Red Deer Reality Rant #36 - Xmas Survival Guide for Introverts
Hello and welcome back to another Red Deer Reality Rant. In a couple of weeks it will be Christmas. Some people love the season, and others go around saying Bah, Humbug! Love it, hate it, or just feel indifferent, Christmas time has a way of just getting in your face, and Red Deer is no exception. I am one of those who is mostly indifferent. I just go along with my friend’s and family’s love of this holiday, and humour all of the gift giving, parties and dinner.
I believe that I have mentioned before that I am introverted. However I have gotten better over the course my lifetime, and am learning more about human interaction over the past few years than I ever have. Contrary to popular belief, introversion doesn’t necessarily mean that you hate people. Far from it for me, I like most people, and don’t hate anyone.
Nevertheless, I do struggle a lot in most social situations. So, in this blog I would like to offer an introvert’s guide to surviving the Christmas season from my perspective, and share what I have learned. I think that list form will be best, here it is as follows below:
1. Give out Christmas cards. It’s a socially acceptable thing to do, and you can write in it your thoughts and feelings without having to express yourself verbally, and thus avoid any awkwardness.
2. If you have to go to a Christmas party, please do go. Even if you are introverted, human interaction can be a learned skill. Your friends, if they know you well, will appreciate your attendance and likely understand when you proceed to be a wallflower and then leave early.
3. At Christmas parties: keep yourself busy, especially when no one is talking to you. Plan for situations in the unlikely event that someone might approach you, and rehearse mentally things to say to people if they do.
4. At a Christmas dinner: sit next to the most extroverted person. They will take all of the attention, and are also the most likely to speak to you. This is in your favour because you won’t have to say much, the extrovert will do most of the talking and awkwardness will be avoided. Also they will likely say thing much weirder than anything you say, although they can get away with it.
5. Remember to always be polite. It’s usually a virtue of introverts. If you have anything bad to say, just keep it to yourself and your own hilarious imaginings of actually saying those things.
6. Drinking: unfortunately I drink like a fish, but always stay the same. I have to remember to save some booze for everyone else, and it doesn’t help me talk more anyway.
7. Shopping malls: I have the talent of being able to completely ignore my surroundings. If this is not you, just wear your over the ear headphones. It makes it obvious you don’t want to be bothered, as well as cuts out all of the racket.
8. You can always have a good time by yourself. Go out and enjoy the season. If in the unlikely event someone approaches you, you can always just say Merry Christmas, oh, look at the time, I gotta run. And they will understand, because everyone is busy this time of year!
That’s my advice. Most of the time it serves me well. Happy Holidays everyone! I will be back next week with another instalment of Red Deer Reality Rant. Stay safe and stay brutal!
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