Ok, I said no more excuses but I can’t really be expected to get dating so close to Christmas can I?? There’s simply too much to do. Shopping, food planning, visiting, swapping presents, eating mince pies. That last one seems to have taken more of my time than the others to be honest, but hey, Christmas comes but once a year.
If you happen to be single, what’s it like being with your family at this time of year? I must admit, mine aren’t too bad. Or at least they don’t make it any worse than it has to be.
Personally, I’ve never really minded attending family gatherings on my own, maybe because my last partner was so rarely around I think most people didn’t believe he actually existed. So it’s no big deal for me to go somewhere on my own. I’m used to it.
However, there are most definitely some little but consistent indignities to bear. I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t shoved off the end of a sofa and relegated to the floor. Why does this always have to happen to the single people in the room?? Why is it so unimportant that their arses are pampered and comfy? Sitting on a pouf when you’re 37 is NOT appropriate. Or maybe it’s just me.
Indignity number 2: being asked about your love life. I know, it’s a cliché but I’m sorry to say, Bridget Jones was right about this one. It’s a personal question for crying out loud! Asking somebody about the state of their marriage would be considered an impertinence, and rightly so. However I respond, it always manages to create an awkward atmosphere. There’s only 1 correct answer to this, and it’s ‘actually, it’s going great, I’ve met someone called Joe, he works in accounts…blah, blah’ etc. If you can’t provide that answer, you’re buggered.
Third indignity has to be buying other people’s children presents. I know that single and childless don’t necessarily go hand in hand, but in my case they do and I cannot put into words the stress and blind panic such a chore invokes. The final slap in the face comes from the blank, unimpressed expressions on their faces when they open them.
But hey-ho (or ho ho), Christmas is coming whether or not we choose to get on and enjoy it and I have to sneakily admit that I do. I cannot get enough of the lights, the jingle bells and the promises of TV delights!
So, the pluses of the single Christmas? I get to sit indoors drinking wine and watching chick flicks to my heart’s content with my Mum!! See, it isn’t all bad, this single life :)
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