I’ve been reading a lot of discussion lately about how difficult it is for singles to get through the holidays. I must admit, I go the other way with this kind of thing. I keep thinking “Thank God!” I’m single at the holidays.

I know some of you are rolling your eyes at me right now, but hear me out.

1. I’m lucky in that my parents are still alive, and we have a very close relationship. Therefore, I want to see them at the holidays. If you are in a long-term or marital relationship with someone, and they also have family, you have to decide where to go for the holidays. And apparently, you have to let your partner have a say once in a while. Whatever.
2. Shopping for men is difficult under the best of circumstances. Since it is a little weird wrapping up beer and porn and putting it under the Christmas tree, you are stuck trying to figure it out. Also, if you are at the beginning of a relationship, you have the hellish, “Is it too early?” question. Single people don’t have this problem.
3. “If you are single, you might not have anyone to kiss at midnight on New Year’s Eve.” That’s right. You also have no one to get in a fight with because they got too drunk and wanted to still drive home.
4. If you are totally going solo for the holidays, you can always travel. And restaurants and hotels tend to give you free wine and other presents because they assume you are lonely. This happened to me all the time during my trip to the Central Coast, and there wasn’t even a sentimental holiday involved. No one gives you free stuff if you are with some dude.
5. You are allowed to skip the holidays. Seriously, there are days, months, years where you just don’t want to celebrate. You want to breathe in the sweet relief of having a day off, and you don’t want to have to deal with anything else. You don’t want to decorate. You don’t want to cook. You just want to be. Try that in a relationship. It doesn’t work very often. In single-ville, it’s always a possibility!
6. Do you know how many men get caught cheating at the holidays? It seems like they get overconfident in their ability to juggle and slip up. The only cheating a singleton is going to do is cheat on her diet. Much like I’m doing right now.

 

So, take heart! I know that you can come up with a plethora of reasons why being single at the holidays is a terrible thing, but also know that you have endless opportunities to make it good, too.