Unfortunately, these days, it almost does.
The two-month lame duck period, as noted, is a consequence of the Twentieth Amendment, ratified in 1933, which shortened the earlier four-month period.
The drafters of the Twentieth probably thought they were eliminating lame duck legislating, because the Congress of that era could wrap up its work in six to nine months. And so it went, for a while–the 1934 session of Congress, the first to begin on January 3, adjourned sine die on June 18!
When World War II broke out on September 1, 1939, Congress had already adjourned and President Roosevelt had to call it back into special session to repeal the Neutrality Act. This is the last time a President has called a special session of Congress. It will probably never happen again.
Decades slipped by, the budget increased, and Senators discovered that filibusters could be used on other things besides civil rights bills. By the late 1970’s, Congress was in session ten or eleven months per year, and it was no longer possible to adjourn from early October (to allow time for campaigning) until January 3.
Theoretically, we could further shorten the interval between Election Day and the new Congress. I dare say that three weeks would be long enough for all but the longest recounts to be settled and for the parties to elect their leadership.
But there are only two ways to accomplish this–move back Election Day (by law), or move the new Congress forward (by Constitutional amendment). The former will never happen, because people would howl about encroaching on the holiday season. The latter will never happen, because you can’t get a consensus for any Constitutional amendment these days.
So if you’re chomping at the bit, waiting for your party to grab the reins of power, be patient. Next time the shoe will be on the other foot.