Sunday, December 26, 2010

What Do the Lonely Do?

I love the holidays — the parties, the shopping (limited), the music. It's a busy time of year — an opportunity to reconnect with friends and continue family traditions.

But it's also a reminder of my singleness.

When I go home, everybody has somebody except me. My sister has a family. All my step siblings have families. My friends who live in Jackson have families — even if they're not married they have children. My close friends who I grew up with no longer come home because, well, they have families.

When the family gathers on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, everybody's with their significant other (or children) - except me. I have no husband or no kid.

Now, this never use to bother me. I was the career-minded professional who would travel home to Jackson from the big city during holidays. But as I get older, I look like the lonely spinster who can't find a man.

Don't get me wrong, I love my family dearly and look forward to going home (especially since my sister had twins). They seem genuinely happy to see me when I come visit. But my dad, in his indirect way, always finds a way to ask when I'm going to get married.

So, what do the lonely do at Christmas? They smile, eat good food, hand out gifts, visit grandma and get back on a plane to resume their single life.

It reminds me of the holiday song: WHAT DO THE LONELY DO AT CHRISTMAS by the Emotions. Listen to it below:


What are your thoughts?

1 comment:

cbean said...

You know Lottie, this is the first Christmas I have had a S/O in the last ten years and yes I was the single one to go home with no one either. It got old for me too. Granted, I didn't have the get married pressure you had so it wasn't that bad for me. However, I take exception to the song. I heard this question on radio with this song as the backdrop as well. Being alone at Christmas does not automatically mean you are lonely. Every answer to what do the lonely do at Christmas was about how "single folks" need to do this that or the other. Hell it's plenty of married folks that were lonely as hell at Christmas sitting right next to their spouses. That just irritated me. Sorry for the rant.