To be feeling a bit sick at the thought of another Christmas alone?

[orangelemonlimegin]

I promised myself last year this year would be different ... of course it isn't.

(Please don't suggest voluntary work. That's not what this post is.)

Corkscrewbetty I love that you went for it and had a donor baby. Hope you have a wonderful Xmas together. Some lovely stories on this thread, hope that gives you a bit of comfort OP, things can change!

orkney surely that should have been a PM? The OP might not want to be outed or recognised.

A pp has mentioned something similar already, but I have a colleague who is in a similar situation but turned down the odd invite because he didn't want to feel like a spare part.

Instead, he basically runs a "dog sit" in his local area. I'm pretty sure it's just picking up the dogs, taking them for a big walk and basically getting them out from under the owners feet for a couple of hours but it does guarantee some structure and interaction during the day and I think he makes a nice wee bit from it too. If you're into that it could be another way to pass the day?

Feel free to vent either way OP.

I'll be on my own but I'm fortunate in that I do enjoy my own company. I do join in with Sarah Millican's #joinin on Twitter - really fun. The major enjoyment for me is not having to go to work, turning the heating up to Tenerife, wearing my best fluffy onesie, being able to slob out without guilt, eat what and when I want and watch trashy telly [or not].

I don't know whether OP was looking for solutions or empathy but there can be many reasons why someone can't achieve a lot of what's been suggested [although it's heartening that so many contributors have come up with ideas].

For instance - I live far away from the few family members I have and don't drive, and there's no public transport on Christmas Day. I have acquaintances and colleagues in my area but no one that I'd regard as someone to visit at home [even if there was a bus]. I will be seeing my close family at a later date - they have commitments on the day itself.

Not everyone has enough money to go away at Christmas. Travel organisers do apply a premium to any break that involves Christmas.

And I must mention that most if not all charities and organisations that deal with people require all volunteers to have DBS clearance. You can't just rock up and offer your willing hands. I don't know the situation with animal charities.

Yeah @OrkneyFudge may have outed the OP! If they are from Orkney, that has narrowed right down who they are.

I’ve done some Christmas’s alone and some with friends. One of the best was going to Morocco. No mention of Christmas, people from the entire world who were travelling. It was great.

Another time I had some friends round who were also going to be alone or at home for most of the day due to pets.

I spent ages feeling sorry for myself about it and instead decided that I was just wasting time doing that and planned a day of what I wanted. Becoming more resilient helped me to be able to cope if things didn’t go my way too, like inviting someone and them saying no.

Nowhere near Orkney, but thanks for your input.

Dogs! Now that's an idea. People are always looking for dog boarding at Christmas so even if you have no humans around, you have a companion. (This idea may only appeal to me, however, as I generally prefer dogs to people...)

I agree that the blasted adverts can make the happiest of people feel down. In advert land everyone has extended dining tables of generations of family, all laughing away. And masses of parties to go to with photogenic friends. And of course the requisite tow-haired children in nice pyjamas or skipping around in fairy wings and wellies.

Actually I see that my local dog walking group on Meetup have a dog walk arranged for Christmas Day. You don't need a dog to go!