By A.C. Williams by @acw_author

December is upon us once more. Lights are sparkling on houses. Trees are shining in living rooms. Christmas music plays on repeat in every store twenty-four hours a day.

I love it. Christmas is my favorite time of year for so many reasons. The day Thanksgiving is over, I’m singing Christmas carols, hanging wreaths, and untangling Christmas lights. But I’m fully aware that not everyone loves Christmas like I do. And, even more so, that Christmas can sometimes be a painful reminder of loved ones who are no longer in the picture. Christmas isn’t always pure joy. Sometimes it’s lined with quite a lot of sadness.

And beyond the moments that are sad for some folks, Christmas is just stressful. Wildly stressful. Even if you’re doing your best to keep your Christmas celebrations focused on spiritual things, there are still so many social engagements happening and so many holiday expectations to meet. It’s usually more than anyone can manage.

Then, you’ve got the writers. Deadlines don’t stop just because Christmas is here. People don’t stop reading.

So writers have to juggle all the family expectations, social expectations, and church expectations, along with all of our existing deadlines.

Is it any wonder we all go a little nutty this time of year?

So, here’s the question: What if we did the holidays a little differently this year? What if we took a step back from all the merriment just a little? What if we asked ourselves—really asked ourselves—what truly matters during this season?

Sure, deadlines matter. There’s not much that you can do about those. Unless you can. Have you asked for an extension? Are you able to get a little wiggle room? Or are you driving yourself toward a deadline that no one has asked you to meet?

What about social engagements? Do you really need to go to every Christmas gathering on your list? Are all the events you planned to attend going to encourage you, refresh you, inspire you? If they aren’t, why are you going? Sure, some things you can’t avoid. Some social gatherings are requirements, especially if they’re for work. But what if you didn’t have to go? Have you even wondered if it’s possible?

I used to just do everything everyone asked me to do. If someone asked me to attend an event, I’d do it. If someone invited me to a get-together, I’d go. I always host. I always throw parties. I always make meals. I always volunteer. Go, go, go. Do, do, do.

Because Christmas is about serving others.

Isn’t it?

Well, here’s something that I’ve learned this year: I can’t do everything.

Don’t get me wrong. I’ve tried. That’s how I know I can’t do it. Nobody wants burn out for Christmas, but that’s the road so many of us are on.

So before the most wonderful day of the year arrives, I just want to encourage you, dear writer, to take a day off. Step back. Breathe. Remember who you are. Remember Whose you are. Remember why you do this.

Believe it or not, that chapter you’re trying to get done can wait a little while longer. You actually might do a better joy writing it if you take some intentional time to refresh your soul.

If you’re feeling weary and worn out, rest. Actually rest. Find what brings refreshment and restoration to your soul, and make the time to do it.

It might mean you don’t go to that one Christmas party. It might mean that your chapter is a day late. That’s okay. If you are exhausted (and so many of us are) it’s not being selfish to make time to breathe; it’s wise. You might even be able to say it’s obedient.

Make intentional time to truly evaluate what you have energy for, what you have capacity for. It may mean you need to say no to a few people. It may mean you need to cancel some plans. But in the end, if you make the time to rest like you need to, you’ll have more available to spend the time with the people who matter.

Wishing you a blessed Christmas, fellow storytellers. Rest easy.

Award-winning author A.C. Williams is a coffee-drinking, sushi-eating, story-telling nerd who loves cats, country living, and all things Japanese. She’d rather be barefoot, and if she isn’t, her socks won’t match. She has authored eight novels, three novellas, three devotional books, and more flash fiction than you can shake a stick at. A senior partner at Uncommon Universes Press, she is passionate about stories and the authors who write them. Learn more about her book coaching and follow her adventures online at www.amycwilliams.com.