Sparkle Schoolhouse

Tips for a December Day of Rest

Last February, I contracted a case of the flu. The flu shot I received in the fall probably prevented the illness from being very awful — although I felt pretty crummy and feverish for a couple of days, my main complaint after that was a lingering head cold. But what convinced me that this was the flu was that every day for the next four weeks, I needed to take a mid-day nap.

A mid-day nap works for some people. Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill, and Thomas Edison all swore by them. But a mid-day nap is not part of my usual daily routine. I’m a homeschooling mom working two part-time jobs from home with a fair amount of extracurricular activities in my life, so although I prioritize adequate nighttime sleep, I don’t regularly make room in my life for daytime naps. But in that season, a nap was a non-negotiable for my body.

What surprised me the most in my Month of Naps was the praiseworthy behavior of my kids. My two daughters rose to the occasion and took on a lot more responsibility that I had ever expected. But suddenly, out of necessity and compassion, my eight- and ten-year-old children were making themselves a reasonably healthy lunch, putting their dishes in the sink, and getting some schoolwork done on their own while I was conked out on the couch. I was impressed and gratified to see that some of the lessons from the past decade had actually sunken in and were bearing fruit in the form of messy peanut butter sandwiches and enough sensitivity to be a little quiet while Mama recovered some of her strength.

This month, Martin and Sylvia show their quality in a similar way by taking charge of a stressful family moment and guiding their own parents through the process of intentionally making space for rest in their week. Momma and Daddy are so pleased to watch their children’s leadership skills in action, realizing that the discipline of rest has made it all the way into the family DNA. As the story progresses, you can almost see Momma’s eyes lighting up, thinking, “My work is done here.”

It’s no small thing to create space for rest in the busy month of December. But consider taking a page out of Martin and Sylvia’s book and imagine a few ways to restructure, reframe, or re-evaluate your activities so that you can take just one day for a few hours of restoration.

Here are a few ways you might like to start:

Give your children ownership. Your kids might still be a little young to take charge like Martin and Sylvia did, but if they are old enough to speak, they are old enough to offer some opinions. Look for ways to invite them to lead in the process. Encourage them to ask some questions or take notes with pictures like Martin did. They’ll turn to you when they need help, and in the process, they’ll see how much the Day of Rest has become rooted in their habits. Make a plan for the whole month. This is a new thing that Martin and Sylvia try in December, but it especially makes sense for one of the busiest months of the year. Looking at the full month calendar will help you to move optional activities to different weeks so that there is space for rest.

Discuss your non-negotiables. Martin and Sylvia started out by reaffirming their regular habits for a Day of Rest. Revisiting these concepts will give structure to your discussion and serve as a refresher to all.

Integrate your values. As Martin and Sylvia consider the family’s obligations and plans, they find ways to integrate their rituals with real life. Sylvia suggests that their Day of Rest bread be offered as the dessert for their dinner with the Webers. Martin points out that the wood can be dealt with another day. Sylvia declares the chicken coop work to be a family Service Project. Look for ways to knit your full life and your desire for rest into a cohesive whole — and ask your kids for ideas about how to do it.

Watch for the magic of the season. Even in the process of planning out their Days of Rest, Martin and Sylvia experience a sense of gratitude. It can be easy to lose sight of the bigger picture as we manage all the moving parts of a December holiday season. But be on the lookout for moments of warmth, joy, and connectedness through it all. These can surprise you as they pop up in the peaceful book-reading times, in the chaos of baking with little ones, in the lights and baubles, in the gift-wrapping — in all the places where a Day of Rest is just a way to make extra time to pay attention to the magic of the season.

Listen to the first free story HERE and read more about getting started with a Day of Rest.

Read the November Day of Rest tips HERE.