Some folks don’t seem to be able to rest. They putter around the house, or the yard, fixing this, straightening that, tidying the other thing. They always have a project, always something that needs doing. They, like the rest of us, never seem to get it all done–but they never stop moving. It’s exhausting just to watch them.

The holidays threaten us all with that. There’s never enough time to get everything done, always one more task that needs doing. If we allow it, we can exhaust ourselves with everything we have to do. It’s the flip side of yesterday’s post: be helpful, make sure everybody has a chance to rest and have a good time, but don’t forget to relax. We’re not the Energizer bunny, and we have to take care of ourselves.

There’s a simple way to tell if we’re doing too much: look around. Is everybody else relaxing? Have we done enough that everybody can enjoy themselves? Then it’s time to have a seat. We can’t make it perfect, and nobody else will notice if we do. Sit down, join the conversation, have a drink or a piece of pie. Watch the kids playing with their new toys–and resist the urge to pick up that piece of wrapping somebody missed. It’ll be there later. Heck, maybe one of the kids will pick it up.

It’s the holidays, after all. It’s time to forget the trouble we chase the rest of the year and let ourselves take a few days off. It’s easier for some than for others, but we all need it. Let’s all remember to soak in the joy, at least for a little while.