Inflation is one of the factors that make people more stressed and worried as the holiday season approaches, according to a recent study from The Ohio State University.

 

The holiday season is traditionally one of the best times of the year, offering families and friends a chance to gather and spend quality time reflecting on the year’s events.

 

However, as the year comes to an end, more people experience stress and anxiety over certain factors, like spending money on gifts for loved ones and potential travel disruptions.

 

In a survey with 1007 participants, the percentage number of people who feel stressed during the holiday season is increasing exponentially.

 

81% have concerns over national issues and world affairs, while 75% experience stress from rising prices and spending, and 53% of people are worried about increasing the possibility of catching illnesses, such as flu and COVID-19, across the nation. Traffic meltdown during the holiday also caused anxiety for 44% of respondents as transportation delays.

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​Nicole Hollingshead, a PhD psychologist at The Ohio State Wexner, emphasized holidays are meant to be a time for families and friends to connect and recharge, even amid stress.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Balancing spending on gifts has become a challenge for many due to the rising cost of living. (Photo via Unsplash)
 

Elisha Barias, a Filipino-Canadian, said she tries to maintain the balance of spending money on what she can get for her loved ones and what she cannot get, because of the cost rising recently.

 

“I have to reduce the amounts of presents I would give per person,” said Barias. “I will get everybody one present only instead of two to three because that is all I can afford right now.”

 

In line with Hollingshead's tip on how to cope with the ‘inflation and holiday spending’ stressor, Barias shared she had all plans sorted out, with whom she would get presents and how she would try to minimize the cost of holiday activities.  

 

“I mostly do free activities and things that happen downtown,” said Barias. “I don’t think that many activities cost much.”

 

Individuals have different stressors and coping mechanisms during the holiday season.

 

Ava Xue, a Mongolian international student, said how traffic meltdown and flight ticket prices are more significant issues for her in the holiday seasons than inflation.

 

“The flight ticket gets especially expensive during the Christmas season,” said Xue. “The price could be twice or triple as expensive as the normal time, which I have to go home earlier.”

 

Travellers like Xue, looking to book round-trip flights from Ottawa to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, during the holiday season, can expect to pay between $4,000 and $5,000 CAD, according to recent travel data from Trip.com.

 

“Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst,” said Hollingshead on the ‘unreliable travel industry,” as the need for people to travel increased.

 

“The winter’s snow is pretty bad, I hope that my flight won’t be delayed because of it,” said Xue. “If I miss one flight, I will miss all of them, and I can’t afford another flight ticket.”

 

Despite having anxiety over transportation delays, Xue remains positive; if she does not make it on the flight home, she plans to “stay here” and “spend time with her boyfriend.”

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People find alternative gifting solutions during the holiday season amid inflation. (Photo via Unsplash).​
 

Maggie Snow, an Ottawa resident, said her family chose to not get gifts this year, to prevent over-consuming, as inflation has risen.

 

“We are not doing gifts this year, we are only doing homemade or second-hand for inflation reasons,” said Snow. “We are trying not to consume as we are not comfortable spending from these big brands to prevent over-consumerism.”

 

Experiencing stress around the holidays has become common. Despite fears people have as the holiday season approaches, Hollingshead encourages individuals to avoid overspending due to emotions fuelled by advertising. She believes the desire for perfection can undermine the joy of the holidays.

 

Echoing Hollingshead’s viewpoint, Snow’s family prioritizes experiencing new activities with their loved ones, such as having a book club at home.

 

“We are trying to do a little book club over the holiday,” said Snow. “It’s more about using the time off that we have to have meaningful conversations, and spend quality time with each other, without stress from work and school.” 

 

Many families and individuals struggle with overspending during the holiday season. Snow suggests “just propose to your family,” and to “centring the focus more on family time.”

 

“If you can’t spend money, there are always things that you could do to show the people that you love and care about them,” said Snow. “Realistically, gifts like cards are more meaningful, in my opinion.”