5 Yummy Advantages Of Being Single During The Holidays

Pumpkin pie isn't the only delicious thing about celebrating Thanksgiving single!

By Ronnie Ann Ryan — Written on Nov 22, 2012

5 Yummy Advantages Of Being Single During The Holidays [EXPERT]

Holiday time for singles can be just plain torture, like fingernails on a chalk board. But when I was single, I actually looked forward to the holidays. Sound crazy? It's not!

As a dating coach for women over 40, I would love for more singles to realize the true benefits and fun of being solo for the season. Let me share five reasons why I totally enjoyed Thanksgiving and the holidays as a single woman.

1. I had the freedom to choose who I wanted to spend Thanksgiving with. When I was single, I was totally on my own. My parents had moved to Florida and while I had a brother, I decided to review my options for where to spend my holidays. This was so much easier than having to negotiate with a boyfriend or husband on where to have Thanksgiving dinner.

When I opened up to the idea that I wasn't going to spend time with family, so many options became available. Sharing that I was a "holiday orphan" created a rush of invitations from friends. Over the years, I created my own ritual, visiting two or three people in the same day. This made me feel like a welcomed celebrity rather than a single woman with nowhere to go. I had a blast.

2. I was free from spending time with boring or obnoxious in-laws. I spent time with dear friends and enjoyed their families and friends tremendously. They might have had family issues — but it wasn't my family! That left me free to talk to whomever I wanted, move around the room, and keep myself engaged in interesting conversation.

3. My time was my own. That is, I had the freedom to arrive or leave the Thanksgiving gathering when it suited me. As a single woman, I didn’t have a boyfriend or husband telling me when to arrive or when to leave. I was in charge of my schedule based entirely on how things were going and what else I had planned. As long as I honored the hostess’s invitation, I could do whatever moved me.

4. I didn't have to worry whether my significant other was having a good time. Being single, I only had myself to be concerned with. While singles see this as a bummer, at Thanksgiving it was a huge relief for me. There is nothing worse than having a great time which is interrupted by someone else's idea of fun or, for that matter, their idea of what isn't a good time. Without a husband or boyfriend, I was a free agent for the day which felt great.

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5. I had the freedom to skip Thanksgiving and go on vacation! With no one holding you back, you can opt to skip Thanksgiving entirely and go on vacation instead. Grab another single girlfriend and head to the Caribbean or someplace warm. Or, if you like winter sports, head for the mountains to go skiing and snowboarding. I tried this, too, and it was a wonderful time to get away.

So, free yourself from holiday traditions. Once you free yourself up from traditional ways to celebrate the holidays, the world is your oyster. You can do anything you want! Now isn't that a better perspective on being single than feeling sorry for yourself on Thanksgiving? Sure is!

Enjoy a generous slice of "gratitude pie" and most importantly, I recommend to all my dating coaching clients that they take time to remember what is working right in their lives. Everyone has so much to be grateful for when you give it some thought.