Being Alone on the Holidays

 By Nate Feldman

What’s it like to be alone at the holidays?  Well, it’s hard to say the least.  This is especially true because the holiday season is constantly promoted as a time of family and gathering with friends.  But, what if you have neither of those? 

There was once that song by Simon and Garfunkel called, “A Most Peculiar Man,” which talked about a guy who lived by himself who eventually gassed himself to death.  That’s an old song now, but there are many people in that exact situation.  They are alone with no connection to the outside world. 

Many people would argue that those people need to get out of their shell and make efforts to connect to the outside world.  That may be true in some cases.  There are people who end up alone simply because they won’t try to meet others. 

However, this is easier said than done.  Some people have certain social anxieties or conditions (I refuse to call them disorders) which make it very, very difficult to build relationships the way that those with better social skills can.  I know there are people who have made great efforts to build relationships with others only to find themselves alone. 

So, going back to the topic at hand, what should someone who is alone at the holiday season do to solve this problem?  I will say something radical here.  If they want to find people, then attend a public social group through something like the Meetup App or go to a religious service of some kind.  Even if they don’t find lifelong friends, they’ll make a connection.  But, that’s not the radical part.  The radical part is to embrace it.  By it, I mean being on your own.