Getting over fear of crowds for holiday?

Exposure to crowds: If you need brief treatment of a crowd phobia / near-phobia, you could consult a behavioral therapist to expose you to slowly increasing levels of crowd-related stimuli. They will give you coping skills and will personally support you as well. If you have no time at all, consult your physician about *temporary* anxiolytic pills. Then exposure therapy when you have time.

CBT: Seek a cognitive-behavioral therapist who specializes in phobias. One method they use is systematic desensitization which slowly and incrementally brings the person closer and closer to the thing they are afraid of in slow, graduated steps that help make the anxiety more tolerable.