The jingle bells are jingling
The streets are white with snow
The happy crowds are mingling
But there’s no one that I know.
I’m sure that you’ll forgive me
If I don’t enthuse –
I guess I’ve got the Christmas blues-Dean Martin, The Christmas Blues
All three English papers printed roughly the same story yesterday regarding Taiwanese singles and holiday depression. From the Taipei Times:
The festive season from Christmas until [Chinese] Lunar New Year is a time of year when single men and women sink into "the holiday blues," if the results of a study released yesterday by a singles group are to be believed.
Taiwanese singles get the blues at Christmas-time? Chinese New Year, sure. Nearly half-a-million turned up to the Western New Year’s celebrations in Taipei, so I can see that, too. But Christmas-time? No, sorry, I don’t buy it. As an Aussie said to me recently, "Christmas is about as big here as the Dragon Boat Festival is in Perth."
But that’s just a quibble. Just how DOES a Taiwanese know if he’s got the holiday blues?
Some of the "symptoms" respondents described included anxiety, temper flares, amnesia, an inability to focus, insomnia, fatigue, headaches, tightness in the chest, "feeling old" and bickering.
I suppose at this point we singles are supposed to commiserate and tell the world how tough we’ve got it. But the truth is, we really don’t. Because if you’re married, Chinese New Year is coming, and you’re going to have to cook and clean and prepare for a houseful of guests.
Reckon that’ll bring you just a LITTLE anxiety and fatigue.
On top of that, tradition says married folks have to visit their in-laws houses for Chinese New Year, too. Perhaps you’re unaware of this, but in the entire history of Taiwan, not a single such visit has ever, EVER resulted in temper flares, headaches or bickering. Perish the thought.
Oh yes, I forgot to mention the loud, all-night games of mah-jong. That, I did. Word has it insomnia occasionally ensues. And not only for the unmarried.