Many may agree that October 31st through January 1st is supposed to be a time of love, happiness, and holiday joy, but for many people the holidays can be a difficult time for some as it is filled with stress, anxiety and pressure for everything to be perfect. Stress appears to be the biggest reason the holidays can be a negative time based on the feedback from our fellow Patriots.

From the feeling that you have to give the “perfect gift” to the pressure that distant family puts on you to act like the star child, we all tend to get a little lost throughout the season. We forget the true meaning, and neglect to appreciate the moments of happiness and love that are offered.

Depending on the person, a lot of the stress can come from different sources. One of the main sources can tend to be wanting the holiday to be absolutely perfect, and feeling disappointed in themselves if it is not.

“Remembering that the holidays don’t have to be perfect is a good way to avoid unnecessary stress”  is the advice from Juliana Rosa Pignataro.

No matter how “un-perfect” the holidays become, focusing on what really matters, such as your family and the memories being made, always helps to distress and keep one happy.

As students in November and December our minds are naturally focused on finishing up the semester. Whether it’s your four AP classes or your school schedule on top of work and extracurriculars we’re all a little wiped.

Kenzie Christopolus (10) says she “usually listens to Christmas music” to stay in spirit of the holiday season during the stressful times.

Another tip to destress is to try and take ten to twenty minutes out of your day, every day, to be by yourself with no distractions. When family, friends, and school are pushing you every which way it is best find your own way to become calm and happy.

Sometimes stress is caused by becoming sick, when someone is sick it always seems to come at the worst time and interrupts your daily cycle. Washing your hands consistently, not sharing food, and keeping up on vitamins will make your holiday season a lot less sneeze-worthy.

So this holiday season and all from now on, remember to take time to enjoy it. Stressing about graduation, work, extracurriculars, and family can come later. Sit down, watch a movie with your parents, sing carols, heck bake some cookies! You’ll never realize how important it is until you have delight-filled memories to look back on.