Sorry to hear that. I no longer visit relatives that I'm not on the same page with and I don't really do Christmas anymore. The whole thing sounds soul sucking, not just the TV.

It really is surprising how bothersome TV can be when you're not used to it. I could hear my younger self calling me a pansy when I used the word gruelling in my previous comment. Of course it's not in the same league as real suffering like the illness you mentioned.

Though I do have to catch myself from being too much of a smug doesn't-own-a-TV guy. There's still plenty of distraction in my life that enters mostly via this computer. At least it is more wholesome and not actively evil.

As I understand it, constant loud noise is a torture technique. They use it against soldiers and stuff. Nothing "pansy" about finding it hard to take. Humans weren't designed for "modern" environments. My dad is in his 80's and my mom in her 70's. They both spent at least part of their childhood on a farm. They keep their household a lot quieter than is typical of a lot of modern homes. I think a lot of stuff that gets labeled "ADHD" and so on is really normal reaction to a crazy distracting environment humans weren't designed for. But that's a whole 'nother ball of wax, I suppose.