“What kind of heartless bitch are you?” That’s the first thing my best friend said after I told her I’d dumped my boyfriend. Apparently, breaking up on Christmas Day isn’t very nice. I guess I didn’t get the memo — oops.
Don’t get me wrong. I like Christmas; I just didn’t like him anymore. Hell, my best friend didn’t like him, either, but suddenly, I was a bitch for breaking his heart on a holiday. Maybe I was, but frankly, I still don’t regret it. Crappy things happen on holidays, too.
- When it’s time, it’s time. Sure, I could’ve dragged it out and waited, but when it’s time to end it, just end it already. I hate it when couples do this. I knew it was over, so I ended it. End of story.
- He’s the ass, not me. OK, so I originally planned to wait a few more days until we were able to celebrate Christmas together. I called to wish him a Merry Christmas and got told, “I’m talking to someone else, bye.” Yes, that was my Merry Christmas back. My decision was made. I called back, told him it was over, and hung up. So who was really the ass? Nope, not me.
- Why shouldn’t I enjoy the holiday? Agonizing over an impending breakup wasn’t exactly the ideal way to spend Christmas. I didn’t sleep well the night before. Ending it made me feel better. Suddenly, I was enjoying Christmas. Didn’t I deserve a good holiday, too?
- There’s never a “good” time. Seriously, can someone tell me when it’s really a “good time” to break up with someone? If I’d waited, it would’ve been New Year’s and that’s supposedly wrong, too. Then, Valentine’s Day is on the horizon. So, no, there’s no “good time” to break up. You just have to do it.
- I just didn’t care anymore. Sure, it hurt to know it was over, but I’d reached the point where I didn’t care anymore. The relationship sucked and I was putting in way more than he ever did. If I ruined his Christmas, so what? It was about time karma gave him a gift.
- It was my favorite gift that year. I know it sounds horrible, but dumping him was my favorite gift. It felt like a major weight was lifted off my shoulders. I smiled more, laughed more, and of course, I got to keep his gift for myself.
- What better distraction than Christmas? It’s easy to do a lot of stupid things after a breakup, but a good distraction always helps. Honestly, what better distraction can you think of than having to do holiday get togethers with friends and family?
- I wasn’t going to pretend everything was OK. Keeping things going for the sake of the holidays just meant pretending everything was okay. That meant lying to myself, my family, my friends, and even his family. That’s just not fair to anyone.
- I was already over it. I’d already spent the previous week getting over it. I’d listened to breakup songs, cried a little, and watched way too many romantic Christmas movies. By the time I said it was over, I was already over it. I think at that point, it didn’t matter what day I broke it off.
- I had to think about me. I think this is the biggest reason I’ve never regretted it. I could’ve put his feelings first, but what about me? Didn’t I deserve to be happy? Based on how he was acting, my feelings weren’t exactly a priority to him. Honestly, he could’ve at least said Merry Christmas before hanging up or told me he’d call me back.
- We both had friends and family around. It stung when my friend called me heartless. Yes, I made a split-second decision to end things on Christmas, but in that split-second I always knew we’d both have more than enough support to handle the breakup. Our closest friends and family were in town. We’d have all the love we needed to help us get through it. Heartless? No.
When I think back, I can’t think of a better time to breakup with someone. At least it’s better than getting your gifts and then dumping him.
