Christmas is one of the most loved times of the year. You wake up early to open your gifts while your parents record you opening them, and then enjoying your gifts right after. But is Christmas as fun and relaxing as it seems?
Christmas is one of the most stressful times of the year, with parents running around to get the gifts their kids want, worrying about money, planning family dinners, and decorating.
Studies show that mental health rates increase dramatically during Christmas mostly because of money and time. According to US.News, nearly 30% of people get their gifts at the last minute because they wait for their paychecks to
come. 33.5% because they are looking for the perfect gift,10.5% because they just don’t like shopping, and 16% because they just wait until the last minute.
Christmas is the most stressful time for Parents. They’re running around trying to get the gifts their kids want. Some of them host Christmas parties and have to plan everything out, the food, decorations, and more. Oakmont librarian Mrs. Jennifer Morin says that she does get stressed during this time especially because she is trying to get everything perfect for her kids. We don’t do Elf on the Shelf, I never introduced it to my kids because I knew that if I did I would get super stressed trying to move the elf around, says Morin
About 30% of people wait for their paycheck to come and according to Demand Sage, the average American spends about $997.73 on Christmas (this includes food and decorations). According to USA Today the average salary a year is about $59,384.So most Americans spend about 50% of their paycheck on Christmas not including other holidays. Which can be very stressful.
Sophomore Gabby Comeau says that she gets super stressed during Christmas time because she gets worried if she doesn’t have enough money for the gift her loved ones want.
According to Mclean Hospital.org, it’s very common to get caught up in the commercialization and marketing of the holidays. We can feel stressed about spending a strained budget or trying to find just the right gift.
All of this and more can cause severe emotional strain.
Oakmont guidance counselor Mrs. Kristin Brochu says that around this time there are different kinds of stress. People can have happy times or sad times depending on what’s going on in their life and it’s not only with adults but also teens. There’s also a lot of pressure of seeing all of your family members and realizing you have to socialize with them.
Around this time of season, many people struggle with the loss of a family member. This can be very hard on people because anything can remind them of that family member especially if you are close to them. ¨ I lost my grandpa around Christmas, and this was hard for my family, especially my grandma. She didn’t even want to leave the house.¨ says sophomore Macie Shattuck
According to Pathways Health Grief in and of itself is bad enough, but it can be magnified when the holidays roll around. That’s mainly because the holiday season is filled with reminders of the one you lost.
Christmas can be different for everyone. Some people have a great time stress-free mostly because they don’t have to worry about much. Others have a hard time because of past trauma or just because they are not in the mood. Everyone can feel different at different times sometimes not even knowing that they can reach out to loved ones or someone that they trust and talk to them about how they feel. It can be hard if you lose a family member, don’t have the best parents, or even just struggle financially.
Seasonal depression can also play a big part in all this. Trying to adjust to the times and seeing it get darker outside can give you that feeling of not wanting to do anything. Which can make it harder to socialize. Seasonal depression can be caused by a lot of things. If anyone feels like they need to talk to someone about it. They should always reach out says Oakmont guidance counselor Mrs.Brouchu jj
politics, Everyone chooses one side. Families discuss who they’re going to choose and why. Things can get pretty heated very quickly especially if the holidays are near. Families argue that one side is wrong about who they are voting for. People get mad at each other because of it. Honestly, everyone has their own opinion and their own life you can’t force anyone to vote for who you want. The holidays should be a time of joy where you can enjoy a nice dinner with family not a time to argue that you voted for the ¨wrong person.¨
