The end-of-year holidays are not happy for everyone Especially if you suffer from the Christmas syndrome
There’s a moment every year when December seems to demand something from us. Christmas arrives with the force of a collective event, as if there were only one emotion allowed: happiness. But not everyone feels it, and that’s perfectly normal. In the shared imagination, the holiday season is a bright interlude, a narrative that works well in movies and shop windows, but often does not match real life. Beneath the surface, there’s another story, quieter, affecting many people: rising stress, creeping melancholy, and the feeling of being out of place, of not being understood or loved.
What is "Christmas Syndrome" or Christmas Blues?
It’s not a disease, not a clinical disorder. It’s rather a set of emotions that surface precisely when we’re asked to be at our best. It’s as if the festive lights illuminate even what we try to keep in the shadows: fatigue, loneliness, worries, absences.
— ADHD Memes (@ADHDForReal) December 3, 2025
When Expectations Make More Noise Than Emotions
December is the month of dissonance: on one side there’s what we’re supposed to feel, and on the other what we actually feel. The gap between the two can become painful, making us think we’re missing something, that we’re flawed, that others are celebrating better, louder, more authentically. That ostentatious happiness, that sugary atmosphere that seems mandatory, often doesn’t even exist for those who display it. It’s a cultural model, a constructed image.
Where Does This Discomfort Come From?
The reasons are many, often interconnected. Grief, recent or long past, which feels more vivid in December. An empty chair weighs more than usual during a tradition, a meal, a song: everything can bring us back to those who are no longer here. Loneliness, which becomes more noticeable when it seems everyone around has someone, paired with difficult relationships, tense family ties, or a recent breakup. The year-end review, that nagging question that returns in December: "How was it?" For some, it’s a stimulus; for others, a lens that magnifies missed goals. Add to this the short daylight hours and cold weather, fertile ground for melancholy. Finally, social pressure fueled by consumerism and expectations for gifts, dinners, and constant invitations, a jam-packed calendar that can overwhelm those already feeling tired or financially strained.
@dietista.paolastavolone Sai che esiste una depressione legata al Natale? Si chiama Christmas Blues, é uno stato di malessere che accompagna le persone nelle feste. Questo perché Natale oltre ad essere il momento più magico dell’anno é anche quello in cui si ha un contatto sociale continuo con riunioni di famiglia dove si vivono confronti fisici, emotivi oppure economici con gli altri… e dove tutti inevitabilmente facciamo il bilancio annuale di cosa non siamo riusciti a fare. Come combattere questo Christmas Blues? Concedi alle tue emozioni di esistere e non sopprimerle, prenditi del tempo per te, non paragonarti agli altri, di NO a chi non vuoi vedere e soprattutto non seguire le convenzioni sociali! #christmasblues #christmas #natale #xmas #christmastime #christmasiscoming #dicembre #mindfulness #meditation #consapevolezza #pensieri #salutementale #starebeneconsestessi #healing #fragilita suono originale - dietista.paolastavolone
How to make Christmas Blues a bit more bearable: small strategies
Christmas Blues is a temporary emotional state, mostly linked to the pressure of the holidays. The discomfort arrives with Christmas and usually leaves with Christmas. However, we can implement some strategies to make this period a bit more pleasant. First, name what you feel: we’re not obliged to be happy just because it’s Christmas. Saying "that’s how it is today" already eases the pressure, as does talking about it with someone. Traditions can also be modified or reinvented. Sometimes it’s enough to change the script, a simpler lunch, a different activity, or, conversely, maintain a comforting tradition. On the financial side, we can set a realistic budget and remember that gifts aren’t a measure of affection. Finally, spending time with others or reviewing the year with kindness helps put things in perspective. Perhaps the key is to lower expectations and increase authenticity, allowing ourselves to follow our own rhythm and emotional truth. Accepting what isn’t perfect.