Being Single Over the Holidays

Being single during the holidays can be more exciting than at any other time of the year, if you're willing to do a little careful planning and party-going. We asked ThirdAgers for their holiday success tips and got some festive how-to's.

"You can always throw your own party and ask friends to bring one or two people you've never met before," says Sarah Smith, who traditionally spends the week between Christmas and New Year's vacationing in Hawaii. "Opening your home to friends and new people gives you a chance for great fun and new social opportunities."

"The advantage of being single during the holidays is that families often open their homes to you," says Doe Gentry, producer and singles correspondent for "Single in L.A.," a cable television show broadcast in the greater Los Angeles area. "Many people with families of their own enjoy having others from outside the family celebrate with them."

Noting that some single people prefer to take vacations during the holidays, Gentry says, "Club Med sometimes has fantastic deals for singles during this time of year." Bert Ball, a development executive at a Los Angeles non-profit foundation, adds that he sometimes takes spa vacations during the holidays.

To meet new people, Gentry suggests, "many people may want to look in the listings of their local alternative newspaper for singles activities around the holidays." Gentry, who has been married twice, says, "There's no reason why you ever have to be alone during the holidays, as long as you're willing to get up and go out."

For those who don't have a family but want to enjoy some family spirit, there are several festive options. "You can be single but invite your family of friends over and cook the meal together," suggests Daniel Horton of New York.

Or volunteer to babysit the children of friends. "Take your friends' children skating, bake cookies with them or take them shopping so that they can buy little gifts for their parents," says Mary Malcolm of Los Angeles.