It’s the most wonderful time of the year – or at least that’s what all that prematurely-played Christmas music on the radio seems to be telling us.
But sometimes, this time of year can leave you feeling anything but wonderful.
During our single years, the Christmas season can be full of loneliness. We not actually be more alone right now than we are throughout the rest of the year. But being surrounded by festivities and talk of family togetherness can bring those lonely feelings our way in full force.
Sometimes when we don’t have a family of our own, it can feel as if we’re doomed to languish in this land of loneliness.
It may even seem as if we can’t fully enter into the season like others around us can.
But this doesn’t have to be the case. Being single shouldn’t mean that you can’t celebrate the Christmas season in a meaningful and fulfilling way.
Here are three ways you can be proactive in developing your own traditions and meaningful ways to celebrate the Christmas season.
1. Focus on the reason for the season
Take a moment to step away from the commercialization, the evergreen-heavy Christmas carols, and other ways Christmas is celebrated around us.
There’s not necessarily anything wrong with secular traditions. But those traditions have a tendency focus on emotional fulfillment instead of the reason for Christmas.
This year, focus on regaining your orientation toward Christ’s nativity It may seem like a small step, but doing so can help you fight off the tendency to dwell on loneliness.
Resolve to enter into the religious significance of the season in every way you can.
Devote a bit more time to daily prayer. Pray the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary with extra attention. Try to make it to a daily Mass or two on the days leading up to Christmas.
Anything you can do to help remind yourself that Christ is the center of what we’re celebrating can help put Catholic singles in the right mindset.
From here, it can be much easier to establish meaningful traditions to celebrate this great feast.
2. Take a trip down memory lane
Now that you have reason for celebration, it’s time to figure out just how you want your Christmas to look.
Being alone can often feel like a great burden for Catholic singles this time of year. However, there is at least a bit of a bright side to be found here. This year, it’s totally up to you how you want to celebrate the holidays.
Think back to what your Christmas looked like in your childhood. What were some of your favorite family traditions?
If you’re like most people, there are probably some Christmas traditions from your childhood that you loved, and probably some that you hated.
Take those traditions you loved and brainstorm how you can do something like them now in your adult life.
Did you have a favorite dish your mom used to make? Hop on Pinterest or YouTube and figure out how to replicate it.
Did your family go to a traditional midnight Mass? Search around for a parish near you that goes all out with candles and incense at midnight.
It might not be possible to replicate the childhood traditions you loved in an exact or literal way. But you can definitely get creative in coming up with ideas that capture the essence of what you did in your childhood.
Remembering some Christmas traditions from your childhood that you weren’t fond of? Go ahead toss them out the window. There’s nothing binding you to carry on with something you didn’t enjoy now that you’re an adult.
3. Find yourself a tribe
Maybe you work on coming up with great ideas of ways to make the Christmas celebration your own. But it still doesn’t feel fulfilling or meaningful because you’re still alone to celebrate them.
If this is the case for you, it’s time to put in some effort to make sure you’re not all alone.
There are a lot of ways to find meaningful community to celebrate the Christmas season with. The most obvious way would be to reach out to any family members who live within a reasonable distance from you.
But for those of us who live several states away from parents or siblings, this isn’t always possible.
So what then?
If you live with roommates or near neighbors, try reaching out to them and bringing them into your quest to create meaningful Christmas traditions. Even if they’re not Catholic, you can still treat it as an opportunity to evangelize and share the joy of Christ’s birth with them.
You can also look to your coworkers. You might be surprised at how many of them are in a similar situation to you and would welcome an invitation to celebrate the Christmas season with you.
Another area to look for community at this time of year is your parish.
Even if your parish is typically lacking in community-building groups throughout most of the year, many parishes have charitable activities or Christmas gatherings that you can join in to find a sense of community at this time of year.
You might be fortunate enough to find some like-minded Catholics to build lasting friendships or even a romantic relationship with, by reaching out in your parish.
Lastly,consider the online world as a way to connect and find community this time of year.
Look to social media to revive past friendships, or to see who you might know in your area. You can even take the opportunity to dive more deeply into online dating and create profiles on some Catholic dating apps this year.
It may take a little work, but you can find a great set of people to help you celebrate your own Christmas season traditions. You don’t have to feel alone on the outside in what should be one of the happiest times of the year.
