The gifts have been unwrapped, the leftovers are eaten or stacked in the fridge, and the twinkling lights that once set our hearts aglow now feel like background noise. Two days after Christmas, everything seems quieter. Almost too quiet. The build-up of Advent—the anticipation, the excitement, the preparation—has passed. And now? Now, it feels a little odd. A bit anti-climactic, even. If we’re honest, this in-between space can leave us restless.
But perhaps, just perhaps, this is exactly where God wants to meet us.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28, NIV). These words from Jesus invite us to consider what rest truly means. Rest isn’t just collapsing onto the couch after days of hosting or shopping. It’s deeper than a nap or an afternoon off. True rest is found in Him. It’s a soul-level stillness that whispers, “You don’t have to keep striving. Just be with Me.”
This space between Christmas and the New Year gives us a unique opportunity to pause. Instead of jumping into resolutions or packing up the decorations in haste, what if we took this time to reflect? To rest our hearts as well as our bodies?
Think about Mary for a moment. After the shepherds left and the angels’ songs faded, there may have been a quietness. A stillness. Luke tells us, “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19, NIV). She didn’t rush past the moment. She lingered. She reflected. She allowed the wonder of what God had done to sink in deeply. What if we did the same? What if, instead of feeling the need to fill the quietness, we sat with it? What if we asked God to show us what He wants us to treasure and ponder in our own hearts?
Maybe it’s the reminder that Jesus didn’t just come to earth for a season. He came to stay. Emmanuel—God with us—isn’t just a Christmas truth. It’s an everyday reality.
Maybe it’s the invitation to trust Him more fully in the year ahead. To release the plans we’ve been clutching tightly and let Him lead.
Or maybe it’s simply the assurance that, even in the quieter moments, He is still working. Still present. Still good.
Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God” (NIV). This verse doesn’t only call us to stop moving; it calls us to stop striving. To stop filling the empty spaces with busyness and noise. To let our hearts rest in the knowledge that He is sovereign and faithful.
So, as the last notes of Christmas fade and the new year looms just ahead, let’s give ourselves permission to pause. Let’s rest, not just physically but spiritually. Let’s treasure and ponder the gift of Jesus in the same way Mary did. Let’s allow this quiet in-between time to be a sacred space where God renews and refreshes our hearts.
Because while the decorations will come down and the rhythms of life will resume, the wonder of Christmas—of Emmanuel, God with us—remains. And that is worth reflecting on, resting in, and rejoicing over, not just two days after Christmas but every day of the year.