Well woe, woe, woe to you too

Well done for making it through one of the most stressful holidays of the year: Christmas. You survived your aunt criticising your trifle and your dad telling you that he simply does not approve of how you braai wors.

One would think that with most people being off work, spending quality time with friends, consuming copious amounts of food and drinks, all would be well.

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Seems like festive goodwill is quickly running out.

Generation Z is reporting (all over social media) that their mental health is being negatively affected by the unrealistic expectations their families and society have on them.

Apparently, the young ones are finding faking smiles and pretending everyone likes each other at this time of the year quite stressful.

For their mental health, they would rather not leave their urban, one-bedroomed apartments furnished with cooldrink crates and trek all the way home to family homes, where they will be unreasonably expected to wash dishes, clean the yard and not be on their phones.

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Workload is another word that gets thrown around by the Gen Z gang.

They lament setting up the one-step Christmas tree which comes in a box, using a manual tin opener for all three cans for the traditional Three-Beans salad and hand-washing plates.

To be fair, the end of the year can be as traumatic for the older crowd, too. The geriatrics are expected to forget about their ailments and tell cute stories from their childhood, just so that the grandchildren can generate content for TikTok.

As a pensioner who is used to your house being quiet, imagine the shock to your system when your entire family descends on your abode.

They bring mobile WiFi routers that remind you of your stolen, black and white TV that had bunny ears; they force you to keep tasting their Siba Mtongana-inspired meals that leave you feeling hungrier; and they keep suggesting you subscribe to something called a dating app, just because your spouse died more than a decade ago.

It is as if this is time of the year when most of us become the least tolerant of those who have different beliefs from us.

Surely this is the exact opposite of what is supposed to be happening, right?