Oh yeah, the picture-perfect thing. Couldn't agree more with all of you. We get so utterly inundated with these ridiculous images and notions of what holidays "should" be! They are SOOOO over-the-top! Perfection, as if reality were somehow suspended on certain calendar dates. We recognize this, right? And yet somehow berate ourselves for not living up to what we know is not real(!) What is up with that?!

I don't know that I get anxious so much as feel rather alien. And lonely. Which is why, when I worked with the public, I hated those inevitable, "So, what are you doing?" and greetings in general. Yeah, yeah. Social convention. But one in which an answer is actually expected! It's not that I object to speaking of holidays, it's just the in-your-face and job obligation thing. It's hard enough to make myself get out sometimes without having this additional thing. If I have to be out somewhere, say, in a checkout line, I go so far as to pre-empt the chance and say, "Please skip the holiday chit-chat, ok? Thanks." (Believe me, it is a relief to some employees to be excused from this obligation!... )

Oh! Caretaker Leo, you hit on a biggie! The gift obligation thing! Ugh! Would much rather surprise someone randomly.

O.kay, as far as ideas on what helps... We don't have tv. Actually, it's more than that. TV, radio, magazines, newspapers, none of it. I'm not much on shopping. That helps. The gift list is down to 3. We do do a small tree, because I do enjoy the lights of the holiday. Cook up a nice meal, but nothing too elaborate. We don't have guests (not so much a choice thing, just a fact). Basically, over the years evaluating which are actually the enjoyable parts and trimming the rest away (insofar as possible). Took me years, but definitely less stress. (And I never had any of those big office parties and whatnot to deal with to start, lol!)