Alas, our romance with MTV videos has come to an end. For today’s final musical shoes video, we turn to that old standby YouTube to provide “The Littlest Birds,” by The Be Good Tanyas. This song’s sweet finger-picked acoustic harmonies sing of something we’re all likely to think about this time of year: traveling shoes.

The Be Good Tanyas’ bittersweet lyrics speak of a reluctant traveler who can’t resist leaving her beloved for the road. If you’re traveling this week, it’s probably for a very different reason: to be with your loved ones and celebrate the holidays in comfort and joy.

Don’t let uncomfortable traveling shoes cast a shadow over your family gathering. Here are a few tips on how to maintain happy, thankful feet this holiday travel season:

If you’re driving, be perpetually prepared by keeping a pair of old sneakers in the car to slip into for the road. Don’t skip out on rest areas; your body will thank you for taking a brisk walk every couple of hours.

The same advice applies if you’ll be gobbling up the skies. For long flights, take a walk up and down the aisles every couple of hours to get your blood moving, literally. Long seated periods in planes can trigger blog clogs.

The best airport shoes are those that can slide off and on to soar through security checkpoints. Comfortable shoes are also a good idea, since you might have to stand in long lines. Even if you’re lucky enough to breeze through the check-in process, you’ll appreciate feeling energetic even after a long day of traveling. Good shoes really can lift your mood– after all, when you stand all day, your whole body knows when uncomfortable shoes are throwing off your posture.

Fortunately, you don’t have to sacrifice fashion for efficiency. Were I jetting this turkey day, I’d hop into a pair of Kassel S08s, right. Pair the rich brown pair with eath-tone jewels to turn heads on the runway.