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"  Last holiday season marked the first year in a long time that I was single, and I was constantly reminded of my solo status. Everywhere I turned, it seemed, there were couples \u2013 overly happy couples. They were ice skating hand-in-hand, or cuddling on the subway, or walking around in matching outfits. I couldn&amp;#039;t help but notice them. It was like holiday romance on steroids. Since it was also the first holiday season that I was a single mom, however, I found myself paying less and less attention to the cuddly couples and more attention to my little family of two. I vowed to embrace being a single mother by showing my son that we could enjoy the holidays together, just the two of us. And you know what? It was okay. Here&amp;#039;s why: 1. I didn&amp;#039;t have to make a list of all the things my son&amp;#039;s other parent wanted. Sure, there was no one to buy me a special gift, but I spent all the extra cash that I would have used on a beau on my son and myself. (Buy an extra pair of Steve Madden&amp;#039;s over-the-knee boots? Don&amp;#039;t mind if I do!)  2. I didn&amp;#039;t have to coordinate schedules with anyone else in order to plan something festive and fun. Whenever I had time off from grad school or work, I&amp;#039;d pack a bag, pick Aiden up, and we&amp;#039;d explore our favorite holiday spots in New York City. 3. I decorated my apartment the way that I wanted to. There was no one to say, &amp;quot;Put the Christmas tree in this corner;&amp;quot; &amp;quot;The garland should hang like this;&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;That color combination looks weird.&amp;quot; What&amp;#039;s wrong with hanging a wreath that&amp;#039;s decorated like the colors of the rainbow? So what if it doesn&amp;#039;t go with the red and gold, which were the colors on the Christmas tree. Aiden decorated the wreath and it was totally adorable, in my humble opinion. 4. I didn&amp;#039;t have to go to anyone else&amp;#039;s family dinners, which meant I got to celebrate Christmas in PJs and slippers and spend hours playing with Aiden&amp;#039;s Lego mega blocks instead of dressing up in a skirt and heels and spending hours smiling and nodding at someone&amp;#039;s relatives&amp;#039; jokes. (FYI: your Uncle John is not funny.)  5. I didn&amp;#039;t have to bring anyone to my dysfunctional family&amp;#039;s holiday dinners. They are a handful when it&amp;#039;s just us, but adding someone else to the mix? Craziness!  6. Although I was single, I wasn&amp;#039;t alone \u2013 or lonely. I was surrounded by love: the love of my son and, yes, my [sometimes] dysfunctional family. This holiday season, I&amp;#039;m embracing my single mom status even more. This past weekend, I hosted a brunch for my girlfriends. Some were single moms, some were simply single, and everyone was pretty fabulous. We cooked, laughed, drank, shared stories, and created lasting memories. It wasn&amp;#039;t your typical family holiday gathering, but it was glorious nonetheless.  On Christmas day, after opening presents, my little guy and I will hang around our apartment in our pajamas all day. It might not be traditional in the ordinary sense, but it will be glorious too -- so glorious that I won&amp;#039;t even wince at the sight of mistletoe. Instead, I&amp;#039;ll grab my little guy and give him a great big kiss and hug. Alicia Harper, M.A., Ed.M. is a single mother, freelance writer, blogger, and recent graduate of Columbia University who&amp;#039;s now a mental health therapist. Her life is filled with all things pink, except for the one bit of blue\u2014her rambunctious 4-year-old son. Together they make a great pair, and Alicia chronicles the trials and triumphs of being a young, single mother living in NYC at Mommy Delicious. Find her on Facebook and Twitter. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.redbookmag.com/life/mom-kids/news/a13254/single-mother-holidays-christmas-traditions/>