Single parents at Xmas! What are you doing?

[goodtimesahead]

So dd and I normally spend Xmas with family but they will all be away this year. Some years we go abroad for Xmas but this year we will be home alone just the two of us.

I am starting to feel tempted to book to go away!

Dd said it might be boring just us two (we have only had one Xmas at home alone before). Any ideas of something fun we could do that would be appropriate for dd 12 and me?

The world is your oyster!

Are any activities on Xmas eve in your area, ice skating etc. Do something you have both wanted to do and not had the time! Go ape, or go karting, or an experience day. Pick, Book and choose together.

Choose a takeaway for the evening.

Bake cookies/croissants/muffins etc for Xmas morning.

Xmas Morning

Bucks Fizz, stockings whilst eating breakfast and a few gifts too.

Morning walk or drive to a nearby park, wood, beach etc... Leave a random Xmas card/small gift for someone to find with a heartwarming message on.

Home for presents

Cooking Xmas Dinner which you both cook from scratch, M&S style or try and book somewhere now, somewhere special or different like an Indian restaurant.

Evening wise leftovers or small buffet of favourite snacks.... Karaoke, danceathon, make videos of the previous, if you allow or daughter is on social media post them! Films, card game, quiz (both think of 20 questions each) Xmas TV strictly.... Both make an outfit of similar theme of strictly dress up and do an attempt of the charleston!

Whatever you both decide, you will be together, enjoy your day!

We do Christmas at home most years. It’s me, DD8 and DS6, so I appreciate your DD12 may have different expectations.

I do as much as I possibly can to prepare for the day in advance, so that I don’t stress or spend much time in the kitchen. None of us really like a traditional Christmas dinner, so I raid M&S for party/buffet style food. This really helps take the pressure of me and means I can spend more time with the kids.

Just take it as it comes and enjoy the day together. Works for us.

Saying that, we are going abroad this year!

Plan it with dd, it would be exciting for her and you. Feet up with others cooking sounds like a plan to me

We stay home alone (me and 2 teen dd’s), we stay in pj’s all day, eat whatever we want and play a few board games. We might visit my mum in the evening this year for a hour or so but other than that we don’t do much.

Bored? How odd
Nice food
Open presents
Long walk
Hot choc and Board game
Christmassy film and tasty food

It’s me and 4 DC aged 6-2, so I can’t really get bored but we usually just pig out and watch Christmas films and play games.

That sounds blissful OP! Single parent here and having to appease dog hating family, dog, eat the usual bland turkey etc.rush between parents' and my house to attend to various animals is a frazzle. A bit of morning church, lots of pressies for DD, long dog walk, festive crap on telly, fire blazing Baileys in my hand dog on my lap, Ordering an Indian carry out and peace and calm sound truly blissful.

MrOnion - Just because something sounds nice to you, doesn't mean it's everyone's ideal situation...grass isn't always greener. You probably don't mean to sound smug but you do.

I don't think MrOnionsBumperRoller sounds smug at all DocusDiplo . They just sound busy!

Why is it 'odd' to be bored? It's a boring, lonely day for people who have no- one to share it with.
Xmas, here, will be just me and DS(9).
I'll think of what to give him, buy it, wrap it, then watch him open it. No surprises. Boring!

But the OP does have someone to share it with!

Just me and two two here (6 and 9) and it sure as heck won’t just be

* I'll think of what to give him, buy it, wrap it, then watch him open it. No surprises. Boring!*

Life is what you make of it

Particularly as a single parent! Because no one is going to treat me (well my 6 year old gives me an amazing hand massage!)

So do I. It'll still be boring.
I was responding to the 'how odd' comment. Do you really think it's odd to worry that Xmas spent with just one parent/child might get boring?

What about going to the pub for Xmas Dinner and then maybe seeing if any neighbours fancy a walk, we do that as locally lots of people don't live near relatives so quite a few people up for an hours walk in the woods etc. Buy some new dvds for late afternoon and pig out?