大変　How to choose correct meaning


A man has just opened his newspaper and pulled out a bundle of leaflets. He
then says:

> 「いっぱい広告が入ってるなァ。お歳暮も大変だよなァ」  
>  It's full of adverts. The year-end gifts are (also?) great/terrible.

I've never properly understood 大変. How do I know if the man is happy or upset
by the year-end gifts? My guess is that he's not happy because leaflets in
newspapers are a pain, but it's not clear to me at all.




While I agree that 大変 doesn't necessary indicate the man is happy or not, I'd
say that **he is feeling some sort of sympathy** , because, in this case, 大変
refers to the _competition_ among companies **being tough**.  
What do I mean by _competition_? Considering lots of people give out end-year
gifts in Japan, those companies must be trying their best to _win_ as big
sales as they can.




While I agree that 大変 doesn't necessary indicate the man is happy or not, I'd
say that **he is feeling some sort of sympathy** , because, in this case, 大変
refers to the _competition_ among companies **being tough**.  
What do I mean by _competition_? Considering lots of people give out end-year
gifts in Japan, those companies must be trying their best to _win_ as big
sales as they can.

