Charming, but single

Though it always feels like I'm in need of a date to something, right now is the time of year when I really start to feel constantly smacked over the head by my lack of a date for functions. It starts out slow. Next week is a casual charity event that I attended last year. It is a nice event for those of us who aren't well off enough to donate thousands of dollars to a cause. But you have to have a partner because you play rounds of games. Last year, I went with The Banker. She was a great partner. We had a lot of fun and we won almost every game we played. But this year she has a work event the same night, so I am left sans partner. We're buying tickets to the theatre for January. And I'm sitting here in November wondering what would happen if I bought two. Would I have a date or would I spend the entire week before trying to pawn my extra ticket off and feeling like a moron for being optimistic about my dating future? In my family, talk of Thanksgiving and Christmas starts early. Like, this week. Soon I'll get my cooking assignments for Thanksgiving Day and firm up my plans. The headcount will start and I'll be the only single adult. Again. And the same goes for Christmas – my brother will struggle to balance his plans and work to make sure he spends time with our family and his girlfriend's relatives as well. The only struggle I have is what to wear to Midnight Mass. I won't have a date for Christmas parties. Or New Year's Eve. And I often wonder if the joke about men not looking for a relationship between now and Valentine's Day holds true. I overcompensate by bringing fantastic food. Baked brie with Kahlua-pecan sauce. Three sides to Thanksgiving, "because I just love how the house smells when I cook up a storm," I'll exclaim with mock glee, nervously ripping up a paper napkin in my lap under the table. Because the smell is nice, but I really hate doing so many dishes.