When the nights are getting darker earlier and that tired haze is setting in when those cozy Christmas jumpers don’t give the same effect as a warm hug when the drinks don’t make you that usual ‘merry’ drunk and instead just send you spiraling into your own sadness… yeah, the festive season for a lot of people this time of year, not to brag.
I’d love to confess that being a singleton this time of year is allowing the feminist in me to bloom, but sadly, that’s not the truth. The truth is cuddling up on the sofa with a partner watching a festive movie sounds much more appealing to me than Netflix reruns on my own (note: only at Christmas break do I feel like this as it’s pressured onto us that we should be spending it with someone we are oh-so-in-love with). So if it’s not clear yet, I’ve been trying to survive this season as best I can, and I thought I’d give you all some tips too.
HOW TO SURVIVE THE NEW YEAR ALONE 101:
- I think it’s pretty important to remember that you only feel this way because of the stigma that surrounds these type of holidays. Those cute couples ice skating, holding hands during romantic walks in the snow, cozy nights in watching Love Actually… it’s pretty easy to get caught up in the midst of feeling like we need a significant other to do all these things. But here’s the truth, you don’t. Get your skates on and spend three hours on the ice until your legs hurt and you crave a hot coffee, watch Love Actually, watch any darn Christmas movie you want and tell yourself you don’t need anyone to watch them with (they’d probably talk through it and you’d have to share your popcorn anyway). Hold hands in the par-, okay, maybe you can’t hold hands with yourself, but going on a cute walk in the park by yourself is still possible, and you can take scenic photos doing so. You don’t need someone else to do these things.
- You’re on a break, so treat yourself! Allow yourself to binge watch your favorite Netflix season, read that book you have to keep putting down because there’s a voice in your head saying ‘shouldn’t you be reading that other book for class?’ and eat all the food. That’s right, all of it. It’s Christmas so the word ‘diet’ doesn’t actually exist until January 1st, 2017. Give yourself a f**king break.
- Don’t contact your ex’s. Please. If there’s one thing at the top of your list that you should be leaving in 2016, it’s them. Is it them you miss? Or how they made you feel? Look at the people who have loved you no matter what, spend time with your loved ones, it’s rare that most families are all in the same room at any point in the year other than for the Christmas dinner, so cherish that. Here’s to the people that have loved us through everything, appreciate them this time of year.
Finally,
YOU ARE A STRONG, INDEPENDENT BEING WHO DON’T NEED NO SIGNIFICANT OTHER.
Or something like that. Anyways, you’re young, get drunk, go to bed late and sleep all day, hiss at the sunlight or whatever else us teens are known for doing. You can get through this, because actually, being alone at New Year can be pretty awesome… you already saved money from buying someone a gift, so you win. PS: a little life hack, when the ball drops, take a shot. Alcohol > kisses.
