This article was originally published on Excellenttown.com

‘Tis the season once more! The season for parents to be internally screaming for an entire month and a half straight. Everyone loves Christmas time (unless you’re a Grinch or prefer Halloween), but it comes with a few strings attached generally, and there’s an extra large amount if you’re a parent as the sheer stress of preparation while also dealing with children can really add up over time. Still, some parents take it all in stride, and from that group, some decided to cheerfully post about their struggles for us all to have a bit of a laugh and cry along with them. It’s alright, guys; we’ll get through this together.

1. Don’t Touch the Thermostat

Oh dear, the eternal battle for temperature that reigns eternally between all within the household. Being a dad also involves getting the supernatural sense to know when anyone is getting close to the thermostat so you can tell them to move away before they drive the electric bill through the roof.

There is a reason we won’t be able to afford Christmas if y’all just start playing with it, and that is why. Or, at the very least, I think that can be the Christmas present for this year: playing with the thermostat for an hour.