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The marketing hype surrounding the holiday season is shamelessly geared towards happy couples and happy families, from the smiling, loved-up faces of TV advertisements to the smug couples humble-bragging about their Christmas tree logistics problems on social media. If you're single, family gatherings can mean facing a barrage of questions about your love life (or lack thereof), and you might spend your work parties batting off both sympathetic glances and unwanted advances. But don't let it get you down—it's perfectly possible to survive, and thrive, during the holiday season.
In fact, many of the greatest things about this time of year are best enjoyed on your own terms, with nobody to answer to about your taste in decorations or the number of cocktails you've had!
Sound good? Then click through this gallery to find out how to enjoy the holidays if you're single.
With no significant other to shop for, all the more reason to treat yourself to something you've had your eye on. And as you won't have to buy for the in-laws, either, that's all the excuse you need to add just a few more items to your list.
Nothing's going to make you feel more thankful for being single during the holidays than eavesdropping on somebody else's arguments. From the size of the tree to what to do about a politically-problematic uncle, tensions fray during the festive season. Be glad you're out of it!
If you're both single and child-free, you get to rock up to family events with cool gifts, and entertain other people's kids. You're safe in the knowledge that you can hand them back to their parents and hit the hard stuff when the decibel levels get too high.
If you're a single parent, the holiday season is the perfect time to spend some quality time with the kids, shirking off work and childcare concerns to just indulge in some seasonal silliness.
If everybody else is taking up extra seats at the table with their significant others, why can't you do the same with a friend? A holiday gathering can be much more enjoyable in the company of somebody outside your family, and you might have a single friend at a loose end who'd love to join your family feast.
Your coupled-up colleagues might be doling out well-meaning advice about your love life, but they're the ones who'll be on the phone at 10pm, making desperate excuses for being later than expected. You can be rightly smug as you carry on the party without anybody watching the clock.
If there's one thing the pandemic taught us, it's that being on your own doesn't have to mean being alone. Line up some video calls with people who mean a lot to you, and share some season's greetings.
With no partner breathing down your neck about what time you need to pick up their elderly aunt, you can get out for a long run, or some lovely seasonal walks. If you have a four-legged friend for company, all the better.
If there's one time of year that calls for some serious self-indulgence, it's the holidays. But the pressures of catering to partners and in-laws can leave little time for the fun stuff, so enjoy your long soaks to your heart's content.
If you feel like going dancing every night of the holidays, all power to you. If you want to spend every night hunkering down with a book and a hot chocolate, that's just dandy. Your holiday, your rules!
Significant others bring with them the prospect of extra relatives to deal with. Of course, they might all be absolutely wonderful human beings, but there's a very real risk of having to smile politely through somebody else's family gatherings when you'd rather be at home eating leftovers in front of Netflix.
As in, properly relax. If single life feels like it's getting to be too much, switch of your alarm clock, do a spot of meditation, etc. Stop scrolling through other people's coupled-up holiday photos, and take pressure off yourself.
No family dinner to go to? If you're a social butterfly by nature, you might want to start a new tradition of inviting other single friends round for festive food and drinks. Ask everybody to bring something to eat and drink, so you don't end up overloaded.
Shopping with a partner can be stressful, but shopping with a friend is all about genuine festive fun. Make a date to hit the shops with a friend who loves, or loathes, the holiday season as much as you do.
It's true at any time of year, but never more so than during the holidays. Remember that for every picture of a couple beaming beneath their perfect tree, there's probably been a blazing row about how much tinsel is too much.
Stock up on whatever makes you happy. You don't have to worry about somebody else's grocery list, so fill yours up with whatever you please. The more frivolous, the better!
If you're fed up of feeling like a third wheel, tell your friends that you'd really like some time to swap gossip without partners around. They might welcome the opportunity to have a rant about their partners and in-laws!
If you know you're going to have to explain, again, why you haven't brought a partner to the family dinner, prepare your game face in advance. Steel yourself to answer the question without slamming down your drink or weeping into your dessert.
If you want to give friends and family something to gossip about, adopt an air of mystery every time they ask about your love life. Coyly bat off questions, and spend more time looking at your phone and smiling than is strictly necessary.
Get into your PJs, prepare your favorite snacks and drinks, and settle into the sofa for a holiday movie marathon that won't be spoiled by somebody falling asleep and snoring through the best bits...
There's little worse than having to look somebody in their enthusiastic face as you open a present that's bad beyond belief. Isn't your partner supposed to know your taste? No partner, no chance of gift-unwrapping disappointment.
For couples, the holidays can be as much about crushing disappointment as they are about festive fun. For anybody whose partner routinely rolls in late from work, or fails to do the Christmas grocery shopping on time, being single often seems like the less stressful option.
If the sight of all those apparently loved-up couples makes you feel like texting your ex, think twice. There's a reason you broke up in the first place, after all. So put the phone down if you're feeling nostalgic after a few drinks!
Spells of pandemic-enforced isolation have reminded many people just who's really important in their lives. Instead of being forced to sit around a table making small talk with an obnoxious uncle-in-law, take advantage of your single status and spend quality time with people close to your heart.
Being single doesn't mean less than whole, and it doesn't mean there's something 'wrong' with you. Despite the shiny media images telling you otherwise, you aren't a failure just because you haven't settled for somebody less than perfect for you.
Whether it's an 11am lie-in on Christmas morning or a mani-pedi every New Year's Eve, set your own traditions, and give yourself something to look forward to each holiday season.
Doing things alone can feel intimidating, but once you're over the fear factor it can be liberating. Sign up for dance classes, go to the movies, or dine in a fancy restaurant. You don't need company to enjoy the moment!
Pandemic precautions allowing, singletons can embrace New Year's parties with abandon. It's often much more fun than going to a New Year's party as a couple, especially because you might meet a new face or two...
One of the best things about being single during the holidays is that you're free to make your own plans. If the holiday pressure is getting to you, book a cheap deal (or a fancy break, if budget allows) and get out of town for a few days' well-deserved break until it all blows over.
Sources: (Refinery29) (Livingly)
See also: An alternative holiday playlist
How to survive—and enjoy—the holiday season if you're single
There's plenty to love about embracing the festive spirit on your own terms
LIFESTYLE Holidays
The marketing hype surrounding the holiday season is shamelessly geared towards happy couples and happy families, from the smiling, loved-up faces of TV advertisements to the smug couples humble-bragging about their Christmas tree logistics problems on social media. If you're single, family gatherings can mean facing a barrage of questions about your love life (or lack thereof), and you might spend your work parties batting off both sympathetic glances and unwanted advances. But don't let it get you down—it's perfectly possible to survive, and thrive, during the holiday season.
In fact, many of the greatest things about this time of year are best enjoyed on your own terms, with nobody to answer to about your taste in decorations or the number of cocktails you've had!
Sound good? Then click through this gallery to find out how to enjoy the holidays if you're single.