The upside of being single at the holidays...

Yes, I just experienced it. There is an upside to being single at Christmas time. And learning to do Christmas a little differently is just one piece.

It's the first time in 33 years that I won't be in Cleveland for this most precious holiday, but I've just enjoyed a beautiful early Christmas with my daughter and son-in-law here in their warm and welcoming home in Shaker Heights, Ohio.

The upside of being single at this time of year is that you get to really focus on the loved ones in your life. Can spend a little extra time being together--doing things like baking Christmas cookies, decorating and enjoying music.

So now I return home and get ready to celebrate in another city and with yet another set of traditions. Maybe I'll even create a couple of new ones of my own. Sitting by my roaring fire (smokeless and troublefree on the DVD I got for Christmas!) and listening to my XM classical Christmas music is a good setting for imagining some magical new traditions into existence.