Long-Distance Relationships Over the Christmas Season
Published on December 17, 2010
Photo by Lize31337
Long-distance relationships are difficult at the best of times, but if you have to be apart over the Christmas season, things couldn’t be harder. The holiday is inherently romantic: the spirit of good will and harmony is enjoyed best with the one you love, and snow turns any landscape into the perfect setting for a love scene. Therefore, December comes with many painful reminders of who’s missing: the endless TV screenings of Love Actually, where love story upon love story ends happily on Christmas Day; couples walking around hand in hand, wrapped up together against the cold; friends having increasingly more ‘cosy nights in’ with their other half.
But luckily, Christmas also comes with many diversions. If you are forced to spend the holidays apart, don’t let it ruin your fun. Here are five things to concentrate on to distract you from the heartache:
Christmas Amusements
Get yourself out and about with your friends. There are plenty of festive activities to indulge in: outdoor ice-skating, Christmas shopping, themed menus, dressing-up club nights, theatre productions of The Christmas Carol – the list is endless. Concentrate on finding as many of these as you can, keeping yourself busy and distracted. Just remember that you won’t be able to enjoy any of these festive treats at any other time of the year.
Photo by Wiki.will
Christmas with Family
Although your romantic relationship may be under the strain of distance, Christmas is the perfect time to reconnect with family. Romantic relationships can be very engrossing, and sometimes you can find yourself neglecting others. This Christmas will be the perfect time to catch up with your nearest and dearest family members, and their company will be another distraction from the heartache.
Christmas with Kids
If you don’t have a child, make sure you find one to spend the holidays with! Children bring Christmas to life with their sheer excitement and innocent belief in the magic. If you spend the day with children, their infectious enjoyment will kiss away any sad thoughts.
Christmas Telly
Another great distraction is the fantastic array of films, comedy specials and dramatic soap finales that appear on our tellies from early December to mid-January. When you feel the yearning for your other half, find a juicy festive programme in the TV guide and snuggle under a blanket with some savoury snacks and enjoy. If your other half is also in the UK, you could even whack on Skype and watch the programme ‘together’. Try to avoid too many rom-coms though – these could only exacerbate your yearning! If possible, keep yourself laughing along to something.
Christmas Grub
The food is also a brilliant distraction, and because it’s the holidays, it’s guilt-free! Everyone’s allowed to indulge over Christmas, so if you’re feeling a bit blue, have an extra slice of turkey or dollop of bread sauce. Food preparation is another useful diversion – really muck in with the cooking for big family meals and you won’t have a spare thought for your partner.
Whether you met on dating sites or on holiday, don’t let your long-distance relationship bring you down this Christmas. Find distractions and get festive!
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