There are a seemingly infinite number of things during the holidays that make them so hard on so many people, the general tension being the obvious one. Sometimes we can't walk away from it easily. I myself am currently experiencing that tension 10 hours away from home and familiarity, for example.
So right now I'm in as quiet an place I could find and reading a book, because (though it's a far more appealing thought right now) drowning the stress in an cocktail of self medication just isn't what I'm to do.