New Year's Eve Panic And Gift Fever - Society

“With the holidays approaching, I am seized with panic: everyone needs to buy gifts, and the budget is limited. I don’t want to give some nonsense, but I can’t go broke either.” Anna, 31 years old

Before the New Year, even the calmest people get over-excited: bustle, nervousness, and sometimes panic accompany the search for gifts and preparations for the holidays. Both the budget and the time are limited, I do not want to forget someone important when choosing gifts. At the same time, the head is dizzy with thoughts - to whom to give something valuable, and to whom is enough and an inexpensive souvenir.

If you also get overwhelmed by anxiety, don't worry - it's completely normal. Studies have confirmed that this is how our body reacts to an excess of serotonin. And the hormone of joy is produced due to the pre-holiday atmosphere created annually by shops, television and magazines. The accumulation of serotonin inevitably causes an increased release of cortisol, the stress hormone, and now you are already much more anxious than the reality requires.

There are several techniques that can help you regain your sense of control.

• Make a complete list of those you want to congratulate and outline the overall budget. Now select those to whom you will make valuable gifts, to whom inexpensive souvenirs, and determine the approximate amount for each person.
• Think about what exactly and to whom you want to present. Gifts for loved ones will of course be more personal and possibly more expensive. Most likely, this will be enough for you to decide. If you don't know what your family member or friend wants, you can suggest shopping together. Another option is gift certificates to your favorite stores.
• It is best to start your holiday shopping long before the onset of the New Year's bustle. If you manage to purchase all the gifts by December 15th, you can save both time and money.
• Shopping in online stores. Small gifts, souvenirs for friends, colleagues and distant acquaintances can be found on the Internet. You can save a lot by shopping online. At the same time, you can find many original souvenirs and interesting, non-trivial goods.
• When looking for gifts for distant acquaintances, pay attention to another inexpensive win-win option - sweets, souvenir chocolate, gift wraps with good coffee or tea. If you add individual beautiful DIY packaging, this set will look even more festive.
• In a situation of a limited budget, you can always make gifts with your own hands. There are many sites on the Internet for needlework, which describe in detail how to make souvenirs with your own hands. You can always find something original and not very complicated.
• If you approach the task creatively, you can come up with an original way to congratulate everyone and at the same time not spend much money. For colleagues, for example, you can prepare a “fortune bag” with a set of small gifts and wishes for the new year or postcards with inspirational quotes. So everyone can draw out their own unique prediction. As a gift to friends, you can record a disc with your favorite compositions and arrange it in an original way. You can print shared photos in the form of a small album with captions about what each of the photos means to you. You can record short videos with personal congratulations or poetic wishes to everyone and send them by e-mail. Do not limit your imagination, every year more and more people value personal attitude and attention, and not the cost of a gift.

The most important thing in the pre-New Year's bustle is not to forget that the reason for it is a wonderful family holiday, symbolizing the onset of the new year and hope for new happiness. Most likely, no one will give you “marks” about how well you prepared for the celebration, and, in the end, the most important thing is how you yourself will feel under the chimes. Therefore, take a deep breath, exhale, smile and think about yourself, because a good mood is the best New Year's gift.

Photo: Sergey Nivens / Photobank Lori