Opinion The Third edit: This holiday season, do it your way

For most grown-ups — or at least the adults who are supposed to pretend they are — the “holiday season” is a bit of a fraud. Homes, parents, children and bills, and not least the looming spectre of the drudgery of work that will resume in the new year — it’s difficult to completely switch off. To top it all is the slew of expectations and the unavoidable social obligations that mark the calendar as the year ends. No time to put the feet up, catch up on the book, or binge-watch the show that sits invitingly on the streaming platform’s homepage. The beleaguered working person, eager to just relax, forced to socialise, may well ask: What holiday?

For the extroverts and the party lovers, none of this may be a problem. Bingeing on good food, moving to decent music and loudly arguing with friends and family — for many, that’s a recharge in itself. Then there’s the fact that excess and inebriation can have their merits. To paraphrase Ernest Hemingway, for those who find life a mechanical oppression, a couple of glasses of wine (or more) provide a mechanical relief. But, as introverts have contended in rare moments of vociferous protest, why should they be pressured into socialising and hedonism? The answer is simple.

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Forget the Instagram reels and the pressure to have photos to share on WhatsApp groups. Those who need to should ignore the requests to party, to catch up, to eat, drink and be merry. They should curl up with a book, get lost in a movie or do whatever they need to recharge, relax and revel in the little time afforded in the space between the constant grind. “Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year” is a greeting that is now pro forma, said casually without thought to its meaning. So, whether it’s a party, a trip out of town or just sitting at home — it’s important that everyone has their very own version of a great holiday.