Every Christmas, many of us love curling up on the couch with a festive movie. And almost every festive movie follows the same pattern: couples getting together, breaking up and then reuniting, or falling for a very handsome Santa Claus.
But what if you’re coupled up and watching these romantic moments without your own S.O.? That’s right — some people are choosing to spend the holidays apart from their partners.
Cue the shock, horror and outrage. There’s a lot of stigma around spending the holidays away from your significant other. Those who do often face endless questions and judgment, with the assumption that they must not love their partner enough or that the relationship might be in trouble.
We spoke to nine couples — who used their first names to maintain their privacy, and who celebrate the holidays apart — as well as relationship experts, to find out whether it really is a problem to have one fewer stocking by the tree.
Here’s what they had to say.
