10 Things You Don’t Have To Worry About When You’re Single For The Holidays

December is here, and that means it’s time to start shopping for Christmas decorations, food, and of course presents for everyone you know. It can be a stressful time of year, but soon you’ll have a few days off and be able to relax. You might even think it would be nice if you had a boyfriend to relax with. But in reality, being single around the holidays is actually a lot easier. Sure, you may have to deal with the possibility of having no one to kiss at midnight on New Year’s Eve, but I’d say that’s worth it considering there are plenty of things couples have to worry about this time of year that you’ll be blissfully free of:

  1. Getting all the in-laws a gift. Obviously Christmas gifts should be about the thought, not the money you’re spending, but that’s easier said than done when you’re searching for a gift for your boyfriend’s sister, who you’ve barely had the chance to get to know yet.
  2. Setting a budget for gifts. Inevitably, one person in a couple is willing and able to spend more money than the other person on the perfect gift. If you’re single, you don’t have to worry about how much you can spend on him, and you can just spend the extra on someone else, or save it for the Boxing Day sales.
  3. Pretending to like the gift his mom got you. Your mom knows from years of experience that there are some things she just shouldn’t attempt to buy for you. But chances are his mom isn’t going to know that you hate all plaid, and you’re extremely picky about the sheets you’ll put on your bed. Being single means never having to lie about loving the scarf and mitten set his mom bought you while secretly wondering how soon is too soon to donate it.
  4. Deciding who’s family to spend Christmas Day with. Being in a relationship means you have to make compromises and spend at least half the prime holiday time with his family. When you’re single you get to wake up wherever you want on Christmas morning, and you won’t have to rush to make it to a bunch of different events either. That means pajamas until at least noon.
  5. Being dragged to his work holiday party. Of course, there’s always the possibility of a nice dinner and an open bar, but you’ll still have to stand around making small talk with a bunch of strangers all night. At least when you’re single you only have to do that at your own holiday work party.
  6. Travel logistics for two. If your family lives out of town, figuring out when you’re going to make time to see everyone gets even more complicated. Not to mention dealing with awkward sleeping arrangements when you’re staying with his parents. If you’re single you can spend the entire holiday at your mom’s house with the whole bed to yourself.
  7. Working around someone else’s vacation time. Not everyone is lucky enough to get the same week off around the holidays. But if you’re single you don’t have to worry about the fact that he has to work up until Christmas Eve. You can book off the time you want to book off and that’s the end of it.
  8. Worrying if they’re having a good time at your events. Since you made them come to your work party and your family dinner, you want to make sure they’re having fun and you’re paying enough attention to them. But when you’re single you can spend the entire night playing Monopoly with your cousins while drinking too much wine and not have to care about someone’s subtle signals that they’re ready to head out.
  9. Family photos. This is probably the only time all year the entire family is in one place and your mom is going to want to take some pictures. At least if you’re single you won’t have to worry about your current significant other turning into the weird ex who will now forever be in your Christmas 2015 photo.
  10. What to do for New Year’s Eve. He’s going to want to go to a house party with his friends, and you’re going to want to go out with your friends from home. But you also want to be together so you can kiss at midnight or whatever. If you’re single you won’t even notice you have no one to kiss because you’ll be having so much fun at the party you wanted to go to.
By day, Courtney is a digital marketing copywriter living in Toronto, Canada. By night, she's a freelance lifestyle writer who, in addition to Bolde.com, contributes regularly to AmongMen.ca, IN Magazine, and SheBlogs Canada. Want to chat about relationships, Stephen King or your favorite true crime podcast/documentary/book? She's on Twitter @courtooo.
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