Last week I stumbled upon - well, it is the season for one too many - a newspaper article about a woman who is allergic to Christmas.

She does not simply dread the commercialism, expense and general going-over-the-top activities of the festive season, but suffers from a genuine medical condition related to it.

The woman, in her thirties, becomes short of breath and falls ill if she comes into contact with many things connected to the festive season - tinsel balloons, decorations and sticky tape, even stamps.

I know that a great many people who find various aspects of the season unhealthy.

While that doesn't manifest itself in a life-threatening way, it leaves us the worse for wear both mentally and physically.

I believe most of us live in dread of many Christmas traditions, namely:

Christmas cards

Cards arriving daily, lost address books, deliberately forgotten former friends - how did that weirdo find me? - the price of stamps... all go towards creating stress on a daily basis. It's just one more thing you have to do.

The office party

When a handful of workers have one too many cocktails, lose their inhibitions, tell the boss what they really think of their Contract of Employment and indulge in shameless behaviour that is considered acceptable on the night but way-out-of-order once everyone has sobered up.

The much-wanted gift shopping panic

Furbies, Power Rangers, whatever...if its on your child's wish list you'll go through hell and high water to get it.

I was completely unaware of the global popularity of the game Don't Wake Dad, which my eldest daughter had placed on her Christmas list, until I set out to buy it last week.

It appears that every branch of Argos from here to the Galapagos Islands is sold out as is every other store in the galaxy.

As I went from shop to shop, I found myself becoming more and more stressed.

"You do have it, you will have it, you must have it!" I almost barked at a poor, innocent assistant in Woolworths.

They didn't.

Christmas dinner

Will someone please explain to me why we feel it necessary to buy so much food for only one day?

During the week before Christmas in particular, people act as if they're competing on Supermarket Sweep.

They tear around the aisles, raking in just about every jar, box and bottle in sight.

The ridiculous thing is, for the next three months they find they have no room in their cupboards due to huge tins of luncheon meat, bags of Brazil nuts and boxes of crystallised fruits that lay untouched.

Only Fools And Horses Christmas Special

No, please, not again. However much we loved the antics of Del Boy, Rodney and Grandad first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth time around, the licence payers would dearly love something new, something that has not been on television before.

Fortunately, most of us don't need a ventilator when Christmas arrives.

But it does bring added stresses and strains and it really should come with a health warning.

Updated: 12:18 Monday, December 23, 2002