For some, “‘Tis the season to be jolly,” is more like, “‘Tis the season to be stressed!”  It is a busy time of year: lights, greeting cards, presents, parties and other joyful festive activities. While the “reason for the season” has become much less obvious, there are still many who will endure another year of holiday stress for lots of reasons.

Perhaps the biggest holiday stress comes from money, or the lack of it. Some feel obligated to buy gifts that often totals more than the funds they have. Far too many solve this dilemma by adding to their current debt which in turn causes more stress. Dave Ramsey offers some help with this on his site with a free tool called, “My Christmas Budget.”

Some stress over sending cards: who to send, when to send, who did we miss?  And then, what do you do when you receive a card from someone not on your list? Do you feel you have to now send them a card, too? More stress.

How about holiday lights at your house? Do you have to put something up so people don’t think you’re a heathen? How many lights? Do your neighbors have a lot more lights than you do? Are you stressed about it?

Then there’s the holiday stress about holiday parties? For some, the more the merrier; others dread them all. Jacey Verdicchio wrote a great article about this on her blog.

Christmas music seems to fill the air everywhere we go, on the radio and in all the shops.  We often hear the familiar, “There’s no place like home for the holidays…”  But for some, they won’t be home for the holidays.

There are those who cannot make the trip to be home for the holidays.  For others it may be their first Christmas holiday without a loved one.  There are children who won’t experience Christmas day with both Mom and d\Dad.

For some, it is not the most wonderful time of the year.

Christmas is supposedly a remembrance of the birth of Christ. Many scholars agree a September birth is much more likely.  But the point of the season is supposed to be centered around Christ, right?

With so much stress for many folks this time of year, we can follow Christ’s example of love and giving.  Yes, of course people need love all year round. But this time of year, some need a little more love, a little more kindness, a little more understanding, and a little more patience.