Christmas | Remember to Rest

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Christmas is hectic. Remember to rest.

I’m telling this to myself more than anyone else, to be honest. I’m longing for the glorious chaos of Christmas to end, for those summer days to stretch into cloudless nights, that ‘nobody knows what day it is’ week to happen in between Christmas and New Years, and those mornings where I don’t have to set my alarm and can wake up wondering what I’ll do on a day where I have nothing in the diary. That’s what I’m longing for.

Don’t get me wrong; I love Christmas. A lot. But this year has been very full; of shows, of dinners, of end-of-year events, of last-minute shopping (mostly online because the days have been occupied by other things), of coffee with friends, or trying to herd organise people, of shuttling people back and forth to the airport, of late night building, for early morning rising. It’s been a lot of fun and truly I wouldn’t change it for the world; I love it. But it’s tiring. And I need a break.

“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.” – John Lubbock

Summer (remember I’m down here in New Zealand; no snow for us this Christmas) is going to be good. While I have many plans, travelling all over the North Island of NZ, it’s going to be restful. It’s going to be a time of few responsibilities, of eating delicious food, of laughing and spending time with friends, of road tripping this incredible country we’re lucky enough to call home.

While that’s the case, leading up to Christmas I need to remember to take an hour or so and just pause. Take a moment, lie down and watch the clouds, listen to the world, to make a cup of tea, read a chapter or two, play some Christmas music.

In this lead up to Christmas, whether you’re like me and you’re running around like a headless chicken (a morbid simile but somehow apt), or you have no idea what I’m talking about and it’s a cruisy ride into the festive season, I hope you remember to take a minute and rest. Rest for a day, an hour, 15 minutes. Go to bed early, say no to yet another outing, take a walk, clear your head, treat yourself to a Christmas drink. Anything, something. Whatever is restful for you, do it.

And remind me to do the same.