Discover How Single Parents Conquer the Holiday Blues

By Sherry Katz and Angela Scott

What’s to Celebrate?

The holidays are in full bloom, and for many people it’s a time of celebrating with family and friends. As countless versions of “Silent Night” stream over the airwaves, It’s A Wonderful Life runs in daily rotation on most cable stations. “Joyful, joyful” is the hourly mantra with folks flocking to malls with an extra pep in their step, wrapping gifts and preparing gala dinners for festive family gatherings.









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However, for many single parents, the holiday season is not a merry time of year. Attending holiday get-togethers totally alone, or with children, but without a significant other is especially difficult for those newly separated or divorced. The absence of the co-parent often causes single parents to be filled with loneliness, sadness, isolation, grief and loss.


“Christmas is extremely difficult for me because my kids are with their mom during the holidays,” says Kevin Nakanishi, a Burbank, California divorced father of two sons ages 12 and 10. As the primary custodian, Nakanishi’s sons split the holidays and summers with Nakanishi’s ex-wife who lives in Hawaii. “The first few Christmases were the most difficult and I haven’t really looked at the holidays the same,” recalls the 45-year-old account executive. He says being without his children during Christmas and New Year’s is still very painful despite an arrangement that has existed for the past seven years. 


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