The holiday season -- filled with love, warmth, and joy. But no one really discusses the worry, stress, and darkness that accompanies this otherwise jubilant time of the year.

Every year as December approaches, people frantically rush around trying to show their loved ones that they appreciate and treasure them. Pictures are taken, cards sent out, gifts bought and wrapped, kids taken to see mall Santas, goodies baked, etc. Besides the normal stressors, COVID-19’s impact may leave some feeling depressed and lonely, unable to celebrate Christmas due to loss of family and friends. Others experience financial pressures, leaving kids unable to comprehend why Santa can’t buy them the expensive toy they’ve coveted for so long.

Clearly, stress during the holiday season is not simply a myth. According to spring health, a Healthline survey found that over 60% of all respondents felt some stress during the holiday season; the most significant worry being finances. Other factors contributing to anxiety include picking out the right gift, scheduling issues, job responsibilities, and family health due to coronavirus. Although I’m fortunate enough to not have a majority of these issues, picking out the right gifts was definitely very frustrating for me. Since my family is extremely particular, it can be hard to find something for them. For instance, just this past Christmas I spent a total of 3 hours online shopping for my older brother’s gift. This was definitely stressful, and it didn’t help that I was doing it during December -- meaning I had to find something that would ship before Christmas. Piling on all these other sources of stress can cause mental health to deteriorate in many people.

As mentioned, financial pressures are prominent throughout the holiday season. According to Fortunly, in 2018, U.S. households on average spent $1,536 during the Christmas holidays and in 2019, it was $1,496. Around a third of that goes into gifts and gift cards whereas the rest is put into entertaining, going out, and buying outfits to wear during celebrations. Christmas is the most likely time of the year to go into debt, according to a LendEDU survey. This clears up the reasoning behind finances being the biggest pressure of the season, especially for those who are already working paycheck to paycheck. 

Although even reading may elicit feelings of strain, it is important to understand that the holiday season isn’t about picking out the perfect present or attending every holiday party. Spending time with loved ones and treasuring the bonds you make with each of them creates fond memories that can be looked back on in the future -- all completely free and arguably more fulfilling than any material goods.

Sources:

springhealth.com/mental-health-and-the-holidays-managing-stress-and-negative-emotions/#:~:text=A%20Healthline%20survey%20took%20a,of%20stress%20during%20the%20season.
fortunly.com/statistics/christmas-spending-statistics/#gref