Technically, yes, but we do often make exceptions if we would broadly consider you "a member of the Yuletide community" and you just happen to be taking a year off, particularly if your swaps track record is good. Occasionally people email being like, "OH NO, I MISSED SIGNING UP FOR YULETIDE :((((" and they're planning to just treat or pinch-hit or whatever, and we figure, yeah, that counts/you can still be counted upon to come through for swaps (which is the thing most important to us).

Does your current workload and mental state allow you to responsibly participate in swaps? It's different than the brainspace needed for writing, so maybe the answer is yes, but you should give it some thought if you're already in a place where you feel overwhelmed. If yes, then (since you're anon here) shoot us an email, so we know who you are.