You made it! Jesus is Born! You survived the marathon: the thinking, the planning, the shopping, the wrapping, the cooking and baking, and now it’s time to relax. I know, you are looking around at the mess and the aftermath and feeling like you need to start cleaning up, but you must resist that urge. 

Yes, the kids will be home for another week, and yes, they will all be hungry again in about five minutes, but try to find some time today to just let go, let the mess stick around a little while longer, and just pour some Baileys in your coffee. The second day of Christmas has long been one of my favorite days. There are usually enough leftovers around that you don’t have to cook a real meal. Or there is at least plenty of candy left from all the stockings that as long as you keep administering it to your kids like a drug, they might not crash and turn into little tyrants. You have about forty-eight to seventy-two hours before they lose interest in all the toys they got for Christmas, so this is the day to leave them with their pile of treasures, and go watch a good movie in bed. Sure, they will need batteries, and help putting things together, they will want snacks and want a playmate to try each new game, build each new Lego set, or throw the new ball, but that is what dads are for. This is the day, ladies, when your husband gets to jump in and reward you for all the hard work you did over the last month. For those whose husbands have to work, or for you superhero single mom’s out there, you can still give yourself a break. Put some good Christmas movies on a loop, order a pizza, and call in reinforcements if you can. 

The wrapping paper, and boxes, and toys will be there tomorrow (or maybe the mess will drive your husband crazy and he’ll clean it up). I assure you no one will starve, no one will need extra therapy, and no one will die if you take a day off. Jesus came and we are saved! And one day you will be whole and healed (and rested) in heaven. But until then you have to take care of yourself, otherwise who is going to do all this work again next Christmas?