As soon as December comes around, the Christmas season bends everyone’s thoughts towards the end of the month and sparks a month-long preparation for the holiday festivities. But what ought to be a period of excitement and anticipation often seems a crescendo of panic and stress.
As one of my friends just observed, there are so many presents to be bought, so many people whom one can’t forget in the gift-giving, and so little time to accomplish everything. It’s stressful trying to find nice things that don’t cost too much, she told me, but then if she doesn’t spend that much money on someone, she feels guilty and goes out to buy more. Then she feels even more stressed over the strain on her bank account.
