IStock Photo 380674 © Stan Roher

Are you racing out of work to fit in some holiday shopping before the stores close? Are you getting up before dawn to wrap presents and finish trimming the tree? Are you so exhausted by the time dinner rolls around you skimp on food and go extra heavy on the Chardonnay? If so, the odds are you’re a woman.

Only 31% of males report an increase in stress over the holiday season, while 44% of females do. Some women become so stressed it affects their health: 41% decrease the quality of their diet, and 28% increase their levels of alcohol consumption. These changes in behavior coupled with stress lead to fatigue, headaches, muscular tension, and indigestion, not to mention the plain-old holiday blues.

Who doesn’t fantasize about leisurely hours in front of the fire, listening to Nat King Cole, or spending time baking perfect star-shaped Christmas cookies to delight friends and family? But for too many of us, domestic bliss is hardly an option since we are hardly ever home. We’re downtown, or at the mall, or online at work, shopping and crossing off gifts—which 1 in 5.56 of us consider to be our least favorite holiday activity. That may come as a surprise, considering Americans spent $460 billion—between $500 and $1,000 per family—on Christmas expenditures in 2008. Then again, maybe not such a shock since 61% of Americans say they worry most about money during the holiday season

So, is there anything to look forward to?

A significant percentage of people, 1 in 7.69, cherish the season because people seem friendlier and they perceive a holiday spirit in the air. For 1 in 12.5 people, attending religious services is their favorite part, and for another 1 in 16.67 time away from work is the prime benefit. Some can’t wait for holiday dinners and parties (1 in 11.11), and others (1 in 25) relish watching television specials and hearing holiday songs on the radio—and, of course (1 in 100), getting presents of their own.

And then there is the matter of relatives. The majority of adults, 66%, look forward to spending time with friends and family members over the holidays. But what about the remaining 34%? They may covet some delicious Christmas pudding or some treats in their stocking, but given the chance to be excused from turkey with the in-laws or eggnog with Uncle George, they would swap Christmas for a day at the office with a bagged lunch. You can count them among the hordes (1 in 50) who swear the end of the holidays is their favorite part.