Christmas ridiculousness

Question. Why do moms stress out about Christmas?

I went to a bridal shower with my mother this morning and the majority of the talk (except for the wedding conversation) was Christmas: shopping, baking, cleaning, decorating, music, Santa, family.... and apparently, the general consensus among mothers is that Christmas is the most stressful time of the year, and they will never be as prepared as they would like.

I don't understand this. You have your list of people you buy presents for: check. You have your list of people you take plates of cookies to, and of course some for yourselves: check. You shouldn't have to clean any more or less than the rest of the year: check. Decorating can be fun if you don't go overboard; the tree is a must, but then it's only as stressful as you make it: check. Music is also up to your own discretion, just get out the Christmas CDs that you like and they're available for the season: check. Santa comes for the kids, all he asks in return is some of the cookies you've already baked: check. Family is great, and (in theory) the best part of Christmas, so why do extra relatives create issues? Maybe it's just a mom thing. But the holidays shouldn't be a stressful time, they should be enjoyable. People get so caught up in all the materialism (and not just "I want [blank]" but the food and decorations and Santa and specific traditions, etc) that they forget that Christmas is a time for family and gratitude and love.

So. When I finally am a mother (in another ten years) I will not fall into the stress trap. I will enjoy Christmas like I've always enjoyed Christmas. I refuse to become a crazy woman who panics because she didn't make a certain kind of cookie or didn't get out a certain Nativity Scene. That's just ridiculous.