5 Reasons Being Solo During The Holidays Rocks
Feeling a bit bummed about being single this year during the holidays? Well, never fear, there are plenty of reasons that you should celebrate your status as a single lady (or guy) this season. Stop focusing on what you don't have and take a minute to raise your glass to these reasons to cheer for being single!
You won't get "that question"
For some reason, when you're in a relationship, everyone, especially family, seems to think it's okay to ask you when you're getting married, or even worse, when you're planning on starting a family, as though those are communal decisions. Generally, if you're single, your family should know better than to pry into your relationship status. Having your great-aunt ask you if you're dating anyone is far less creepy than having her ask if you're trying to get pregnant, right?
Mistletoe!
Let's face it, holiday office parties are much more fun for single people. If you're in a relationship, you're either focused on showing off your significant other to your boss, or you're biding time until you can get out of there and really have fun, but single people are much better able to relax and let their hair down. If you have no one to report back to, you can attend the after party!
No "perfect gift" pressure
Men are notoriously difficult to buy presents for, and women can have high expectations when it comes to romantic holiday presents. If you're single this year, you don't have to worry about whether your mate will outdo you on the fabulous scale. You avoid all of the stress of shopping and worrying about whether he really wants another set of cufflinks, or whether she will like your taste in jewelry. You also don't have to practice a fake happy face for accepting a well-intentioned, but sad flop of a present.
You are on your own schedule
Everyone has a difficult time trying to fit in all of their friends and family members during the holidays. When you're part of a couple, that challenge is doubled, as you have twice as many people to see in a short period of time. If both families celebrate the same holidays, you're doomed to either run from one house to the other, leaving both groups unsatisfied, or to completely disappoint one family in favor of the other. Being single this year, you avoid the entire negotiation. Of course, you also don't have an excuse to avoid your own family!
Solo travel
If you find yourself in a self-pitying moment of holiday blahs, just think about all of the couples traveling with babies and young children this holiday season. Between the snotty faces, whining voices, and screaming tantrums, parents traveling with children face dirty looks (at the very least) from their fellow passengers. Celebrate your stellar single life by booking a seat in the exit row, ordering a cocktail, and slipping on your noise-canceling headphones, knowing that even if your flight is delayed, you won't have to change a dirty diaper.
Keely Herrick is a freelance writer. Her work can be found on Examiner.com. "
