The holiday season brings cold weather, hot cocoa, fuzzy socks, baking, gift exchanges, holiday traditions, Christmas lights, and most importantly – holiday cheer. Each year people look forward to one of the most celebrated holidays in the world, Christmas. In fact, December and most of November seem to be consumed by the holiday. This time of year is often referred to as “the most wonderful time of the year,” but many find it very stressful nonetheless. 

Having to buy gifts, plan or attend parties, and go along with all the festivities can be a lot to handle. This last quarter of the year has so much going on already. 

Seeing all the decorations and amazing setups in front of/inside houses brings back happy nostalgia to many. Despite all the anxieties of the season, “In a world full of stress and anxiety people like to associate with things that make them happy, and Christmas decorations evoke those strong feelings of childhood” remarks psychoanalysis Steve McKeown (INSIDER). Simple decorations create a flicker of happiness from within, what other time of the year has this effect?!

The warm fuzzy feeling of sipping a mug of hot cocoa while watching a holiday movie as raindrops slowly trickle down the windows is unbeatable. Think back to the magic of Christmas morning when we were younger, didn’t it seem as if anything was possible? Those magical feelings are emotions that are recreated in adults when they see a happy Hallmark movie, the town lit up with seasonal lights, or familiar faces on a Holiday greeting card.

Having the stress of the holidays afoot can wear people down quite easily. From financial issues to personal demands, coping with the seasonal stress is difficult for many. One student, Christopher Glaze-Barnes (11) says,