Single and home for the holidays

Are you dating anyone? Is it serious? When are you going to get married? When are you going to start popping out some children?

If you're single and in your mid-20s, you may hear these questions when you return home for the holidays. And if you have a married cousin or sister with children around your age, it only exacerbates the fact that you are alone and childless.

However, because many of us know this is coming, it gives us a chance to be prepared.

As many of my friends can attest, I am a fairly sarcastic person. I use that tool to my advantage during the holidays. (Mind you, my family has become increasingly tolerant of this over the years.) So whenever a relative asks me any of the dreary questions, my retorts have included such rants as "Well between all the traveling and focusing on my career, I just don't have the time. So, how's it going with your daughter and her three kids, who still doesn't have a job nor has moved out of your house?" It may seem trite, but it puts things in perspective.

Oh and I've learned that when it comes to the question of having babies, telling a grandmother or a great aunt "give me 20 minutes, a decent-looking guy and some space to ourselves and I can make that happen" will usually give you a full year without the topic being mentioned again.

If you're single, how do you handle dealing with these questions on an annual basis? Have you tried different tactics and which one worked best for you?

P.S.: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all our loyal readers. For those who so lovingly comment on our posts, we will return Jan. 2 with new blogs.