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
For me, it’s not the ads, my husband and I cut out most exposure to those a while back and are still stressed. It’s the sheer amount of obligation, the lack of time to rest. Between thanksgiving and new years, between both our families, we have 6 birthdays and 4 major holidays. It’s exhausting. I don’t even want to celebrate my own birthday this year, I’m moving it to spring lol