12 Days of Christmas: 5

By thissmallgroup, December 20, 2019

5 Golden Rings

On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…..perspective! Not quite the ending you thought I was going to write for that sentence, huh? But this time of year, I think it is really important to keep things in perspective. One area that is so necessary is when it comes to relationships.

With a season evoking images of kisses under the mistletoe, cozying up by the fire, being bundled together on a magical sleigh ride, the Christmas season is full of romance. But not everyone is at that stage in their lives during the Christmas season. Being single during the holidays can be tough. While it may be helpful on the budget, it’s hard to hear of all the great gifts friends are getting their significant others, knowing there’s no significant other to buy presents for. While it may save on stress, it’s hard to hear people talk about balancing seeing both families knowing that it might be some time before that’s even a dilemma. Now, it would be really easy to let that be the focus, to have a ‘woe is single little ole me’ attitude. But maybe, for those of us who are single, we can take a different approach. Maybe, when we start falling into those sad thoughts, we can make a perspective shift.

How about, when we’re at Christmas Eve service or Christmas dinner, instead of noticing all those golden rings around us and the cute little families and getting sad, we take a moment to appreciate the spot we are in? Yes, we may not be in a romantic relationship just yet, but we are in a point where we can focus on personal growth, where we can focus on growing our relationship with Christ. After all, Christmas is the celebration of His birth. We should be taking time to truly appreciate His coming to earth and, when you’re single, you’re granted with a little more time to do just that.

Additionally, we could also take some time to appreciate those in relationships around us. I know for me, I’ve got people around me who are at different stages in their romantic relationships. It’s been neat getting to see their experiences and see how they’ve grown in their relationships. Some couples, I’ve been able to see their relationship from its start. Some I’ve seen progress from long-term dating to engagement to marriage to kids. Some I didn’t meet until after they already were established in their marriage. In each couple, I’ve been able to learn so much and come to appreciate having them in my life.

I know this can be a tough season, and don’t get me wrong, I’m sure I’ll have my tough moments myself. However, I’m hoping that all of us single individuals can change our perspectives and take the time to appreciate the point we’re at in our lives and appreciate those around us who can give us some great insight into being in a romantic relationship.

-Allie