaining the inspiration and meaning of each room are emailed to everyone making a reservation.

Photos on these tours aren't allowed, but it's perfectly OK to shoot pix for that next Christmas card outside.

Mansion officials don't recommend this one for toddlers or infants, and no doubt they're right: This tour is for young people and adults enamored of history and/or Christmas, and it's just right to put those post-holiday blues to rest.

Information, please!

For pricing and hours:

EPCOT and "Luminous: The Symphony of Us" (show included with park ticket): disneyworld.disney.go.com/destinations/epcot/

St. Augustine's Nights of Lights Tours 2023 - 2024 | Visit St. Augustine (visitstaugustine.com)

Stetson Mansion, 1031 Camphor Lane, DeLand: The Christmas Mansion — The Stetson Mansion

Britt Kennerly is education and breaking news editor for FLORIDA TODAY. She thinks Christmas should last all year.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Post-holiday blahs? Brighten the blues with a gift for yourself