For most Americans, major holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas are an opportunity to gather with family and friends. But some folks choose to spend those holidays alone – not because they have nobody to celebrate with, but as a way of unplugging from busy lives and creating a serene, relaxing day. They might take a hike or a bath, read a book or just spend time reflecting.
For Ben Freedland of Austin, Texas, the holidays are a “crazy time.” He runs his own fashion business, Zink , and between extra orders, website traffic and pop-up stores, “we do so much business in those weeks,” he says.
As a result, he often spends Thanksgiving “alone in order to decompress, relax, have time to myself, to gather my thoughts for the busy holiday season. You know nobody will be calling you or emailing anything that’s work-related.”
He feels obligated to have turkey, even dining solo, but usually picks up a meal to go from Whole Foods.
Dagny McKinley, an author, blogger and photographer who lives in Steamboat Springs, Colo., has “spent birthdays, Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Year’s alone. For me, having a day of peace and quiet is the best way I can spend any day.”