In a 2004 survey, more than one in five Americans said they were worried the holidays will harm their health. The top six stressors, says the American Psychological Association, were: money, gift-giving, lack of time, families, diet and children's issues. The most popular ways of coping include prayer and exercise; 1 per cent of respondents said they used sex to relieve stress and another 1 per cent turned to video games.
A new breed of luxury playhouses is being envisaged by wealthy families who want to pamper their children, reports The Boston Globe. The play structures can cost tens of thousands of dollars. For instance, Rodney and Beverly Hawes, both 67, of New Haven, Conn., built a 10,000-square-foot barn for their 20 grandchildren. The multi-million-dollar complex is equipped with a half-court basketball gym, an arcade, a movie theatre with oversized leather seats and a miniature bowling alley. It also has a stage with Broadway-style lighting, a dance studio, a French country-style kitchen and a large dining area. "That's what life is about -- family," says Mr. Hawes.
"Teenagers are the new kids on the block for the luxury stores on New York's Madison and Fifth Avenues, where retailers pay the world's highest rents," reports Bloomberg News. "Fuelled by mom's and dad's credit cards, girls are snapping up $1,500 (U.S.) bags and $480 cashmere track suits, helping drive record sales for brands such as Prada and Louis Vuitton. The young customers include daughters of Wall Street bankers and lawyers, set to splurge into 2006 as their parents collect more than $17.5-billion in year-end bonuses from firms such as Merrill Lynch and Goldman Sachs," the news service said.
Last week, security guards in Orlando, Fla., wrestled a man to the floor in a Wal-Mart store after he cut in line to buy laptop computers that were on sale.
In some Arab countries, where women hold a subordinate position, it is common for men to cut in front of women at ticket windows. In Israel, people waiting for the bus resist forming a line but board the vehicle in the order they had arrived.
People in a line may look patient but their heart rates are increasing by 10 per cent, a British study found. If someone cuts in, men's heart rate increases by 16 per cent, women's by 12 per cent.
Buying holiday gifts for pets has become as normal as picking out presents for children and other relatives, says Dr. Marie Suthers-McCabe, a veterinarian and associate professor of human-companion-animal interaction at the Virginia Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine. "You're not even thought of as being weird," she told The Baltimore Sun. "They say dogs love unwrapping presents. It's becoming part of the holidays," the newspaper said.
For cats, the most irresistible toy is often the Christmas tree. They might climb it, knock it over or redecorate it. Some cat owners anchor their tree to the ceiling with fishing line. Pet therapist Warren Eckstein has a homemade solution: He puts a handful of pennies in empty plastic soda bottles and balances them on the bottom branches. When the cat jumps the tree, the bottles clatter down, Mr. Eckstein found.
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