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
Once we all became adults, we implemented a secret Santa with a money range. We pick a different theme every year. It is way less stressful to buy for a single adult than to try to find gifts for 12!
We do this in my family as well, with the exception that we all buy stocking stuffers to fill whoever’s stockings we want. Everyone in my family enjoys finding little treats or fun small gifts to put in everyone’s stockings and it’s great to see what everyone comes up with