For whatever reason, you and your boo won’t be able to spend the holidays together this year — and well, you’re bumming hard. Your visions of snuggling up together by the fireplace with spiked eggnog, or gleefully unwrapping presents together as snow falls softly outside the window have been totally shattered. Now that you’ve come to grips with the reality that you’ll be apart for the holidays, you're wondering what to do when you miss someone far away. How will you survive?
It’s oh so important to live in the present, so while you may be eager to skip over the time you’ll be apart (it's fine to sleep the week away, right?), you’d be missing out on valuable time with family and friends. Fortunately, however, there are ways to get through the holidays in such a way that you won’t be so painfully aware of your partner’s absence. Of course, staying busy is always a solid strategy for helping time to pass more quickly, but you don’t want to just keep yourself occupied with meaningless activities.
Eager to make the time fly while you're apart? Here are some phenomenal ways to cope with the distance this holiday season until you and bae are reunited again.
There’s hardly a better time to reconnect with those you love than during the holidays. Everyone is feeling extra jovial and thankful, and nostalgia is undoubtedly in the air. So go ahead and scroll through your contacts list to find a person (or three) that you’ve lost touch with. Maybe it’s a friend from high school, or maybe it’s a cousin you spent loads of time with growing up but haven’t talked to in years. Then give them a call. That’s right, I mean an actual phone call, not a text.
Trust me, you’ll be glad you reached out to catch up. Not only will time pass so quickly without you even realizing it as you two exchange stories about what you’ve been up to, but you’ll also have rekindled a friendship that you can continue keeping up in the new year.
What is that one thing that gets you so mentally involved that you don’t even notice the time passing? Is it when you read a book? Then start a new novel. Is it when you play your guitar? Then learn a new song. Is it when you bake? Then decide to try a set number of new recipes. Whatever the hobby or project, set a goal of finishing it before you see your boo again.
Oh, and don’t forget to involve them in this little endeavor of yours. If it’s a book, maybe you both decide to read it together and set increments and discuss it over the phone. If you both happen to play an instrument, you might try to both learn the same song to play when you reunite. Or, if it’s baking or cooking related, you could both try to whip up the same recipe in your respective kitchens, and then do some taste testing together over FaceTime. Even if you don’t both take part in the same project or hobby, keeping your SO in the loop about it will allow them to help keep you accountable in terms of your goal. The time apart will fly by, and to boot, you’ll have picked up some new skills or knowledge (now that’s a win-win).
We all love to have something to look forward to. So, planning a few things to do with your boo after the holidays will help the time to pass a little less painfully.
Start a little list so you can keep track of everything. Divide your list up by the type of activity: “To watch” (movies and shows with binge potential), “To eat” (restaurants to try or dishes to cook together), “To visit” (any museums, shopping centers, or other destinations near where you both live), and “To do” (activities such as ice skating, a wine festival, or a concert).
Keep texting your partner over the holidays to brainstorm and add things to the list. This list will undoubtedly become your light at the end of the tunnel while you’re missing each other. Knowing that you have so many exciting plans to enjoy once you’ve reunited will give you peace of mind that once your time apart is over, you have lots of opportunities for potential bonding.
The holiday season is all about giving. And one of the best ways to get your mind off your own struggles is by helping others with theirs. So consider giving back during the holidays this year. There are a number of sites that can help you find local volunteering opportunities in your community that are specifically tailored to your time commitment capabilities and personal interests. For example, you can use VolunteerMatch.org to search by your location, and then type in keywords pertaining to the types of things you’d like to get involved in (music, technology, art, children, etc.). From the search results, you’re able to directly message the volunteer coordinator about your interest in the program.
Volunteering is a great way to get your mind off of missing bae during the holidays. And who knows? You may decide it’s something you’d like to continue doing (with or without your boo) into the new year.
Being without your one and only during the holiday season can feel brutal. But it is possible to make some marvelous new memories with and without your significant other despite your distance. After all, the holidays are about spending quality time with your circle, and showing them how much you appreciate them. So instead of sulking about how you and bae are so many miles apart, use this time as an opportunity to strengthen your bond while reconnecting with other people you love and passions you may have put by the wayside.
