It's The Most Loneliest Time of the Year....Or Is It?

I'm sure this is just what the world needs, another blog on being single at the holidays. But since I'm trying to do this Blogmas thing (where you blog every day before Christmas...sue me, I started really late), here are my thoughts on the situation: It doesn't completely suck.

I know I know. Gasp! What?! A single woman during the holidays is not sad and lonely and depressed?! Well, for the most part, no I'm not. Look, I can literally count on one hand exactly how many times I've had a boyfriend during the holiday season. And still have fingers left over. So, it's not like there's a montage of all the cute holiday coupley things I've done in the past replaying every year as I break out the Christmas decorations. In fact, it's been so long since I've been a we instead of a me that any memories I have are pretty fuzzy at this point. So, suffice it to say, I do not spend every night between Thanksgiving and New Year's sitting on my couch watching cheesy Christmas movies crying in to my spiked hot chocolate.

There's actually, if you think about it, a lot of benefits to being single during this time of year. There's no pressure to get my man the most perfect gift that will make him Instagram #bestgirlfriendever. I don't have to worry about being dragged to parties with people I don't know or being forced to spend awkward family time with people who I'm not sure if they even really like me. There's no fighting over whose family we have to spend the day with. I can watch all the Lifetime Christmas movies I want without being judged. And New Year's? I get to watch the ball drop in my jammies and go to bed right afterwards. (Okay, sure, I bet a lot of couples do that as well.) Suddenly my life isn't looking so bad now, is it?

But, I will confess dear reader, that I do succumb to those moments of loneliness. It's hard not to when you're constantly bombarded with images of happy couples on TV or in magazines. There seems to be this cultural idea that you have to be with someone or else you're just a sad, bitter person waiting for the right one to come along. And while the thought of being surrounded by lots of people gives me anxiety, I do sometimes wish I had that one special person to be with. Now we can cue the montage: decorating the Christmas tree with Bing or Michael Buble crooning in the background. Curled up on the couch under a blanket watching Elf. Ice skating downtown (even though I'm pretty sure I would spend most of my time on my butt on the ice. Oh, but look how cute he is helping me up! And now we giggle and kiss....). Waking up Christmas morning to exchange presents. You get the drift. And it's not to say that I can't do any of those things by myself, and I do. Except the ice skating. But yes, there is something about this time of year that makes me wish I wasn't alone. Perhaps it's all the talk of togetherness and people coming together to spend time with each other. Maybe I watch too many Christmas movies (darn you Hallmark Channel!). Maybe I just give in to the cliché of our society. Who knows.

So, there are pros and cons to being single during the holidays. Truly, most of the time, I love it. I have the cats to keep me company during those Christmas movies, traditions both personal and family that I carry on every year, I've decorated the tree so damn much this year I may never want to do it again (more on that in tomorrow's blog), and I need no excuse to listen to Bing dream about a White Christmas or Michael croon about a Blue one. And once in a while I stop making faces at the jewelry commercials and give a little sigh of regret that there's nobody to leave a Christmas list for. Or more importantly, nobody to spike my hot chocolate for me. Whatever your relationship status, I hope you find peace this season and to remember the grass on your side of the fence is just as green as on the other side.

I love lamp.