Your Worst Holiday Trait, by Personality Type

Holiday stress can bring out the Scrooge in all of us. From awkward family events to the pressure of gift-buying, it’s easy to get overwhelmed during the holidays.

Every Enneagram type handles this festive stress differently and it can bring out a wide range of the worst possible holiday traits in every personality. 

If you don’t know which one you are, here’s your worst stress response by personality type. You’ve been warned!

Type 1  - The Perfectionist - The Over Organizer 

The holidays require more preparation and planning than pretty much every other time of year and you, Type 1, take this to extremes. You want everything to be just so, from the gifts to the food to the party planning. And you will organize every detail to the tenth degree, to the point where your over-planning can quickly get out of hand. Only you’ll never admit to how overstressed and overstretched you’re feeling. Warn your friends and family – they shouldn’t even think about spending a day on the couch with you around!

Type 2 - The Giver - The Forever Host

You’re arguably the most helpful and caring of the Enneagram types, Type 2, which means you’re the person who refuses to sit down during the holidays. How can you relax when there are drinks to be refilled, food to be brought out, wrapping to be done and extra gifts to be bought? As a holiday host, you treat your guests like kings. But have you stopped to think how guilty everyone else might feel by how much you’re doing for them? Seriously, you make others look bad. That doesn’t mean you’ll stop running around after them, though. 

Type 3 - The Achiever - The Big Spender

You know that one family member who always overshadows everyone else with their gifts? That’s the Type 3 personality through and through. While everyone else is handing out socks, you’re the one giving iPads to every last niece and nephew on your list. We know you want to spoil everyone (and show off your success), but there’s such a thing as being too generous! Your big spender habits can quickly turn into your worst holiday trait, making everyone else feel awkward about their own gift choices. Not to mention the bills you rack up in the process!

Type 4 - The Individualist - The Non-conformist

You know how your family has certain holiday traditions that they’ve held onto since you were a child? Well you, Type 4, are here to throw all that out. As the consummate Individualist, you aren’t content with a run-of-the-mill festive season. Oh no. You’re on a mission to celebrate in a unique, eccentric and all-out way. Homemade decorations. A buffet of random dishes for dinner. Ditching the season altogether and spending three weeks checking out the beaches of South Vietnam. Your worst holiday trait is you’re so preoccupied with being original that you miss out on some of the best parts of the season – hanging out with the people closest to you and enjoying their company. 

Type 5 - The Investigator - The Antisocial Guest

You, Type 5, can get overwhelmed easily and the holidays are no different. You like to keep yourself to yourself, even during the festive season. In fact, you can become even more reclusive and closed-off amidst all the holiday stress. Your worst holiday trait?  You quickly become the antisocial guest who wants nothing to do with anyone, which is a tough holiday trait to navigate for the people who just want to spend time with you.

Type 6 - The Skeptic - The Health and Safety Officer

From the open flames on your clove-scented candles to the hot oil in the turkey tray, the festive season is one big danger zone. You, Type 6, are only too aware of this and that’s why you turn into the Health and Safety Officer at every holiday event. Don’t stand too close to the tree in case it falls, crushes and kills you. Don’t use ribbon on your gifts in case the dog gets strangled. Don’t use glass containers for leftovers in case they smash and slice an artery. Safety paranoia is your worst trait. Your constant risk assessments can really get exhausting, especially around the holidays!

Type 7 - The Enthusiast - The Party-all-nighter

The holidays are the best season for fun-loving Type 7s. You’re always looking for exciting ways to spend your time so you quickly fill up your social calendar with every event you can possibly go to… and then you get burnt out. Singing carols, visiting a winter wonderland, going to family parties, staying all night at friends-givings, you may feel like you have tireless energy but even you can take it too far. You just don’t know when to call it quits until it’s too late. That’s why your best personality trait is also your worst around the holidays.

Type 8 - The Challenger - The Political Debater

There’s a lot of potential for arguments around the holidays, especially when you’re spending time with family members you don’t see often. Enter Type 8s who are here to stir the pot even more! You are the one who never lets a disagreement lie. You’ll question, prod, poke and contradict – mix a liberal Type 8 with an old-school uncle and things are going to turn ugly, fast. Your worst holiday trait is your inability to swallow your opinions in favor of familial peace. Holiday stress brings out your argumentative side and then there’s really no telling where the conversation will end up!

Type 9 - The Peacemaker - The “I don’t need a gift”-er

On the other end of the spectrum is the Type 9 Peacemaker. You do everything you can to make other people happy during the holidays. You’ll spend months picking out the perfect gifts for the people in your life but when it comes to your own gifts, you’ll be the first to say, “I don’t need anything this year.” This puts everyone else in an impossible situation. Do they get you a gift and risk upsetting you or don’t get you a gift and have the guilt of knowing you have nothing to open on the big day? Being unassuming and un-needy may seem like a great quality, but it means you can end up feeling left out, disappointed and even rejected while everyone else is having fun.

Whatever your worst holiday trait is, it’s up to you to keep your personality type in check during the holidays. Whether that means forcing yourself to take a break, swallowing your pride or making an extra effort to be more social, this year is your chance to be different! Don’t let your inner scrooge take over. Are you up for the challenge?