For the freshly single, the holidays can appear to be an entire season that was built and designed exclusively around couples. From hanging mistletoe that calls every couple in love to publicly demonstrate their intimacy, to the highly anticipated New Year’s kiss at the stroke of midnight, the holidays can leave us single gals feeling as though we’re experiencing Valentine’s Day on repeat. Each chocolate on our advent calendar marks the end of another grueling day of being surrounded by couples in love and reminding us of the fact that this year, we are without a significant other (SO).
But it turns out ladies, that Santa might have come early this year, and his gift to you was making you single for the holidays. From holiday shopping to family dinners, here are but a few of the many reasons why flying solo is this season’s hottest new trend!
You can scratch his/her gift off your list, and buy your-self something special instead
One of the most stressful and frustrating parts of the holiday season is finding that perfect gift for a significant other. “Am I spending too much? Am I spending too little? Will they like it? Is it cliché? Does it show that I really care without making me seem obsessive? What’s the rule if we’ve only been dating three weeks?” These are all questions you no longer have to worry about, and can replace with “What do I want? What would look good on me? Do I buy one and get one half off or buy two and get one free?” Being single over the holidays gives you full rights to buy your-self an amazing guilt-free present, as the money spent would be spent on a SO’s gift had you been dating someone this season. Plus…we all know you’ve been extra good this year, so indulge!
You don’t have to meet every aunt’s third cousin and her step nephew’s dog
Everyone always talks about how the holidays are a time for family, and this is absolutely true. You’ve been away at school all semester and the last thing you want to spend your holidays doing is driving from one city to the next so you can please both you parents and your SO’s parents by spending an equally divided amount of time with both. Besides, we all know that the holidays are a time for extended families to gather, so going to your SO’s house for turkey dinner promises to be a night filled with countless small-talk conversations, endless questions about what you’re studying and how you two met. Don’t forget to add in a large amount of new names to remember. However, this year, thanks to your fabulous singleness, you get to spend all of your precious time with friends and family that you know and care about without feeling selfish about ditching your SO’s family dinner. Spending time with loved ones is what the holidays are all about, right?
Enjoy your freedom; the holidays are a prime time to meet new prospects
It appears every Facebook friend you have is hosting a party around this time of year. The good thing about being single is that you’re not committed to attending someone else’s events as their date, so you can go to all the parties that interest you for your own reasons and from your own network. And around the holidays, everyone always dresses to impress. So get dolled up, enjoy the eye candy and have fun flirting guilt-free. You might even find your own New Year’s kiss with whom you can ring in 2013!
Pass the turkey
One of the best parts of the holiday season is without a doubt the food. Every party you go to offers a wide array of appetizers and snacks, and many companies host their corporate parties at restaurants that offer three or four course meals. Not to mention, turkey dinners are served with more sides than one can handle. Needless to say, a few extra pounds can easily be put on over the holidays, and it’s not rare to leave a party feeling a little bloated and stuffed like a Christmas turkey. Luckily, this holiday season, there’s no need to worry about the baby-pouch that extra berry tart might have created. Forget about your waistline, go for seconds at the dinner table and relish the fact that these next few weeks are about relaxation and guilt-free indulgence.
Even though seeing couples shopping together, hearing songs about being with your “one and only” for Christmas and constantly being bombarded with images of happy couples wearing matching ugly Christmas sweaters can be frustrating and make a single gal feel lonely. Sometimes the idea that the holidays are exclusively for couples can seem so real that Santa starts to resemble cupid and it seems as though we’ve forgotten which holiday it is we’re really celebrating. Not this year!
Take a look at that “single” Facebook relationship status, breathe in a sigh of relief and enjoy your holiday season flying solo. Remember, the holidays aren’t about being with your loved one; they’re about being with your loved ones. Between work parties, old high school reunions, family dinners and New Year’s gatherings, January will be here before you know it and you’ll be thankful you didn’t have a SO trying to occupy your time over the holidays.
Photo credits:
http://www.albushotel.com/en/city-highlight/shopping.html
http://www.yourtango.com/single