Christmas is coming in just a few days' time, and for sure many Christians out there are preparing the best Christmas gathering they have for family and friends. Wouldn't it be great to be with the people that matter most to us when Christmas comes?

In preparing for Christmas Eve and the Christmas parties each of us attend, many of us tire ourselves doing unnecessary things. Some of us, on the other hand, have so many important things to handle that we don't get enough rest. And so, we end up getting drained, either physically, emotionally, and even financially.

Is there a way to enjoy Christmas without feeling tired and drained? Of course there is.

Christmas minus the stress

I've written this article to help you, dear reader, avoid over-fatigue this Christmas season. Some of us just can't stop but do so much before Christmas comes that when it does we find ourselves sick and unable to enjoy it. And that's pretty sad.

So without further ado, here are some tips to avoiding over-fatigue during the Christmas season.

1) Shop at off-peak hours

Some of us find Christmas shopping pretty difficult and tiring because of the massive influx of Christmas shoppers in malls and in pretty much every store we can find. When we join them, we find ourselves squeezing in and pushing onto the crowds looking to get the best bargains.

Seriously, who wants a big discount when what you get is a tired body beaten up by the crowd?

The buzz of the busy shopping season can be nice sometimes but if it just tires you out and overwhelms you, do your shopping first thing in the morning.  The shops are pretty quiet at this time, there are often no lines, and the changing rooms are empty - if you want to buy a little something for yourself of course! 

2) If you don't need it, don't do it

It's natural to want a fancy Christmas dinner complete with all the works. But sometimes that means spending days and hundreds of dollars on Christmas decorations, ingredients, and dinner settings. It becomes about the stuff rather than the fellowship around the dinner table between loved ones.

While it's nice to have a 16-course Christmas dinner (just kidding) and an awesome Christmas tree but it's important to keep everything in perspective. 

Friends, if you really don't need what you're thinking of getting, then don't get it. If you think you might not use it again, it's ok to do without it.  If that table decoration costs more than your meal put together, your guests are hardly going to notice if the table is covered in beautiful dishes to tuck into. 

3) Get some well-needed rest

Most of us will have been working the whole year round and deserve to take a break. Friends, we've all got to learn to have some rest.  And yes, rest is something you have to actually make time for.  Don't skip your usual gym sessions or that weekly coffee with your best friend just because it's Christmas and it's busy.  You need these breaks even more when things get hectic. 

But ultimately, Christmas should be a time to remind ourselves of our salvation that was purchased for us by the Lord Jesus Christ. His coming signified the end of the struggle for God's forgiveness and accepted. We did not deserve His love, but He gave it anyway.

Now that we have been saved by grace through faith in Christ, we can take our rest this season knowing that nothing can separate us from God's love (see Romans 8). Take your Bible out every day, stick to your morning devotional, and don't stop saying your prayers.  If you do all that, you will find you are always at rest in Christ Jesus no matter what else is going on around you.