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(17.12.2025) The Christmas season can increase anxiety: from social pressure to specific phobias such as Santaclausophobia or decision anxiety. Expert from the University Medical Center Freiburg classifies phenomena.

The (pre)Christmas period can be stressful for many people. In addition to social pressure and family expectations that can exacerbate a social phobia, specific Christmas triggers also occur - for example in the case of Santaclausophobia (fear of Christmas figures), decidophobia (decision anxiety when giving presents) or dendrophobia (fear of trees or Christmas trees).

Anxiety is a signal that needs to be understood

"Paradoxically, the time when everything is supposed to be peaceful and contemplative causes many people to falter emotionally. Some are frightened at the sight of Santa Claus or Knecht Ruprecht, others feel overwhelmed at the sound of a Christmas carol - even to the point of shortness of breath or a racing heart," says Prof. Dr. Dr. Katharina Domschke, Medical Director of the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg. "Such specific Christmas fears show how finely our anxiety system reacts. Anxiety is a human signal that needs to be understood and often has underlying causes - regardless of whether it is triggered by a decorated tree, a present or an expected family gathering."

Physical reactions and emotional stress

Christmas-specific stimuli can intensify physical reactions: dizziness, accelerated heartbeat, sweating or gastrointestinal complaints. These symptoms are caused by stress hormones, vegetative activation and an increased sensitivity to bodily signals and are particularly stressful at a time that is socially associated with joy and rituals.

Approaches to coping with anxiety

Mindfulness-based exercises, consciously dealing with stressful situations, cognitive behavioral therapy and - in the case of severe anxiety disorders - medication can be helpful. Identifying individual triggers, including those related to Christmas, helps to give those affected peace of mind. A detailed article on this topic has been published in the Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift.

https://www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejournals/abstract/10.1055/a-2596-4136

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