Four (or Five!) Reasons Why

….the Holidays Are a Pain

1. The pressure to shop is overwhelming. It’s impossible to ignore the consumerism and the requirement to buy something for someone - usually stuff they really don’t need. The only solution is not shopping at all or buying all your gifts online - options that should, in theory, be more popular at this time of year.

2. Christmas music. The first couple of times you hear “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer”, it’s cute - and you might even find yourself singing along. Before long, however, all this holiday music becomes as pleasant as hearing nails scratched on a blackboard.

3. Everyone’s in a hurry. Whether it’s trying to go shopping, family functions and holiday parties, everyone is rushing around helter-skelter. And if you slow them down, watch out!

4. People start working so you can’t really get any work done. Hey, taking a break is terrific but for many people the holidays unofficially start in early December with long lunches, holiday parties, a lack of interest in closing deals or meetings, etc. For all the focus on productivity, the entire month of December is completely unproductive.

5. The appearance of fruit cake and egg nog. Who eats and drinks this stuff? In fact, I’ve never seen anyone eat fruit cake, although it’s frequently given as a present. And what’s the deal with egg nog, a sweet, rich, odd tasting beverage who’s only upside is you get to drink it with rum.

More: In the spirit of promoting other lists, here’s a couple holiday-related posts:

- Mental Health Notes: Five Ways to Prevent Stress During the Holidays.

- WiseBread: 25 Awesome Ways to Beat Holiday Exhaustion.