The holiday season is officially upon us. It can be a magical time, what with snow angels, the scent of cookies wafting from the oven, and the look of wonder on children's faces as they spot Santa across a crowded mall. It can also be crazy-making, what with snowy, ice-capped roads, the seemingly endless supply of calorie bombs disguised as cookies, and the aforementioned mall crowds. This time of year can be stressful for everyone, but especially freelancers. First off, some clients take things slower during December, which can lead to dry spells for freelancers who plan on working. Then other freelancers actually want to take some time off to enjoy the holidays with their family but have to squeeze in coding or copywriting in between shopping sprees or holiday parties to meet a deadline. Murphy's Law of Freelancing strikes again! This year, I'm giving myself permission to slow down and enjoy the season. I'm still pitching and marketing myself, but I'm being pickier about the projects I take on, and I'm not stressing if I have a slow week because 2010 was pretty darn good to me workwise (hence the need to slow down and smell the peppermint mocha before diving headfirst into 2011). I even took on a freelance singing gig to help me get into the holiday spirit and earn some non-writing-related moola for a change. What about you? Are you an eager freelance elf like the guy in the photo? Are you planning to give yourself some time off this December? Or is it business as usual? Flickr photo courtesy of liquidnight