Festivities are optional

If it pays to take part in the culture of your tribe then by all means, follow the pack. Do what everyone else is doing.

But if the cost is too great (literally and figuratively), if it's exhausting, or if it literally stresses you out, it helps to acknowledge that you don't have to participate. If your involvement in modern conventions doesn't help you or serve you or make you better--if it doesn't contribute to your greater peace of mind--it doesn't make sense at all for you to cooperate.

Observing holidays is a choice. So is how you celebrate them. Alas, if they're not helping (you, your health, or your relationships), it's okay to opt out (or at very least, loosen up).