Reader Brittney snapped this in Dublin, Ireland, several years ago.

Have you seen graffiti that’s kind of sweet (even if it is against the law)? Send your pic to tips@thefrisky.com.

A breakup almost always sucks, but this time of year it can be especially painful. The good news is the holidays can also serve as a wonderful distraction from your heartache—and you don’t have to worry about shelling out money for a gift (or acting delighted when he gives you socks again). Luckily, not only are there plenty of reasons to love being single at this time of year, there are lots of ways to ease your loneliness, process your feelings, and improve your mood, too.

Want to walk into 2010 with a blindfold on? That’s no fun! Our Astrosexologist, Kiki T, has taken it upon herself to look into the future for all the signs of the zodiac and has broken down exactly what’s in store in terms of love, madness, and obsession in 2010. She’s even nailed down exact dates that are going be especially awesome for romance, sex, luck, and charisma. So what are you waiting for? Check out our 2010 Astro Guide!

“I had a dream last night that my family and I were over my grandmother’s
house (I live there with my grandma). My cousin and I were talking in the living room, and a blanket that was over the heater caught on fire. We rushed into the kitchen and screamed for everyone to get out. Everyone was luckily outside in the backyard when the fire broke out, so everyone got out safely. We stood back, and watched as our family’s home went up in flames. The fire started to flare, and we started running down the block. When we stopped to rest, we were all excited that we got out without harm. Then I started crying frantically because I realized I left my dog behind. I awoke in a cold sweat before I knew what to do next. What does this mean?” —Up In Flames

As if the holidays aren’t already depressing enough, they can be just a tad bit more depressing when you’re single. There’s no one to buy gifts for, and worse, no one to buy gifts for you. Worse still, after the gift-giving holidays are over, there’s no one to kiss on New Year’s Eve.

Well, now that we’ve thoroughly depressed you, we’ll cheer you up with our tips for handling the holidays when you’re flying solo.

Welcome back to GuySpeak/GirlSpeak, where we take a crack at the questions submitted by girls to the guy experts over at GuySpeak. Sometimes we agree, sometimes we disagree, and after everyone weighs in, it’s your turn! This week’s topic is the Old Faithful of dating questions: Why doesn’t he call? Read more ...

The bad things that happen in the world tend to stick in our minds a little more than the good stuff, which is unfortunate, because a lot of wonderful things happened in 2009. Even more heartwarming than stories about young people falling in love are ones about older people who are still in love or reunited with a childhood crush. There’s something really special about seniors who feel affectionate about their partner after all those years (and those who found love later in life), so we compiled six of the best old people love stories of the past year to warm your heart.

The French are crazy about Christmas. It was sometime after Halloween that I gradually began to see a sprig of holly here and there. My cousin, an ex-pat married to a Frenchman, hypothesizes that the Christmas Craze occurs because they have no Thanksgiving, and, therefore, nothing else in between to look forward to.

Now that it’s just a few days away, the entire city feels like it’s celebrating. The winding streets of the Latin Quarter are lit up with twinkly lights, the windows of the department stores have been transformed into lavish, glittery displays, and on just about every corner you’ll get a whiff of a hearty, nutty smell—street vendors roasting chestnuts. And the food. Oh my God. The food. I spent about a half-hour browsing the new Christmas section in my grocery store, fingering packages of foie gras, caviar, and pâté. Marzipan shaped like cherries. Pale green pistachio macaroons. Sugary marrons glacés.

Being a Jew, I’ve never really celebrated Christmas, but the idea is highly appealing to me. It feels warm and festive, and more about love and the feeling of being home. It was because of this that I was initially terrified of Christmas’ arrival—a painful reminder that I’m not exactly in my dream life yet. To follow Mindy Kaling’s relatable “Scripting a Fantasy of a Family” essay that ran in the Sunday Times, my ideal holiday season would look something like this ...

As we earn more money and work longer hours, new statistics show that more women are cheating on their husbands—but that doesn’t mean that men are as forgiving about affairs as we can be.

According to a 2001 survey, about 15 percent of men admit to cheating on their wives or girlfriends, and women were not far behind with a 10-percent cheat rate.

But here’s one thing that hasn’t changed—women are willing to forgive their husbands for infidelity, and men aren’t. A recent study found that men were significantly more likely to end a marriage based on spousal infidelity than women. Read more ...

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)
Don’t blame the holidays for the insanity you’ll feel, because the universe will be hitting the stall button right as you’re on the precipice of a major enlightening event. Expect plans to hits snags, dirty secrets to pop out and gossip to run amok. Sure, the holidays are always messy, but you will take the prize for the most tales to tell.  At the least, marvelous presents should compensate.
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Reader Meagan found this homage to John Lennon and Yoko Ono stenciled on an electric box in Paris.

Have you seen graffiti that’s kind of sweet (even if it is against the law)? Send your pic to tips@thefrisky.com.

“I’m a Leo (08/10/84) and he’s a Scorpio (11/03/80). Long story short, we were in a long distance relationship for almost a year up until a few months. He fell hard for me initially. I was hesitant at first, but my feelings became pretty strong over time. We have plenty of similar qualities and great chemistry, and both of us are very passionate. Every relationship has its highs and lows, and it was during our last ‘low’ as a couple that he became wishy-washy and decided he wanted to ‘transition to more of a friendship.’ I think he found the distance part of it more difficult than I did, and while I didn’t want to give up on our relationship, I wanted to try to remain close friends since I love him and want him in my life.

 

It has been a bumpy road at times and we both have admitted we still have strong feelings for each other. There seems to be a double standard in that he expresses jealousy at the thought of me with another guy, but he thinks I should be okay with it if he meets some other girl sometime down the road. (He’ll often reference his Scorpio sign as a reason for this, stating that Scorpios can be possessive.) Thing is, I don’t wanna be with another guy. When I visited him a month ago, everything was same as usual — fun and romantic. Any advice for a gal trying to handle a Scorpio? Where do I go from here?” —JDub

My boyfriend and I have been together for a year.  I have known him since I was thirteen, his family adores me, we talk about the future, and I am so happy when I am with him. However, we have a few issues. I graduated from college almost three years ago and work a full-time job. We’re the same age, but my boyfriend is still working on community college and lives at home and has no job. He knows how much I value an education, but not so much that he’s motivated and driven to succeed.  Now, to be fair, he has severe ADHD, and schoolwork has never been easy for him, not because he isn’t bright, but because of his inability to concentrate. However, he doesn’t seem to WANT to do better. I think he gets nervous about failure, but at 24 years old he doesn’t seem to want to get a job, or accelerate his schooling any quicker, and I want to move on to the next stage of our relationship (not marriage, but just a more mature stage). I love him and don’t want to lose him, but I don’t know if I can handle a lifetime of this. Do I stick it out? Is it the ADHD or just laziness? — Motivated

Sure, the holidays are filled with great food, fun parties, and general good cheer (I was at a crowded Macy’s yesterday, and I wasn’t shoved once!), but for a lot of people, this is anything but the most wonderful time of year. Those of us in periods of transition—even positive ones—are especially susceptible to the feelings of loneliness, frustration, depression, and the stress the holidays can elicit. After the jump, a few tips for surviving the holidays during some of life’s biggest transitions.

Last week, I set out to interview “Millionaire Matchmaker” Patti Stanger. My plan was to go in, impress her with my wife-ability, and be home in time for wine and “Parks and Recreation.” So I’m still not sure how, an hour later, I found myself sitting on a bar stool, roped into speed dating by the kind people at HurryDate.com. “There’s an odd number of men,” the publicist said, rationalizing why I needed to participate.

Being a serial online dater, I have had my share of awkward first dates. I liked the idea of spending five minutes with someone, rather than wasting a whole night to realize we were incompatible. Plus, I thought maybe I might meet a few people I wouldn’t necessarily think to go out with. Even though I had the lowest of low expectations, I was still sweating and self-conscious. Are they noticing how big my head is? Can they smell me sweating?