I hate how the holidays create all this extra responsibility and stress out of nowhere and then the media / culture also act like you're meant to be having such fun the whole time
like all the fuckin ads with the hugging families around winter. any educationally normal adult knows everyone just gets more stressed, with travel and gifts and social obligations and everything, but you're not even allowed to...openly feel that, it seems? it's like there's this happiness benchmark you have to reach, otherwise you'll feel even shittier and sadder for not having a happy holiday season
This isn't an unpopular opinion, a lot of people feel stressed during the holidays. However, to be fair, what are the stores and ad companies supposed to do? Of course they're going to portray the holidays as a happy time, it would be strange and against their objective if they didn't. Heads would roll at Ye Olde Major Ad Corp!