I know all of the secrets to being single on the holidays. I’ve endured holiday parties and family events alone for a few years now, but this year is different. This year, there is an Other. Thanksgiving went well, we negotiated a best-for-everyone plan and it seemed to make everyone happy.
Christmas is proving to be a bit more difficult for me. Not because I won’t see my family, I’m definitely making time for that and I’m thrilled to be doing that with someone by my side instead of self medicating with mimosas and explaining that I’m attending yet another Christmas dinner alone because it’s not that easy to just hire someone to be your stand in holiday date.
The reason I’m finding Christmas difficult this year is because I find myself suddenly wanting all the Christmas crap I never really wanted before. Like a tree, decorations, lights, tradition. It’s hard to have all of those things when you’re in the relationship-in-between; dating, seriously, but not married, not living in the same place. Two trees, two sets of decorations, lights on two houses… suddenly starts to just seem like a lot of work rather than a lot of fun.
So I decided for my sanity, to lay low this Christmas, and save the new traditions and new-found holiday cheer for next year. Instead, I went ahead with my typical Single Me tradition of baking cookies and giving them as gifts. Instead of baking at home alone, as in years past, I brought the baking to The Boyfriends house which made for a nice compromise between full-out couple-y Christmas and single girl Christmas. Plus, he has a bigger kitchen, so there’s that.
If you’re ever wondering what eighty-five dollars worth of cookie ingredients looks like, there you have it.
My Pinterest addiction is to blame thank for the Melting Snowman cookies. They were a hit.
Obviously this isn’t health food. There won’t be nutrition information on these guys, we just want to eat them without knowing, right?
But I did make some good healthy meals that I plan to share with you later. I threw together a really tasty Warm Spinach and Quinoa Salad With Goat Cheese and after the cookie baking marathon there was Pork Loin with a Mandarin Orange Lime Jalapeno Glaze. Mmmmmmmm! More on those after Christmas.
Happy Holidays Everyone! Enjoy your families and/or significant others. I’m going to make every effort to enjoy what I have rather than lament about what I’d like to have.
Yummy!! I am glad you are feeling in the holiday mood this year. It’s a great feeling, isn’t it? and now I want a cookie!