The Holidays for Singletons

Nov. 28 -- Aside from Valentine's Day, Christmas is the time when you're most aware of being single.

You have a calendar full of Christmas parties and no date to any of them. There's nobody to kiss under the mistletoe or when the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Eve. And perhaps the most dreaded thing is having to face relatives who ask why you're not married and settled down yet.

Yeah, there is a downside to being single during the holidays. But for every negative aspect, there's a positive one. And in some ways, the positive ones far outweigh the negative ones.

Negative: You don't have anyone to take home with you for Christmas.

Positive: When your siblings are fighting and your mom has had a little too much eggnog, you don't have to be embarrassed or worry about what your boyfriend/girlfriend thinks of your family.

Negative: There's no extra special present from your significant other under the tree.

Positive: You get more presents from your family. My sister and brother-in-law get a few joint presents from my parents while their four kids get spoiled. I'm somewhat ashamed to admit my pile of presents is just as big as the kids' piles.

Also on the list of positives: You don't have to worry about buying the perfect present for your significant other.

"It's very stressful," says Dyan Clark. "Especially if you're in those stages where it's a new relationship, you might not know how much they'll spend or how thoughtful they're going to be."

And perhaps the biggest perk of being single during the holidays -- when all the focus is on family -- is that any time spent bonding with family is spent with your family.

"I think when you're single, you get so wrapped up in dating and finding someone that you forget about the importance of spending time with your family," Elizabeth Hastings says. "When you're not dating somebody, I think you just get to enjoy the company of your family without the distraction of a date."

The positives might not be enough to make you happy about being single during the holidays, but maybe they'll make you a little less Scrooge-like.