“Tis the season that provokes difficult emotions. This can be the maddest, saddest, most stressful time of the year,” says family physician Dr. Davidicus Wong.

The holiday season can be a particularly stressful time of year. Financial challenges, family gatherings, and pressures to create a ‘perfect’ or ‘happy’ experience can take their toll. And stress can lead to anxiety — and even depression.

This Daily Mail article points out that Christmas-related stresses come to a peak at 2:33 p.m. on December 24th.

Tis the season that provokes difficult emotions. This can be the maddest, saddest, most stressful time of the year. On the streets and in the malls, you can tell the holidays are approaching not only by the music and the decorations, but by the frustration and anxiety in the air. — Dr. Davidicus Wong, in BurnabyNow, no longer available online

From “learn to say no” (to overdoing things) to “acknowledging feelings“, tips and advice begin to appear just as predictably as last-minute shoppers. It can be well worth taking a moment to listen to/read them.

Image: United Feature Syndicate Inc./ABC

The genius of A Charlie Brown Christmas was the way it channeled the looming sadness and anxiety that come with the holidays — and the way its timeless, best-selling soundtrack by the Vince Guaraldi Trio tapped into that narrative seamlessly, with muted, melancholic jazz. — Liz Pelly, Rolling Stone (Dec. 9, 2015)

It’s not about the kitsch, it is about the connection

We speak with Frances Ferguson, a registered clinical counsellor, about plans to dispense with those holiday Grinches, in an interview from our People First Radio program archive. Frances says the holidays aren’t about the kitsch — but rather, the connection.

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Some tips on coping with #holiday #stress. Read the blog for more: http://t.co/SpYJRIU57e pic.twitter.com/aFaoSJFpHe

— CAMH (@CAMHnews) December 15, 2014