The holidays are a time of giving that many of us grew up adoring and look forward to every year. We get time off work and school, we decorate our houses with colorful fun decorations, we have dinners with a large variety of savory foods and desserts, we give and receive gifts from our dear family members and friends.  

Despite all the happiness the holidays come with, it also delivers a certain amount of stress.  

Whether it be family obligations, financial restraints, grumpy tis the season customers and coworkers at work, everyone experiences a certain level of anxiety this time of year. Sometimes courtesy is not the concern of others during this stressful holiday season, and frustrations around the holiday can lead to some less than savory human interaction.  

We understand the duties of the season can create a certain level of anxiety for students. For those who have a part-time job, it is never easy to work with the surge of holiday patrons who become increasingly more demanding closer to the 25th asking the impossible of minimum wage workers and acting irritable at the slightest offense. Spending money from your hard-earned high school checking account on gifts for others can put a real damper on an easily drained money supply as well, considering the prices around this time.  

The family gatherings aren’t aways what they are cracked up to be either, with prying family members asking for what must be the 100th time “How are you doing in school?” and “What’s the college plan?” The passive aggressive shows can be detected a mile away and expectations are never higher than in a large group of sometimes overbearing relatives.  

Understanding that everyone is experiencing these emotions, however, is something you should hold during these times. We are all facing our own expectations from others, and the financial obligations during the giving season are ones that we can all empathize with. Being kind and seeing what stresses the people around us are experiencing during the holidays can help us to help each other.  

The holiday season is a time of stress, that’s for sure, but it is also one that can bring people together and deliver joy to those who really need it. Try to be courteous this holiday season. If you see a worker at a store or a restaurant working during a busy seasonal day, don’t give them a hard time. Same goes for customers that may just be having a bad day and give you some trouble, try to stay calm and collected in those situations. If a family member rubs you the wrong way or something happens that upsets you in a social sphere, try to see it in a different light and be respectful regardless of the collective frustrations.  

Making the best of the holiday with many mixed emotions is the finest way to experience the season. That gift you spent an extra bit of cash on will make someone incredibly happy. The scrooge-like customers and employees you encounter all have their own lives and won’t bother you after they leave. Those relatives that ask you about school are doing it to ease the awkwardness of seeing someone they may not have talked to in a while and likely care about what’s going on in your life in an endearing way.  

Let’s all be courteous, collected, and kind during this holiday season.