Over the next few days, a lot of people won't lift anything heavier than a plate full of food, or do anything more strenuous than unwrapping a gift.
At least a few of them likely will be hockey players.
Because there have been COVID-19 outbreaks on teams across North America, NHL officials decided to pause play after the Lightning's 4-3 victory in Las Vegas Tuesday night.
The league will be shut down for four days, through Saturday; normally, its holiday break runs Dec. 24-26.
But even though the stoppage will be a bit longer than usual, a sampling of Penguins players didn't turn up any who plan to stray from their usual approach to that time off.
Which is to say, no one has overexerting himself high on his to-do list.
"It's a long season, so the emphasis is rest," Danton Heinen said. "Just relaxing a bit, let the body heal a bit. On the other side, you can't sit around the whole time. Just stay moving, get the blood flowing a bit. But I don't think you do too much."
Oh, some players won't be idle for the entire time leading up to the practice the Penguins plan to conduct Sunday afternoon in Boston, a day before they are to face the Bruins at TD Garden.
"There's always some sort of training that goes on," said Brian Boyle, who turned 37 last Saturday. "As you get older, you have to stay active every day."
So perhaps he'll be one of the guys who spends a little time on a stationary bike, and some might even go for a skate or two, if there's ice available near where they're spending the break.
Most of his teammates, though, believe the most productive way to spend their time away from work will be to simply to take it easy, to build up their energy reserves and give some bumps and bruises a chance to heal.
"If anything, it's just rehab," Evan Rodrigues said. "Sometimes, those two or three days are key, just giving your body a rest."
Boyle, it should be noted, said that when players reported to the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex for practice Tuesday, strength and conditioning coaches Alex Trinca and Alexi Pianosi provided them with information on how they should approach the break.
"We have a plan going in," Boyle said. "Those guys are really good."
The league's collective bargaining agreement prohibits teams from playing, practicing or traveling during the break, and when it's practical, players often will leave the area to spend time with family and friends.
It's not clear how many Penguins players planned to do that this year. It's possible that some who live in Canada opted to stay here to avoid dealing with pandemic-related complications involved in crossing the border.
Others, including Heinen, who hails from British Columbia, opt to have family join them here for Christmas because of the distance the player would have to travel to and from his home region in a short period of time.
Regardless of where they spend the break, and what they do -- or don't do -- while the league is shut down, players who are used to practicing and/or playing almost every day likely will feel a bit out of sorts when Mike Sullivan and his staff put them through the workout scheduled for 4:15 p.m. Sunday.
Whether that session will be enough smooth over any wrinkles that develop during the four-day layoff probably won't be known until the game against the Bruins actually is underway, but Rodrigues seems confident that the time off won't have a significant negative impact.
"It's only four days," he said. "So I think we're be able to catch up pretty quick."
