December is the month of celebrations and preparations for Christmas and New Year. A month filled with lights, festivities, and gifts. However, psychologists say that during this period many people also experience stress, caused precisely by these preparations.

Sociologist Entela Binjaku emphasized that stress often stems from the absence of family members and from the inability to achieve the material comfort people wish they had reached.

“Some people feel sadness because their loved ones are not close to them. Part of the stress comes from not having the means to provide what we would like, from the feeling that we may be neglecting something we could have achieved if we had given it more importance. Another source of stress comes from seeing others celebrate in ways everyone would like to, due to their financial means and economic standard, which leads to sadness when we cannot do the same,” she said.

While adults are caught up in preparations and trying to secure everything they wish to have during the holidays, children, who are the center of the celebrations, experience a different reality where stress can also be present.

“Some are living the dream of Santa Claus and feel excitement because of it, while others begin to doubt his existence and are in a transitional phase,” she added.

According to the sociologist, money and economic capability—or lack of it—are the main sources of stress during the holidays.

“We should move away as much as possible from material things, which often become the source of negative burdens—whether when material goods are available but cannot be shared with others, or when they are unattainable and create pessimism and sadness that no one deserves,” Binjaku said.

The purpose of the holidays is to bring people together and bring them joy, which is why experts appeal for greater focus on spiritual fulfillment, solidarity, and humanity, while setting aside money and material possessions.