Single people don’t stress about buying gifts or planning the perfect party — the true sum of all their fears this holiday season is finding a date.
The relationship Web site Match.com found that 48 percent of respondents listed finding someone to share the holiday with as their biggest end-of-the-year worry, while only 23 percent said they’re most anxious about finding the perfect present.
“I think that the holidays are more of that time where you want to spend it with someone meaningful, and that’s where all the single people start to get that idea of finding meaning,” said Whitney Casey, Match.com’s relationship expert.
“Plus, you definitely need a date before you are going to buy anything for them anyway.”
Casey said singles are bombarded by messages that they shouldn’t be alone for the holidays, from movies to their happily coupled siblings at the dinner table.
“All the commercials, all the songs, everything, leads to that feeling of ‘I should be doing something important here, I should be remembering this time,’ ” she said.
“And instead, it’s just another Thanksgiving, another Christmas.”
Also, the desire to have someone to kiss on New Year’s Eve puts even more pressure on single people.
“No one really wants to spend New Year’s alone,” Casey said.
The stress is so great that traffic on the dating site jumps about 23 percent during the holidays.
In fact, 59.5 percent of people told the site they would rather have a kiss on New Year’s Eve than a new laptop computer.
Single New Yorkers, for the most part, agreed with the findings.
“It sounds right to me,” said Icaro Soares, 21, a Manhattan college student. “For me, love is more important than the right gift.”
Lucy Harris, 25, of the West Village, said it’s tough going through the holidays without a date.
“Everyone always has holiday parties and office parties,” she said, adding that she’s going to one gathering next week with someone she met through friends.
Rotem Tsur, a 28-year-old medical student, also said that finding someone tops his holiday wish list.
“It’s getting cold out,” the native Israeli said. “I’m looking for the right one.”
But Johanne Larum, a 21-year-old studying international development at Montclair State College in New Jersey, said a date is not the most important thing to her this holiday season.
“I think I put family and friends first, though it would have been nice to have someone,” the Norwegian beauty said, cautioning, “I’m really picky.”
In addition to dating and gift buying, 18 percent of people said that the hardest part of the holidays was dealing with their families, and 11 percent said it was gaining weight.