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So why not give a gift to those burned-out friends and family to help relieve them of their worries?

Kandra Ayotte-Foster, spa manager at the Senator Inn & Spa in Augusta, offered some great last-minute ideas for gifts that appeal to the senses and comfort people.

"We wanted to be able to create an experience, of course at the spa, but also create a memory of what they had at the spa," Ayotte-Foster said. "So we're sending them home with a product to bring those wonderful feelings back."

Holiday packages include hot-chocolate stone massages.

As part of the package, clients get to take home chocolate massage oil and a chocolate-cream truffle tea with a brewing mug, and a nog and ginger treat for hands and feet. Clients also get to bring home an egg-nog rub.

The holiday packages range from $156 to $399 for a "mistletoe for two rendezvous" that includes an overnight spa site with fireplace, a bottle of champagne, massages and chocolate-dipped strawberries.

"It's so important that they can find a comfort zone," Ayotte-Foster said. "If we can find comfort, we can certainly relieve stress and allow people to take care of themselves and handle stress in their lives a little more."

Another stress-relief gift idea that keeps a person physically and emotionally healthy is aromatherapy.

Pamela Hall, an aromatherapy specialist at the Cutting Edge in Randolph, said aromatherapy uses essential oils and other aromatic compounds from plants for the purpose of affecting a person's mood or health.

She offers gift certificates for her services -- $25 for a half-hour session and $45 for an hour session.

"Soothing scents are very powerful," Hall said.

"A smell can bring you back to your childhood. Lavenders are very soothing, citrus is supposed to be uplifting. Scents trigger endorphins in the brain, the feel-good endorphins that creates a sense of well being."

Give an aromatherapy gift basket that includes an herbal eye bag, bath oil, aromatherapy candle and potpourri. Meditation CDs are good for calming the nerves. Humorous or encouraging books also are good for stressed-out folks.

According to Mosby's Medical Dictionary, stress is "any emotional, physical, social, economic or other factor that requires a response or change."

Irene Firenze, a psychotherapist in Bowdoinham who offers a free consultation over the phone, said, in reality, holidays can bring about a fair amount of stress on top of what people are experiencing from financial woes.

For those strapped for money, she suggests giving stress-relieving presents that come from the heart.

"Gifts that alleviate stress could be giving people hours of baby-sitting or gift certificates for working in the garden in the spring, washing the car or taking care of the house while a friend is visiting family," Firenze said. "You can give gift certificates for services to help relieve stress. Use your creativity. What could my friend really use in the way of help? Maybe taking care of their elderly parents an hour a week or sharing a talent with them."

It might be a little late for this year, but another great Christmas present is an emWave Personal Stress Reliever.

You place your thumb on the emWave's pulse sensor, breathe deeply in rhythm to the rising and falling light on its "Heart Action Strip" and think positive thoughts. As the indicator light changes from red to blue to green, your stress level decreases. It runs about $199 and can be purchased by calling 800-450-9111 or online at www.emwave.com.

Neck pillows or warming mittens and booties that can be heated in the microwave are a great idea, or possibly a beginner's yoga DVD or yoga classes.

At Lite Works Yoga in Augusta, Laura Hamilton offers private lessons for $65. She also teaches classes at the Senator Inn spa.

"The whole thing with yoga is about mastering the internal state so you can function more effectively in the external world," Hamilton said.

Also in Augusta at Reiki-Fire, David Hopkins provides a type of ancient healing that involves gentle massage therapy and deep relaxation. An hour-long session costs $65.

"Reiki helps with stress levels," Hopkins said. "A lot of my clients say the best night of sleep they ever had was after one of my sessions. It just helps calm people at all different levels."

And then, for the more adventurous, there's acupuncture. William Schecher, an acupuncture practitioner in Hallowell, says the 2,500-year-old system of medication is great for alleviating stress.

"It uses very thin, stainless-steel, sterilized needles to access specific points on the body to increase the sense of relaxation and wellness and decreases stress," Schecher said.