Single for the Holidays, we’ve all been there at some point in our lives. I, like many others, am, without fail, always single for the holidays. Of course, there are pros and cons to my lack of romantic success around Christmas. For one, I never have to purchase a gift for a boyfriend – that being a pro. The con to that would be never receiving gifts from a boyfriend – but, then again, they often get it wrong anyway and I prefer to keep things completely a-sexual during the holiday season.
Always without a date to company Christmas parties, never next to a partner at Christmas dinner and year after year without someone to kiss at midnight on NYE, you may assume this time of year is depressing for someone like me. Because we always make that assumption, don’t we? That those who are single, especially during the holidays, aren’t single by choice, must be depressed, must be desperate and, of course, they must be resorting to alcohol, ice-cream and rom-coms to ease the pain. Being the advocate for holiday solitude, I can say these notions are, for the most part, inaccurate – for myself at least. Besides eating ice-cream alongside pie and drinking alcohol alongside everything, we aren’t all sad to be single for the holidays! It’s about family anyway – not about gift exchanges with boyfriends and sex after a massive Christmas dinner leaving you with a food baby. It’s about opening gifts with your siblings, appreciating your parents and spending time with people who will be there year after year.
But I’m just one single, out of a sea of so many looking for love. I may be alright with holiday nights alone and Christmas dinner without someone for my family to make feel uncomfortable with sex jokes. But are we all okay with being single this time of year? Perhaps some of the singles in this city aren’t feeling as “okay” as I am. Which is why Plenty of Fish decided to crack down on the assumptions and truth behind being single for the Holidays.
On a survey of over 9,000 POF users between 20 and 40, Plenty of Fish got to the bottom of company party hook-ups, late night holiday booty calls and who we miss most during this festive season. Sadly with results such as 57 per cent of singles saying they do in fact feel lonely over the holidays. I guess to answer my own previous question: Are we all okay with being single this time of year? No, it seems, we aren’t.
Fifty per cent said they drink to get drunk over the holidays, so it seems I’m not completely alone on that one.
Seventy-eight per cent said they haven’t hooked up with a co-worker at a company party, which I found shocking, but, then again, there’s that 50 per cent not drinking to get drunk…
Fifty-nine per cent stated that they have never sent a nude photo to their partner over the holidays and my only question is, why not? Throw on a Santa hat and send them a little holiday surprise.
The 49 per cent of those who stalk their partners said they check up on their boyfriend/girlfriend over Facebook if they are apart over Christmas. Chances are that 49 per cent are doing that year round anyway.
Sixty per cent of people who took the survey said if you’re planning to breakup with someone before Christmas you should do it before December – so clearly my recent ex-boyfriend did NOT take the survey.
Finally, 40 per cent said they don’t feel pressured to kiss someone at midnight on NYE. In other words, 40 per cent stand awkwardly alone downing a drink when the clock strikes 12.
So, thanks to POF conducting this survey, it seems maybe we are a tad lonely over the holidays. For those of you who are in fact single and feeling lonely, I recommend asking yourself, why? Why do you think having someone around would make this time of year better for you? Something tells me this has more to do with feeling lonely year round than during Christmas.
To those singles lacking that special someone remember the following: you don’t have to buy your lack of a boyfriend/girlfriend a gift. You have all the time you would spend with a partner to spend with your family. It’s okay to show up to Christmas dinner alone and it’s okay to bring a friend to your holiday party. It’s okay to be single!
On behalf of everyone at Vancity Buzz: Merry Christmas, singles!
Image: Wallenrock / Shutterstock
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