Sunday, February 3, 2008

A Singles Holiday

It's less than 2 weeks until Christmas. This can be a time of mixed emotions for single people. We can get caught up in the joy of the hustle and bustle, the Christmas Carols, the parties and all. On the other hand, the emphasis on family and relationships can be hard. You go home for Christmas and everyone is there with a spouse or a boyfriend or girlfriend and children. Some dear relative inquires about your own prospects and are disappointed that you haven't decided to pick up a spouse by simply going down to the spouse-mart and bringing one home for the holiday season.

If you are away from home and completely alone for the holidays, it can be even rougher. Ironically, even people who intend to make things better for you can make them worse. A family at church "adopts" a single for the holiday and brings you home with them like a stray puppy or something.

So much of the depression we find over the holiday comes more from our expectations and the cultural images we have. Certainly, the holidays are a time for tradition, but why not start your own traditions. Just because I'm single doesn't mean I have to go to my married sister's house for Christmas. I can have them over at my house. I can prepare the big dinner, give her (well not her really, since she can burn water, but her husband who is a great cook) a break. I can enjoy the baking and the holiday stuff by doing them myself.

And if I'm not where I can have family over, I can create a family by inviting friends, both married and single, maybe not for a dinner, but an open house with snacks and refreshment.

Or if that is impractical, I can get dressed to the nines, make reservations at the best restaurant in town for one, take a book either a favorite or one purchased as a gift for myself and go read and enjoy a great meal.

Or I could volunteer to help at a rest home or homeless shelter.

Or rent all the classic Christmas programs (The Grinch (the original cartoon with boris karloff), Christmas Carol, Miracle on 34th Street, and whatever) curl up on the couch with a pizza and egg nog and enjoy the day.

Perhaps the most important thing to do to beat the single holiday blues is to remember the reason for the season. This is not a celibration of gift giving or Santa Claus or even family, as fun or as important as that might be. This is the celebration of God choosing to come to earth, to live among us, teach us and finally give himself as a sacrifice for us.

Oh, and just a breif note, He was single.

1 comment:

blogNATHI said...

Thank you for this post:) I usually hike in the mountains over easter, which is a special time for me, and at christmas I like to go for a fabulous holiday. This year I went to Egypt. I'm just busy with other things right now so I didn't get away. And I work from home too, so I do spend a lot of time alone. I feel that more and more of the youngsters are going to be coming into singlehood soon, and that they will create more spaces for themselves to share in the moment, then go home single and happy and baggage-free!