The average workplace can only handle so much festive cheer.

It may be true that a few decorations and a Christmas party can offer a welcome break from the relentless gray of corporate life, but the fact remains that unless you are one of Santa’s elves, doing your job is never going to be very Christmassy. There is a reason people are always quitting their high-flying positions in seasonal Hallmark movies.

This means that you don’t have to be a grinch to be overwhelmed when work tries to be festive. When you are just trying to keep it together and do just enough to make it to the holidays, it can all serve as a big and annoying distraction. It doesn’t help that it is often a vehicle for the most irritating coworkers to step things up a notch, causing problems at a time that should be all about peace.