Ever feel burned out by blessings? Where there are so many good things to attend, or buy, or bake, or eat that it almost gets stressful — in a good sort of way?

For most of us, Christmastime is a season where all the fun piles up like a snow drift. The weekends get packed back in November, and more events and activities seem to float in throughout the month. We try to intentionally focus our minds on the reason for the season, but it’s harder to go deeper than the nativity story we’ve heard for years.

Before you accuse me of being Ebenezer Scrooge or a Grinch, I’m not saying these are bad things — in fact, we wouldn’t want it any other way. The question becomes, how do we enjoy the seasonal craziness instead of getting steamrolled with activities? When busyness and festivities sweep us along in the flurry of the season, how do we meaningfully reflect on enjoying the moment? Here are three tips to keep in mind this December.

1. The Moment Doesn’t Need to be Big

Too often, we’re so focused on the 25th that we miss the small blessings on the 7th, 16th, and other random days leading up to Christmas. Savoring Christmas can happen before the big day. It doesn’t need to be grand either. Taking time to appreciate the intricate design of an ornament, the sound of crunching snow, or the growing anticipation of young children can give that needed interruption in the holiday craziness.

2. The Mind Needs to Pause

If you are anything like me, you have to be doing something constantly. From listening to audiobooks and podcasts while driving, to catching up on social media in the 30 seconds it takes to microwave lunch, it’s impossible to sit around doing “nothing.” Once you’re up and running, it seems like go, go, go until exhaustion forces a space between evening and morning. It takes physical discipline akin to torture to carve out time for “relaxing,” and even then, the mind races to adjust and readjust the schedule, create a list of people you still need gifts for, or wonder how many more times you can hear that Mariah Carey song before exploding.

It’s helpful to find the break if it’s planned rather than spontaneous. Squeeze it into a reoccurring part of your day, such as after mealtimes or before work. It’s best if you can carve out time right after a naturally-occurring mental shift (think waking up or before your mind has a time to get busy). Slowing down a little goes a long way in relishing the Christmas season. It breaks the rhythm of the mundane and allows us to enjoy the moment… at least for a few extra seconds until we’re racing again.

3. Relationships over Stuff

Christmas is an opportune time to reconnect with friends and relatives that aren’t often around. Gifts have their place, and that’s under the tree, serving as tangible representations of the relationships we cherish. So before you stress over how much, how many, or what presents to get, just remember one in six gifts won’t be touched after January 1st. In fact, 53% of people forget what gifts they received last year. Good memories, however, are a bit more permanent. While thoughtful presents can shape that positive recollection, it’s the gift giver that will most likely be remembered. Allowing holiday shopping to frazzle us places the emphasis on the object of lesser importance.

Christmas is a wonderful time of the year. It’s a time to savor the small things, view the world in a different way, and deepen relationships with family, friends, and most importantly, the Messiah. But like most good things, it’s easily drowned in eggnog and holiday cheer, unless we intentionally search for it. Coming up for air may seem like another item on the list of craziness, but it actually can help us maximize the joy this season brings.