WWYD if you were alone for Christmas Day?

[Kat19899]

Appreciate this is really early to think about but it’s popped into my head so want to get some ideas.

I think I will be on my own this Christmas Day with family living out of the country and friends out of the city. I have no DCs and no current partner. I’m looking at it as it might be the only Christmas I “get to” spend alone (as opposed to “have to”.)

A couple of years ago I spent Christmas with a friend’s family but it was a long day with family tensions and no guarantee she will ask again anyway.

I have bad travel anxiety so can’t leave the country but could travel between London and the south coast.

Would it be really weird to go to a fancy hotel and order room service? I don’t really want to be around happy (or unhappy 😅) families and don’t want people to feel sorry for me.

Aside from that or just staying at home, what could I do?? I really like the outdoors, obviously everything will be shut anyway. I looked into volunteering a couple of years ago but charities are really over-subscribed for December.

When I’ve Googled it all the articles assume I’ll be really sad on my own and that I hate Christmas which I don’t. Without going abroad what would you do if you were me?

I should add they have organised guided group walks daily but no obligation you could go self guided and they sometimes have evening events like a quiz.

I've done it a couple of times and hated every moment. Despite doing things I loved. I stayed in a hotel and went to midnight mass in my friends cathedral. Had a big breakfast on Christmas morning. Then drive over to my other favourite cathedral for Evensong. Normally I'd love it but just wanted to cry all day.

I’d stay at home and spend the hotel money on doing my house up nicely (real tree, a few new decorations, candles etc).
I’d then go to church in the morning, a walk, maybe pop into a pub for a sherry.
Then I’d cook myself something really special and binge the Christmas TV and eat chocolate.
I’d also invite another ‘solo’ friend over if possible but I’ve spent a Christmas ‘alone’ once and tbf, it wasn’t really a big deal. The thought of it was worse than the reality.

Well I'm between husbands right now so you guys are giving me some amazing ideas!

Of course!

I was on my own last Christmas. I just got some nice food in, read, watched TV. I enjoyed it. Not sure I'd do a hotel myself, I'd rather Christmas just passed with me basically ignoring it. Would save the hotel for a treat another time of year.

It took me years to be able to go and eat somewhere alone and although I can do that now eating Christmas Day dinner in a restaurant on my own is something I wouldn’t want to do. Even having it delivered as room service wouldn’t appeal.

When I've done Christmas alone, I've mostly lazed around and cooked the full works for myself - because I like a proper turkey dinner, and I like leftovers. I get out s proper tablecloth and all. Then, depending on the weather, I might go for a walk, or just laze around reading or watching crap TV, and probably answering a million texts from friends.

I've already been invited for Christmas by cousins this year, but I refused to answer, because it's still August!

yeah, solo dining can be an absolutely lovely thing to do. On Christmas Day though I think it would feel a bit weird. And people might try and adopt you into their group, which could be awkward too.

This is my dream 🤣

I would 100% book a nice hotel and watch Christmas films the whole time with nice food.

Buy yourself some presents now, wrap them up and you might of forgotten what's in them!

I would buy a really nice fancy advent calender, then put all the bits in a stocking and open them on Christmas morning. I would also buy and wrap some other nice bits for myself including some new books and lovely expensive booze. Then I would go for a long winter walk, come home and have a massive lunch of anything I fancied, then lounge around reading, watching films and getting pissed. Whether in a hotel or at home, that's what I'd do.

I would probably make sure my house is as cleaned, buy in a bunch of picky bits kind of food that requires close to no work, and watch a ton of movies.

a hotel sounds good in theory to me, but I think I would actually be comfier at home with a bit of advance preparation.

I don't think I'd want to be in a hotel where I'm the person on their own with other guests looking at me in pity - but would love a quiet time at home, just me and the dog. I'd do very little - take him out on a walk in the morning, open presents, and basically veg for the rest of the day - reading, watching TV, phoning family, eating the food I want to eat, drinking what I want. ChenDog would dine very well that day.

If there was a singles holiday you could do over the 24th-26th I'd quite like to do that - a dog walking thing with new people to get to know, dogs for mine to play with, and good food without the washing up sounds ideal.

Thank you all for the suggestions and saying how much you’d enjoy/have enjoyed a Christmas alone. I love the phrase “between husbands” 😂

You’ve given me some good ideas and some things to think about like whether a spa would be open, adults only hotels and eating alone. I’ve eaten alone a couple of times in hotels and it wasn’t sad or awkward but it was a bit boring. I WFH and I do love the idea of not having to cook or clean up!

I’ve had a quick look at some of the links and the prices are more than I expected. But I guess what did I expect for a personal visit from Father Christmas!

I’m quite shy so being adopted would probably ruin my day 🤣

Just off to Google Christmas singles holidays in very expensive hotels. I bet my future husband has already got his assistant to book for him ☺️🤑😂

I would also consider a nice coastal cottage, but like others have said choose location carefully. Lovely sea view, wood burner, maybe hot tub and take some decorations with you. Lots of seaside villages do a Christmas Morning dip in the sea, even if it wasn't something you wanted to get involved in yourself, could be fun to watch!

P.s. love the idea of a stocking. I'm tempted to start making up a mini advent calendar or stocking for myself actually 🤔

Option one is a coach trip to a nice hotel with others. Probably they would be on their own too.

otherwise id go for a morning walk. At least 2 hours or even better, a mountain. Then nice bath, wine, chocolate, cheese and chill watching Netflix. Or Love Actually or The Holiday

Some great ideas on this thread. Be intentional about it - and plan ahead. If a long bath figures in your plans, make sure you've got some nice bath oil. If you're going for a walk, think about a flask of hot chocolate or something stronger. Point being, plan treats you wouldn't usually have and make sure they are things you really really like. I often spend a day between Christmas and NYE by myself and treat it as a "me Christmas". Last year, it looked a bit like this:

• wake up to Radio 3, get coffee and go back to bed to unwrap my stocking for myself - I had some pretty earrings, a novel, a miniature Baileys, a chocolate bar and some bath oil and face mask
• read my new book and drank coffee until around 10am
• got dressed, did my make up and went for a long walk in the woods with a smoked salmon sandwich and flask of coffee with a podcast I'd chosen and downloaded in advance
• back home and I did some knitting while watching a Christmas movie
• had lunch - a lasagne I'd made and frozen before Christmas, some salad with very expensive olive oil dressing in a teeny tiny bottle I found in a deli, and a small bottle of prosecco
• nap. This was the highlight of my day!
• bath, using face mask and bath oil
• dinner - a cold turkey sandwich on sourdough with slices of stuffing, fried onions and condiments, together with a glass of Rioja and another movie
• bed with new pyjamas and a book

I'd happily transfer this to a hotel and wouldn't give a fig what people thought of me. I'd probably avoid somewhere with lots of big groups and would spend a lot of time in my room!

I would book a lovely barn or cottage, maybe with a dreaded hot tub, I would wake up and make a delicious breakfast aybe scrambled eghs and smoked salmon, which I would take back to bed with some bucks fizz and a book. Then I might have a lovely long soak in a bath with expensive toiletries followed by a long walk. I would return and make something scrumpy but not too much effort for dinner, maybe a Lasagne I'd made earlier with a cocktail or two and a dip in the hot tub. Absolute bliss. Oh and some mulled wine, mince pies and Home Alone on Christmas Eve too!

.

I bet my future husband has already got his assistant to book for him

That’s my future husband, thank you very much!

<Changes name to PreHusbandHag >

I would buy a lobster and a bottle of champagne and have a beautiful day lazing around !

Or yes, a hotel

I’ve done it a few times. I got lots of nice food in from M&S, a good book, wine, and had a lovely long bath in the middle of the day. I watched loads of junk telly, but avoided Christmassy shows because I thought they might make me sad.

My Edinburgh solo-Christmas involved queuing at a New Town butcher for pheasant, and a good amount of very expensive wine, port and whisky from Valvona & Crolla.

Do you know Edinburgh, @Kat19899? It’s perfection over Christmas …