What do you do in the festive period if you are alone?

[talomon]

In particular between Christmas eve and new year. Do you do any nice things for yourself?

I usually go skiing, but this year a bad knee and lack of cat sitters have made me stay in London. I am not too bothered about Christmas and don't feel lonely as such, but trying to think of some nice things do.

So far my list:
buy wood and use the fireplace
hot chocolate
baking biscuits

eat, drink, watch crap on tv suits me just fine

Could you start a new hobby? Something crafty, if you like that sort of thing, that you can do at home?

I've lived abroad from my family most of my adult life and work in healthcare so have spent many festive periods alone. I ised took forward to them to recharge my batteries!

• Buy magazines on hobbies/interests which I usually regard as frivolous spending
• occasionally dress up in my "nice" clothes to check they all fit (idk why this provides me with amusement)
• clearing out and organising cupboards
• walks/exploring different places near where I live
• baths, very luxurious baths with all the products. Bombs, bubbles, face masks

Frame it in your mind as a lot of you time to be as selfish as you can possibly be and things will pop into your mind that you'd like to do.

Also I would recommend to put your phone in another room so you don't end up scrolling the Internet or social media and wasting the opportunity to detox. Also seeing what others are up to can make you miserable.

If I were alone, I would still cook a roast and eat over two days.
I will always have a dog, so would walk him/her Christmas morning and we would both open presents.
Watch films, eat chocolate and drink wine.

Bloody love Christmas!

Do massive clearouts of the house, have a few days eating and drinking whatever I want, and then spend the rest of the time reading and planning my next year. This means I start the year with a clear head and feel great.

Treat myself as a guest in my own house - so, great food, clean sheets, save any presents for xmas morning, everything clean and tidy, buy myself something small that I really would like, generally indulge myself. Anything I'd do for a welcome guest I do for myself.

@snatchabook I have a few serious hobbies (piano etc), but was thinking of learning how to knit. Maybe a nice idea to knit next to the fire!

Great ideas everyone, thanks a lot, I especially like the idea of doing a good clearout before the holidays

I did a few hours at a homeless shelter on Xmas day.

clear out cupboards
deep clean
jigsaws
go to the gym / run
watch too much tv

Walk the dog.
Read
Eat
Keep warm, watch rubbish tv.

Before Christmas I'd do a big tidy up so the house is clean, and also put up a huge tree and have candles and fairy lights. Then on Christmas day I'd go for a walk in the morning (if it's not pissing down) and in the afternoon cook myself the same massive roast as I would if I was having guests. In the evening I'd eat too much while listening to an audiobook and then knit in front of the fire. I've only spent one Christmas alone but it was actually really nice.

Thats a great approach x

Decent food and drink, watch what appeals to me (usually not much), go out for walks (weather dependent), have a lie in, take a long bath...pretty much how I live normally. This year I have a sort out a particular cupboard/email folder project. Dunno why, I know it won't happen.

clean sheets, save any presents for xmas morning, everything clean and tidy

And this.

Ideal time to go to any museum that is not somewhere like the Science Museum aimed at children.

I went to the Royal Academy last New Years Eve.

Ignore the whole shebang, just make the most of the time off work and get on with some DIY and gardening

I won't be fully alone, but dp will be working for a lot of it.

I'm having a couple of days in London by myself. Going to the Royal Academy and planning on checking out Battersea Power Station. Not sure what else.

Otherwise, I'll probably take myself out for lunch/gallery/bookshop/coffee on some of the days. I'll take the chance to have some time cooking nice things - a lasagne; a curry; maybe bake a cake.

Treat myself by shopping online or going out for the day, lunch, takeaway dinners just little treats really. Pick something to watch full series or read. Stick to usual routine walking dog etc

Volunteer somewhere. Lots of charities need help over the Christmas period.

Telly, chocolate and a good tidy up here.

I also enjoy Joinin on Twitter.

I used to live in London and would often have to be there over Christmas because of work, I would have a couple of days of relaxing and a couple of days of shopping or going to all the galleries and exhibitions that I never had time for through the year x