Fun fact: I spent last Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, my birthday, and 4th of July alone. Actually, I think I may have worked part of the day on a couple of them but actually celebrating the holidays, I was alone. So, why did I do this? Well, let's start with the reasons people have already guessed on why I kept my own company.
Reasons people think I spent the holidays alone:
1. I'm anti-social
Not true. Just ask anyone I volunteer with.
2. I don't like my family.
Also not true, I like my family. Well, most of them anyways.
3. Traveling costs.
This one slightly true, but if I wanted to fly home, it wouldn't have been too difficult to do.
4. Work
This one is true. I did/was working a lot at the time.
The Truth
So, what did I do during these times instead of going home?
For those who don't know me, I'm pretty simple and don't need a lot to celebrate things. Thanksgiving involved green bean casserole and homemade cheesecake. Christmas involved watching my cats go crazy with all their new toys and eating green bean casserole. New Year's probably would've involved green bean casserole Christmas leftovers if I hadn't eaten it all in two days. My birthday involved homemade stuffed shells and sleeping in to about noon. The 4th of July consisted of...nothing actually because I was too lazy to make green bean casserole. I did talk to my family on some of these days and Christmas Eve even included a Skype conversation.
As the title of this post says, I don't regret spending the holidays alone. But if you're not like me (and maybe a little like me too) then here are some advantages to having some alone time.
Holiday alone time advantages
1. You can avoid the annoyances
Unless you're that relative, there is usually something about family holiday time that you don't like. Whether it be your grandmother's incessant nagging for great-grandkids, being nice to certain relatives, having to do all the hugging, whatever the thing may be. But, when you're alone, you don't have to worry about any of these things. Unless of course your grandmother calls you to ask if you found someone yet...but that's where caller ID comes in handy.
2. You can do what you want to do
Want to only eat pizza on Thanksgiving and watch the game? Who's stopping you now?
3. You can catch up on things
For most people, their work is closed on major holidays. That means that you can catch up on that book you're reading, finish that monster cleaning project, finish your thesis (okay, I didn't really work on mine during the holidays), or anything else that you've been putting off due to lack of time.
4. You can give back
You can volunteer on the holidays. Call the local soup kitchen to see if they need extra hands or spreading holiday cheer at the hospital. This one is mainly for those who didn't want to spend the holidays alone in the first place to get your mind off of it.
5. Start a new hobby
You have the day to start
6. Call/write to family
Just because you are not physically with your family doesn't mean you can't still communicate with them. You'll also seem anti-social if you don't talk to them.
7. Relax
Lounge around in your pajamas all day. Have a dvd/movie marathon. Eat junk food. Do things that you wish you could do everyday.
8. Realize what you're avoiding
Spending the holidays alone means you don't have to do a massive cleaning of your place before people come over. Or watch your parents stress doing it.
If you have any advice you would like to share about spending the holidays alone or what you like to do, feel free to comment below.
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