To find the Christmas holidays boring and a bit lonely? (I do have a lovely family)

[Borrrrred]

A work thing I wanted BADLY didn’t happen this month. I can’t make anything happen now until January. And it’s almost the Christmas holidays, which I find a bit boring and lonely. I have children aged 10 and 12, and adore them and spending time with them, but days at home with nothing going on are not fun to me. They play Lego and like sitting in their pyjamas, but I can’t stand it. It’s so dull. I hate scrolling my phone etc.

Over Christmas, friends aren’t around or busy.

Give me some advice - how can I stop the holidays being so dull? And how can I get over the work sadness knowing I can’t do anything about it until January?

Also - Aibu? Anyone else feel this way?

Take kids out? Cinema or whatever they like to do?

Read a book or watch a film rather than doom scrolling?

Crafting/knitting/painting?

Go out shopping on your own, have lunch with a friend, go for a day trip, go to the spa…I could think of a thousand things to do to be honest…but that’s just me. I like my own company too 😀

I don’t really like too much of my own company! I am easily and quickly lonely. Not great, but I can’t help it. I love small bits of alone time, but not weeks of it (I don’t work over the school Christmas holidays).

I will definitely do things like the cinema and swimming etc. but I just find it all a bit lonely - my children play together and not with me anymore! DH is home mostly, half working, so doesn’t have the same amount of time.

Learn to knit or crochet? Sorry I can’t relate, I don’t get enough time at home doing nothing 🤣

I loved the school holidays. We’d bake cookies for the tree, make sweets for Christmas treats, build a gingerbread house… endless possibilities!

I feel like this over the Christmas holidays and imagine everyone is having a lovely time with their extended families. I know this is unlikely. Following for ideas and so you know you're not the only one.

Family jigsaw, nice wintertime walks, Christmas films and hot chocolate.

I try and get away from the 27th for a few days to cover New Year’s Eve - we just rent a cheap cottage somewhere different every year. Nice to get a change of scenery, walks, nice cosy pub lunches etc. I hate the “in between days” in my house as I find it depressing after Christmas! Plus we have to use annual leave so I resent wasting that sitting around the house. Would getting away be an option?

Christinas movies or tv
read
crossword puzzles
hot bath
pamper treatments
cook nice food
podcasts
jigsaw
paint or colour by numbers
meditation/yoga/pilates
bosrd games (with kids)

Go out with kids for food/hot chocolate etc

I hate it too

Yes it's boring, places are shut or busy as everyone is off and weather normally isn't great. People tend to be doing family events so aren't around. I just tend to work aside from bank holiday and save my days off for other times

No advice really, but I don't like the Chrismas holidays, most people are off and if you go anywhere it is so busy.

Do plan to go the cinema, garden centre the other day, shops and maybe out for lunch but many others will be doing the same. Even the local country park and the woods is heaving Christmas holidays.

Do a gingerbread house with them. Some other good suggestions

I hate the 2nd week and New Year, it's such an anticlimax.

I don't like parenting indoors and get restless, there's only so much gingerbread I can bake! Ideally I like to go away (anywere) but money hasn't allowed this year so I'm planning days out.

My children are grown up so I don't have that problem but I do find it lonely. I don't have any spare money so I have declared the 27th onwards big walk week. I bought a book of walks and a flask. If it snows I'm buggered though. I'm not a big fan of snow.