1: Avoid gambling until after the holidays?
2: make out time within the holiday to gamble a bit?
For each of us, this vacation will be different... if between socializing and having fun with people/family/kids, someone finds free time to gamble, why not?
We are not all the same, and we are not all in the same situation... everyone should fill their time in the way that suits them best. If that's a gamble, so be it.
Just no pressure... if you do something do it because you want to do it, feel free. If you do something with pressure, sooner or later it will explode.