I work retail so the holidays are so busy for me. I have family nearby but they often take trips that I can't share due to scheduling and finances. I have spent holidays alone with my kitties. To me, it's mostly just another day. I enjoy the quiet alone time after telling hundreds of people where the bathroom is in our store! LOL!
I also think that "Friends are the family you choose" If I really didn't want to spend the holidays alone, I could go to a number of houses. I think the whole "family is the most important thing" is highly over rated. Sometimes the family is the most damaging force in a persons life and they are better off without them. Everyone is different and people shouldn't be made to feel they are "odd man out" because they don't choose family first.