10 things that annoy us about the holidays

It’s that holiday season. The trees are up, laden with keepsake ornaments. The little lights are twinkling. The stockings are hung by the chimneys with care. Presents are wrapped, adorned with ribbons and bows.

Nice and all, but seriously, the holidays aren’t all fun and games.

Here are 10 things that annoy us like Whoville annoyed the Grinch.

1. Fruitcake

When’s the last time you actually tasted a slice of fruitcake? You can’t remember, can you? Fruitcake might be really tasty, no one really knows. It’s become the butt of every holiday meal. See also: eggnog.

2. Car commercials

Another show of hands, please … who among us has actually been given a car for Christmas, complete with giant red bow, of course? Yeah, me neither.

3. Tinsel aka icicles

Everyone had that one relative whose tree was laden with shiny strips of plastic/metal (depending on the decade). All tinsel does is clog the vacuum and keep the cat busy. Ugh, and it’s always full of static.

4. The kid table

You’ve been away at college for your first semester and finally make it home for holiday break. You saunter into the dining room for holiday dinner, only to find you’re still stuck at the kid table. Hope you didn’t wear a good shirt. Your little cousins will either wipe their hands on their napkin or your Polo oxford tails. It matters not to them.

5. Hangovers

Sure, you’ll have another glass of wine or bottle of craft beer or shot of bourbon. It’s the holidays, right? It’s all great until the next morning. Be smart and know your limits. Hangovers are the worst — especially in a house full of long-lost relatives.

6. Pine needles

Love your real tree? That’s cool! Nothing screams “Christmas” like the scent of pine. Word to the wise — keep that thing watered. Like every day, top it off. If not, be prepared to find dried-up pine needles in every nook and cranny of your house for months to come. Again, just water your Christmas tree.

7. Lack of willpower

Cookies and cakes and charcuterie, oh my! The holidays are filled with so much good stuff that is not so good for us. It’s hard to say no … good intentions and all. See also #5.

8. Elves on shelves

Those creepy, little, all-seeing snitches need to go back to the North Pole and stay there. It seems every morning during the holiday season, parents are freaking out because the elf failed to move or come up with some clever vignette over night. Forget about the darn elf and just let the kids worry about Santa Claus or (gasp) be good on their own volition.

9. Post-holiday blues

For some of us, the best part of the holiday season is the anticipation and preparation leading up to the big day. We love the gatherings, the laughs, the games, the food, the decorations. When the holidays are over, it’s an inevitable letdown.

10. Lingering holiday decorations

Nothing worse than deflated Santas littering yards and half-lit shrubs lingering long into January. After Jan. 1 (if not before!), pack it all up, put it away and get on with the new year.