Not to be a grinch, but as great as the holidays are, we must acknowledge the irritation that comes with it. Whether it is something as simple as Christmas tunes to Black Friday shopping, the holidays can quickly turn unpleasant. Here are the top ten most annoying things about the holidays.

10. Decorating
Although decorating is a beloved, and usually beautiful, holiday activity, it can become quite a stressor as the holidays approach. You have to untangle the lights, search for the tiny little Christmas village, and find the perfect spot to hang the wreath. Although it is time-consuming, the end result should be worth it.

9. Cooking
As the holidays come closer, the scent of roast and baked goods in the kitchen becomes stronger. Although the outcome is delicious, the actual process of cooking is quite strenuous. Good luck finding any extra ham, sour cream, or even a grain of sugar in the grocery stores this December.

8. Christmas tree hunting
There are two types of Christmas families: those with real trees and those with fake trees. Fake tree people just stroll over to the local Walmart and bag a nice, perfectly crafted, scentless, plastic tree. However, real tree families hike it 45 minutes to the nearest Christmas Tree farm and spend hour after hour searching for a buggy and deformed little tree. And don’t even get me started on strapping it to the roof of your car.

7. Wrapping presents
Some of us were born gift wrappers, some of us were not. For us non-wrappers, the holiday season becomes immensely stressful when trying to give gifts to others. The stupid wrapping paper is too thin to cut and it always ends up in a wrinkled and torn mess. Time to throw it in a bag.

6. Christmas commercials
No matter where you look or listen, holiday commercials are constantly blaring repeatedly over any and every speaker. It becomes almost impossible to escape the claws of stores promoting their ‘amazing’ sales. Although they are effective, this doesn’t change the fact that they are widely irritating and distracting.

5. Constant Christmas music
Christmas music is perfect at the beginning of December as a nice way to get into the holiday spirit, but after a few days, you’ve heard the entire discography of Micheal Buble. I swear all department stores are on the same wavelength because “All I Want For Christmas Is You” will play 14 times in a 30 minute trip to Kohls. The second a song gets stuck in your head it remains there until St Patrick’s Day.

4. Forced Mass attendance
If you are or were, raised heavily Christian you know the pain that is Christmas Eve mass. Especially as a kid, Mass was extremely boring having to sit, or in most cases, stand and sing songs you didn’t even know the words to. It’s hard to sit still with all the excitement of Christmas gifts, and being surrounded by singing family members makes the hour feel like a century.

3. Christmas caroling
I thought Christmas Carolling was a myth in Christmas movies until I saw it for myself. Although the singing is usually…fine, it doesn’t stop the fact that watching carolers is extremely awkward. You have to stand there smiling while a bunch of random strangers go on and on singing Christmas songs you’ve heard a billion times already.

2. Black Friday shopping
The horrid Black Friday shopping; a pinnacle in American consumerist society. Although the sales sound nice, Black Friday is a day where no poor store employee knows peace. Dodging Karens and hysterical mothers while risking your life to snag a new iPad for your nephew is quite the opposite of the holiday spirit.

1. Family dinners
With the holidays come family gatherings, and for some that is an exciting thing, while for the rest of us it is less pleasant. Especially if you don’t have a super close relationship with distant family members, the conversation at the table becomes painfully awkward. You also have to explain for the thousandth time that you in fact DO have a job, and NO you will not explain what a TikTok is.