It’s only the first day of the kids two week vacation, and maybe it’s time to admit I’m not as skilled as I’d like to be at relaxing.

In my defense, the run-up to Christmas has been quite a sprint: kids’ class parties and shows, present shopping, near-misses with Disney Boxes arriving by UPS, fistfuls of teacher gift cards and heartfelt but gotta-get-it-done notes. (In my heart I believe the teachers would prefer cash to these easily-lost giftcards, but I just can’t do it; it feels too much like a bribe, though we could debate whether all these presents are a sort of bribe… if there were time we could debate it, but there’s not!)

Yesterday we did a holiday brunch and three neighborhood Christmas parties. This morning I tricked Jaden into helping wash the windows and water the plants.

So when the whole family crashed in the living room this afternoon:

…why couldn’t I just go with it and chill?

I just don’t go from 60 to 0 very quickly. My mind, once zooming, has a hard time slowing down. There are two giant boxes in the garage that need wrapping. I’ve got to make sure crab will be available Christmas morning. We never did figure out how to mark the house entrance so people can find the front door. I think you get the idea.

But since it’s early in the break, I’m going to try and develop these resting skills. Yes, the whole Christmas production has to happen. But if I chill out a little bit, I bet Santa still shows up Christmas Eve.

Wish me luck, and a very joyful, relaxing Christmas to everyone!