Relax and rejuvenate.

Byline: Caitlin Moore

The following correction was published Dec. 26, 2007:

Correction: In the last issue of Worcester Living, we had an incorrect phone number for the Florabunda Gift Shop & Tea Room. The correct number is (508) 886-6505.

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The holidays should bring peace on earth, but sometimes stress and fatigue can hinder your enjoyment. Organizing a classroom party, scouring the packed malls for the perfect gift, planning dinner menus and stringing all of those lights certainly can dampen an otherwise cheery holiday spirit.

This time of year presents a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the people and things that mean the most to you. So when you find yourself going into overdrive or getting into a slump, consider some of these ideas to relax, unwind and rejuvenate.

Contemplate, Meditate, Pray

During the holiday season, it's all too easy to let celebrations get lost in commercialism. Take time to reflect on your beliefs and count your blessings. If you practice a religion, places of worship can be the best setting for pensive quietude.

At St. Joseph Memorial Chapel at the College of the Holy Cross, students and community members can pause in prayer.

Kim McElaney, director of the Chaplain's Office at Holy Cross, notes that "shorter, darker, colder days beckon one to slow down even as the cultural celebrations of contemporary society urge us into a kind of frenetic, escalated pace. (The chapel) offers a place to escape holiday pressures and enter into a spirit of quiet reflection about the reasons and meaning behind the celebrations."

St. Joseph Memorial Chapel

1 College St., Worcester

(508) 793-2200, www.holycross.edu

The Great Escape

Room service, please!

Let someone wait on you for a change. Lounge in a plush robe or wine and dine late. Hotels and inns liven up during the holidays with decorations, concerts and special menus. Take advantage of festivities in a place that is free of leftovers, wrapping paper and to-do lists.

The Beechwood Hotel on Plantation Street offers a variety of rooms that will help you relax. Their fireplace suite enables visitors to curl up on a comfortable couch while the warmth from the fire induces an afternoon nap. The dining room at the Beechwood

provides guests with an award-winning restaurant that is perfect for a romantic dinner or a satisfying brunch. Plus, with a fitness center and available spa treatments, you may not want to leave.

Beechwood Hotel

363 Plantation St...

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