With the holiday season quickly approaching (maybe too quickly), the dollar signs are going to begin flying around like snowflakes in the wind or an angrily tossed piece of pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving dinner.

In saying that, the fear of not having money to spend on holiday gifts and traditions is a never-ending circle of terror.

Here’s a look into what it feels like to not have money to spend during the holiday season.

1. You start seeing holiday shopping commercials playing on TV and feel as if a reindeer just kicked you in the throat.

2. People begin asking you to participate in Secret Santa, and you have to decide if telling them you’re Jewish will excuse you from exchanging anything or not.

3. Invites to ugly sweater parties start pouring in, and you figure that a few branches off of the local pine tree taped to a t-shirt will do.

4. A peppermint mocha hot chocolate at Starbucks might as well be drizzled with 14-carat gold sprinkles.

5. You start receiving cards and gifts from friends and family in the mail and silently cry to yourself because you know you’ll have to send them something in return to be polite.

6. Instead of buying a real or fake Christmas tree, you just print out a picture of one and tape it to the wall.

7. People begin placing gifts under the tree, and you just put a note that says “IOU.”

8. You try to figure out which gifts you receive can be subtly and swiftly re-gifted.

9. You constantly cross your fingers and pray no one notices that you’ve purchased 1,000 lottery tickets in hopes that you'll win a hefty million before the holiday season ends.

It's the thought that counts, anyway, right?