ZooLights has utterly failed to light up my world. 

Unless you have a tight-knit group of friends or a significant other, what could get you through those hard weather conditions? The glorified 1.5 million lights pull you in, and the 20-degree weather drags you out. 

I guess you could buy the overpriced hot chocolate. I always love the homey feeling of hot chocolate, but with little kids crying and tweens shoving me around for the perfect picture; you won’t catch me waiting in that 30-minute line. 

Don’t get me wrong, I personally love the holiday season because of its comforting aura. But maybe I have something against ZooLights because as a single teenager, seeing everyone’s cute couple photos on Instagram makes me want to scream into my pillow. They are always a variation of the same couple of things: kissing in the light tunnel, sharing hot cocoa and an awkward parent photobomb. I know jealousy isn’t a good look on anyone, but that sure doesn’t stop the feeling! Come back to me when I’m cuffed because I’m sure I’ll switch up, but for now, I am not a fan.

I don’t claim negative energy unless it’s put toward the terrible lighting in the photos taken. The pictures where you can see your cute, cheesy smile are the ones where you can’t see the lights. And when you can see the twinkling lights and their colors, you look like the shadow monster. Spending hours editing the lighting for the perfect Insta-worthy post instead of spending your time building gingerbread houses seems like a waste of precious time to me. 

As hypocritical as this is, you will likely see me going to ZooLights in the next few weeks. What can I say? I love the holidays. Unlike this article, stay positive this season!