Snow is falling, carols are being sung, festive treats are being made and people are…stressing? You might be thinking that this can’t possibly be true, but sadly, it is.

So many of us do not associate stress with the holiday season; we associate it with happy things like decorations, gift shopping, food and being around loved ones. But shockingly, these are some of our main sources of stress during the holidays.

Out of a survey of 18 students, 27.8 percent said they experienced mild stress and 16.7 percent said they experienced high stress during the holidays.

Most of this stress comes from the business of the holidays. We spend so much of our time busying ourselves with festivities like cooking and decorating, that we forget to take some time for us. We forget to take care of ourselves.

Some may also feel the added pressure of maintaining a budget during this time. Spending too much money on gifts, food or decorations can diminish your bank account savings and cause you major anxiety in the new year.

The survey also showed that 47.1 percent of students felt that budgeting their money during this time of year was their main source of stress, and 41.2 percent of students indicated that finding the perfect gift or gift shopping was their top stressor during the holidays.

All in all, the excitement of the holidays is what makes them fun, but it’s the business and preparation that makes us forget about everything else going on in our lives. We need to try our best to not let the holiday season bring us unnecessary stress.

50 percent of students even suggested that a close family member felt high stress during this time of year.

Trying to please everyone with gifts, food and decorations gets exhausting and draining for everyone. Even I would appreciate a less-stressed version of the holidays that I celebrate this year.

That would be the best gift of all this holiday season.