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 think I'd either stay and home and buy all my fav M&S food (not necessarily Xmas food, but stuff I liked), get myself a great book to read, link up a couple of films, have a luxurious day all my myself. Or just spend the day doing something I wanted to achieve - maybe declutter a room, complete decorating a room I'd previously started, tidy up something (e.g. consolidate all my photos!) etc.

If you do choose the hotel option make sure that you get the price of Xmas food etc because it could be a lot more expensive than you bargained for - or maybe they won't run the same service and won't have much on Xmas day.

I'd go to church, go for a walk (weather permitting), make myself a nice dinner, and eat it while watching crap TV or catch up on some reading/writing.

wrong thread!

Instead of a stocking, i'd get an advent calendar of products/brands you love and instead of opening one each day, save it all for xmas morning

and I'd definitely go to a fancy hotel and eat lovely food

I would get myself a lovely lunch of delicious things, quiche, sandwiches, perhaps a lovely soup, and a Raspberry trifle, or just raspberries and cream and be very happy.
Probably a bottle of sparkling wine

To be honest, so many years of dictated Christmases, and this would be my idea of bliss

I’d book a really posh hotel with a lush spa and have the best day ever!

I have a lovely family but circumstances meant this was me one year - completely unexpectedly due to nobody's fault.

I think if that were to happen again I'd book a cottage somewhere with a log fire.

Would the spa be open on Christmas Day?

That sounds fab!

I love my family but I've just spent 15 minutes reading this thread and have picked the suggestions I loved the best. So my dream 'get to getaway' would be:

Lake District spa hotel
Arrive Christmas Eve via walk at Keswick and lunch at Bassenthwaite Lake Station (you can eat afternoon tea in a train carriage and it's amazing but my main focus is a pile of cheese and biscuits from the attached shop and then chutneys/posh gin/etc for Christmas nibbles).
Also a bottle of Baileys
Definitely the Christmas stocking with good books and also posh bath stuff
Early morning swim/hot tub
Room service Christmas breakfast/dinner (I decided against the hotel dining room)
Lots of reading, napping, eating, maybe something to binge watch
Face time a few people
Walk around the grounds of the hotel if it all gets a bit claustrophobic. I also fantasise about drinking Baileys in a leather chair in a quiet hotel bar in front of an open fire
I've basically got it all sorted. Where do I sign up?

Oh certainly does!! Bliss!

I'm at home this year. My DD will wake up here but go to her dad's in the morning. Then I'll probably cook myself some food and just hang around as I usually would on my own. Buy some chocolates and other crap.

We always go away to hotels for Xmas, & I don't think I've ever seen families - couples & singles only.

Do pluck up courage to eat in the restaurant I've seen staff discreetly ask whether a lone diner wants to share with other singles; the mixed tables are the ones where all the laughter & chatter is coming from !

Find a local bar open take urself out on a date for a pint get dressed d up hair mske up etc go for nice walk eat what u want watch tv do as u please Christmas is way to overrated and all this nonsense of u have to wear ur sunday best go to church n eat a big dinner with family u only see one day a year not worth it go enjoy ur day n spoil urself

I had 3 Christmases alone a number of years ago when my ex had our girls for the holidays.

One year the nearest zoo was open so I went there. It was blissfully empty quiet (no catering or shops open - only staff in feeding animals). I only saw two other people the whole time, but did get to see a few lions looking confused when it snowed for a couple of minutes. I then went home and had my favourite meal of duck and dauphinois potatoes.

The next time I went to a hotel that did single tables only. It’s sadly closed now but it was wonderful. There were two lounges - a social one where chatting people could gather and a quiet one where you could read your book next to the fire in peace.

The last time I went to a cottage up in the Scottish highlands and spent the day watching the wildlife out the window. I think I had posh quiche and other picnic style bits for actual Christmas dinner that year as I couldn’t be arsed cooking!

I wouldn’t to hotel, I’d go cute holiday cottage a la The Holiday….takeaway on Christmas Eve (curry), pastries for breakfast on Christmas morning (with Buck’s Fizz) followed by a country walk. Back to the cottage for a mid afternoon buffet for one (cheeseboard, crisps, dips, French bread, champagne, etc) and Christmas TV or my favourite films.
Boxing Day, I’d look for some sort of event ie racing or go sales shopping (if you’re into that).
🥰

@Kat19899

A posh hotel with room service sounds good - we have done it on and off for years - but I suspect that you might find it difficult if you want to be away over Christmas Day. Most will be doing 3 day packages which will cost a lot of money and will be inclusive of Christmas Day lunch - and Room Service will probably not be possible. Even if they are NOT doing packages and you could stay for 2 nights B & B, you might find that they are NOT doing Room Service on Christmas Day. Or they might do B & B with a room - but not be serving meals during the day.

We did a package last year and are doing it again this year - but they are already well booked for this Christmas already at the hotel we are going to. So if you plan on doing something like this, do it soon and make sure you check if Room Service will be available on Christmas Day, before you book

Personally, on my own, I would stay home, with some lovely food bought in to spoil myself and can be pre-prepared or won't require a lot of effort to cook - or an Indian takeaway bought on Christmas Eve and then reheated? Or check if there are any takeaways near you which will be open on Christmas Day and who will deliver? My very elderly Mother did that a few years back. Have a favourite tipple or 3 and binge watch some films on the Tv - or read a book, or both.

This is quite normal for me and some other widowed friends, family dont always want you around, and they have other familys to visit.
I do some of the things others have said, buy my favourite foods, record my favourite tv, lie in nice soak, glass bucks fizz, go for a lovely walk around a local national trust grounds, nice meal film ect.
My friend whos also on his own, as hes a health freak, nothing fried will pass my lips kinda person, eats chips beans and meat pie for his Christmas dinner!
We dont get together until evening for a couple of glasses of wine.

I would volunteer at a lunch for elderly or homeless.

I have travelled abroad for a few Christmases because I couldn't get enough time off to return to my family (then in Australia). However, I understand that this isn't an option - I also did a Christmas alone in the UK - I took myself to see The Nutcracker in London on Christmas Eve and made myself lunch on Christmas Day, had calls with the family and watched whatever I wanted on TV - it was fine. I have looked at hotels but I'm quite shy so didn't fancy it but years later would totally do this.

I do Christmas Day mostly alone. Very low contact with narcissistic mother. My adult DCs spend Christmas with her, their relationship is fine I don't get in the way of that. We do the present opening stuff etc on Christmas Eve. DP and I live down the road from each other. He visits his family. I see him very late on Christmas evening, sometimes Boxing Day. I love Christmas Day alone. Get up when I want, watch Netflix, read a book, meal for one, play some music, do some light exercise, have a Baileys and chocolates. A leisurely day I look forward to it

Def not! Your plan sounds lovely! If it were me I'd stay home, sleep late and have a bacon sandwich and a glass of fizz, then chill with a book or a movie and aim to make my favourite dinner or, better still, order a takeaway on Xmas eve and just reheat in the microwave! Then lots more fizz and a lovely sleep 😊

I'm not a strong Christmassy person anyway so I'd just watch Netflix and eat crisps, rarely leaving the sofa. Peace and quiet, lovely.

My dream Christmas. I do this every other year she DC is st their fathers.