“One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind.” Romans 14:5 CSB
Christmas is over, now what? The day after Christmas can be a sort of let down. Often times you hear the post-Christmas blues called a “Holiday Hangover.” After all of the hard work, the preparation, the day has come and gone. We spent so much time planning for the 25th, we forgot there was a Dec. 26th. Holidays don’t go the way we planned the majority of the time. Not everyone came, so-and-so didn’t like their gift, the turkey was dry, on and on the list can go of all the things that went wrong. For me, working in retail is what led to my exhaustion on Dec. 26th.
The slow build to Christmas would start in September. The pressure from New York, where my corporate offices were, would begin to increase. As new product hit the floor, we had to gauge it quickly to see if it was selling, then react accordingly to what the numbers were reporting. Starting at Thanksgiving we worked six day weeks, Black Friday was always the worst. Every day I drove to different malls. Each mall was packed with cranky shoppers. The receiving docks were piled high with stock that needed to be processed and placed. My holidays flew by. Then on Christmas Day, I went from going 90 miles an hour, to not moving at all. I went from 6 day work weeks to an entire week off. Inevitably, I got sick. By the time Christmas day had come and gone, I had worn myself out physically and mentally.
Many of you probably have similar stories of how the holidays have worn you out. For Moms, my retail nightmare pales in comparison to all they do during the holidays for their friends and families. The holidays are exhausting for all of us.
After 23 years in the business, I learned to plan ahead. I planned a Sabbath for Dec. 26th. I planned a day where I didn’t get dressed or take a shower. I just vegged on the couch and watched movies, ALL day. I planned rest into my life by creating an additional Sabbath day.
In this article by Kristie Rohweider, she gives us helpful tips on how to beat the post-holiday hangover. Number one is to sleep in as long as you like, and when you do get up, don’t get dressed, stay in those jammies. Drink plenty of water, only leave the couch when necessary, and put the phone on Do Not Disturb. Eat the leftovers, enjoy the cookies and relax. Create a Sabbath day for yourself to rejuvenate, renew and refresh. If you can’t do it today, plan a day in the near future you can. We all need rest, we all need a Sabbath.
Today I’m going to find rest in a Sabbath day. How can you find rest today?
