Single During the Holidays -- What's Good About It?

What's good about being single during the holidays?  Well, for Kathryn Harvey --big-time advertising exec, sassy lady, good friend, and Spinsterlicious Babe of the month--  lots.    Here's how and why...in her own words: 

News reports say that the holiday season is tough for a lot of people.  Often, the single and childless (but fabulous!) fall into this category.  While I don't look forward to the time between late November and early January as much as I do summer beach weekends, the holidays aren’t all bad.  There’s the parties, the gifts, the music.  And some things about being single are actually better during the holidays.   Here are a few of mine…

• I don’t have to get a tree. Trees are festive, but the needles, the watering, and the space it takes up in a NYC apartment…well, they’re a lot of work.  If I had children, or even a husband, I couldn’t get away with not having a tree.  Way too bah humbug.  But when you’re single no one really expects you to have one.  Score!

• I  don’t have to bake or cook.  And if I do, people make a very big deal about it.   And just as good, no one expects me to send holiday cards.  These days, holiday photos of well-dressed children and/or children placed in really cool, interesting spots (at the family beach house, Macchu Picchu, etc) are the norm.  Since I don’t have any children, I don’t have to send a card.  No postage, no paper waste and no idea-generation on cute outfits or cool spots for the pictures.  If I was married and didn’t send cards, I’d be stricken from every card list, no matter how old or dear our friendship.  But as a single person, no one seems to mind and I still get the cards with the cute kids and the cool locales.  Keep ‘em coming!

• A favorite personal tradition: Every year at Christmas time, my friend, Michael and I have a fancy dinner at a new restaurant. And at these dinners, Michael gives me jewelry.  After one of my break-ups, Michael proclaimed that he’d give me jewelry every year until I had a man in my life.  I don’t think Michael (or his partner, Randall) ever expected this little tradition to last as long as it has.  And while it would be nice to have my boyfriend do this, Michael has really great taste and knows my style.  His selections are always a hit with me and complimented by my friends.  I’d miss all this since I’d probably have to be at my mother- in-law’s between Christmas and New Year if I was married.  Nice!

• Lastly, my sister, Anne, recognizes that I give her, her husband, her 4 children and sometimes her dog, a Christmas gift.  And I travel to her house.  The ratio is way out of whack.  Anne compensates by giving me a larger gift than she gives married family members.   Note to other married-with-children folks: This is a really nice, thoughtful thing to do.  While this isn’t really something that’s better about being single, I couldn’t help myself and had to share this tip.

There are a lot of things that aren’t better about being single, but hey, it’s early in the season, no point to dwell on those now.  They’ll come up soon enough – say, December 31^st.

Happy Holidays!  No trees, no cards, no cooking! 

I (Eleanore) would add to Kathryn's  Good-Things-About-Being-Single-During-the-Holidays list:  I don't have to accompany my husband or kids to parties I don't really want to attend.

Anything you want to add to the list?