How do you spend Christmas if you have no dc?

[BaublesAndGlitter]

DH and I don't have any dc and this is unlikely to change. Our friends all have small dc so obviously we don't see them on the day.
We both have parents close by and our siblings, along with their small dc, tend to spend Christmas with them.

We usually spend the morning with one of our families, afternoons with the other and evenings home alone, and every year we end up feeling a bit flat.

I love the season, I have some traditions I enjoy and I love treating people with thought out gifts. We both enjoy the build up but the actual day is a disappointment. I just feel like we're missing something that would make it better / more enjoyable. I'm thinking we should do something a bit luxurious or out of the ordinary but no idea what.

If you don't have any dc, what do you do to celebrate / how do you spend Christmas?

We get up in the morning, go downstairs and put the kettle on. (I must have at least one cup of tea!) I put Christmas music on and we open our presents. We swap to Bucks Fizz about half way through. Then we just chill out, nap if wanted, slowly get ready for the day. We go to the pub for a couple of drinks, then we come home and have Christmas dinner. We go all out with our decorations and food so that it feels really festive

Then more drinks, games or funny TV until it's time for the buffet. Then more food, more drinks, music and more laughs. Then bed!

We love it. My mum loves Christmas at our house too as she says it's so festive and relaxing so she joins us most years.

I love my DC. But I do envy the options that you have without them I'd be straight on a beach, get some sun and away from chilly England.

Log cabin, Paris, week in London and see the New year in, there's so many things you can do.

Wearywithteens we have tried Christmas away and have done this a few times but for various reasons it isn't doable every year. It does make it easier and I always enjoy those years (we aim for cold places, ideally with some snow).

Courtney555 I get that reaction a lot from friends with dc - but without children to factor in, especially if there are children in the family who are rightly in the centre of family members Christmas plans, the day can be long.

Unfortunately a hot Christmas just doesn't appeal to either of us, although a lot of people have tried to convince us.

Squirrelblanket your Christmas sounds similar to some of ours.

I love a chilled out day but ILs are quite formal so it's nice but not relaxed and my parents house is complete mayhem with my siblings, nieces and nephews. It's nice but when it gets to the evening, siblings go home as dc have to go to bed and my parents are exhausted so everybody leaves.

Tbh I miss our younger years - when we had all just moved out we ended the day with either a houseful of friends or crammed into one of our friends houses. It was completely informal but festive and fun but we can't do that anymore.

I think maybe I should arrange a few drinks in a pub this year because we haven't done that before - even if it's just the 2 of us I'm sure it would be more fun than sitting at home!

Before DC we would get up, have a nice breakfast and then go for a decent walk - a good 6 or 8 miles. We'd take a picnic of cheese, pâté, smoked salmon, crackers, small bottle of fizz and Christmas cake and sit somewhere outdoors if possible to have it.

We rarely bothered with a traditional Christmas dinner and would often have a curry and accompaniments for dinner that I'd made ahead and then snuggle up to watch a film (very little washing up needed!).

A couple of times we went out for dinner which was also lovely if you choose the right place.

Do you have any friends without DC?

I don't have kids either, but there are no young children in the family as they've grown up and late teens. We normally have all the family over on Christmas Eve for nibbles/party food and drinks.

We open our gifts and have a glass of fizz at midnight before bed. Then on Christmas Day we usually visit OHs parents late morning and go to my family home for Christmas dinner at 3pm then we all play games, quizzes, watch TV for the rest of the evening.

I think I know what you mean but I tend to find I don't feel that way if we take games/quizzes with us as the atmosphere stays upbeat and coaxes people out their food comas 😂

We have no plans to have children either but I think all my friends will be on the case very soon. I don't think it'll change much though as we've never spent Christmas with friends anyway.

Before ds we would take it in turns with visiting family on Christmas day. We would have a takeaway on Christmas eve and go out all day drinking on boxing day. I miss those days.

I recently just had kids but before that we would just visit our families. If we were in England for DP's family then we'd obviously stay there for a few days and if we were here in Denmark for my family then we'd either go to whoever was hosting it and either go home to DMs place or just home. We also felt like something was missing if we just went home after, however having kids (at least babies) did not make Christmas more enjoyable(so far at least)

Why not go on a holiday? Either somewhere hot like Bali or Austria to go skiing etc?

At home indulging in sleep, tv, food and doing whatever we want.

I'm a single mum living with DD. I'd love my friends without kids to come to mine on Christmas evening, it's lonely and miserable after she's gone to bed. Don't assume that nobody wants to see you on the evening if you don't ask them...

@Wearywithteens do you know which hotel in Austria? That sounds perfect!!

We go to Paris

I have 2 friends without dc. Both live quite far away. 1 spends Christmas with her inlaws and the other doesn't 'do' Christmas.

Summeriscancelled I could give games a go - we used to do that at ILs but they stopped a few years ago. Not sure why.

Flummingbird I did broach this last year as 2 of my friends became single mums with small dc. One said an outright no, as Christmas is a family day and the other wasn't keen because she was a bit nervous of her first Christmas on her own. She may be more open to it this year though, I will chat to her about her plans (nearer the time or she'll look at me like this )

Thank you for your posts and ideas. Our day is generally nice, I just wondered what other people do.
Last year we spent the evening watching Christmas specials, having a drink (champagne cocktails) and eating cheese. It was really relaxing but I felt like we should be out doing something - does that make sense?

The irony is that when we're away for Christmas, we both miss home a bit and when we're at home we both wish we'd booked flights and gone away!

Before we had our son, we'd spend the bulk of our day with my family and see his at some point. Now we've got a child, we do pretty much the same thing but one of us has to stay sober....

I miss those days.

I work on Christmas Day if the dc are at their dads. I actually quite like it!

Would you consider volunteering?

Before we had kids, we always had a holiday abroad, just 2 of us.

I volunteer (at an animal charity) every week but they are always overrun with volunteers at Christmas so I tend to do the bits no one wants to (usually weekends in the run up to Christmas and just after NY).
DH wouldn't volunteer I don't think, his work get busier and busier from October and doesn't really slow down until March so he really appreciates the break (he volunteers elsewhere throughout his quieter months though).

Is it awful that I feel a bit relieved that other people miss the younger days of having a drink with friends / family at Christmas? Our parents aren't really up for that, siblings can't anymore because of dc and friends obviously don't because of their dc.

I think I'm going to suggest a pub to DH - we're hoping to move (part of the reason we can't afford to go away this year) so fingers crossed we'll end up somewhere with one within walking distance!
I think seeing other people, if they're strangers, will help.

*even if they're strangers that should say!

The years it's affordable I'd go to Innsbruck. Or maybe Munich and spend a few hours in that enormous spa (cheap!). Otherwise a UK holiday break in a cosy Airbnb maybe where there's a xmas market like bath (not this year ) or somewhere like York which is beautiful at Xmas? I'd definitely go away and I regret not doing so bforekids! I don't know if it wouldbe Too expensive at Xmas though. Or if you have a spa hotel nearby maybe a couple of hours in there following a nice walk? Or rent a hot tub in your garden?
Aookogiesfor Typos - tying to typeone handed!

We do the rounds to have Christmas get togethers with the extended, very 'modern' family in the days running up to Christmas. It's almost also us doing the travelling so others can be in their own homes.

Our deadline to be back home is 3pm Christmas Eve for the radio broadcast of nine lessons and carols from Kings College, Cambridge. We have been known to go out dancing together on Christmas Eve but this year, of course....

Christmas Day starts blessedly late, with a glass of vintage champagne (and a cup of tea for him). A quick video call to check in with the various parts of the family who are mostly all in in that lovely family chaos.

[try not to feel too smug, or at least keep it to ourselves]

We go out for the full works Christmas lunch to a local restaurant which is walking distance.

At some point we will get home. A nap is usually on the cards. Later ... when we are fully awake again, we will watch a film, maybe drink some lovely port with a sliver of cheese and drift off into the sunset.

Boxing Day revolves round an extended walk, sometimes as part of a group other times just us, after which we might have something delicious to eat and drink.

The perfect adult Christmas evolved for us as the antidote to our usual lives where we both travelled a lot for work and the. Found ourselves doing a lot of travelling to visit the extended family. Now it's we are home, this is what we do, anyone welcome to join us so long as you are happy to fit in with our timetable.

Oh, one other point, we are usually careful about what we eat but all rules are put aside for the actual Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Then we get back to normal.

Thinking about it, the theme is very much doing exactly what we want and usually cannot. Perfect adult fun. Hope you find what works for you.

We love Christmas day when we get to do what we want. When we have to spend it with family it's good natured but noisy and so overwhelming that we too come home flat, but also exhausted and as if the day was a waste for us and spent for others (like we're such a treat for them, I've never worked this one out!). On both sides our siblings have lots and lots of children and extended families.

When we get to spend it our way we watch a christmas eve film with friend(s) and nice food followed by hot chocolate in the car driving around looking at everyone's lights while singing along to christmas tunes. On the day we enjoy a leisurely breakfast with treat foods (we have leisurely breakfasts most days so the treat foods make it special). I decorate the house on December first so we then go down to the tree with christmas music and more good quality coffee/tea and open presents (we keep to a modest financial limit - this is just for fun), we text/phone friends and family, go for a nice walk with our dogs. Then for me it's a nice bath and fresh comfortable clothes (I'm seriously considering a onesie this year), maybe a nap, then nice food and another film. Might finish with reading in bed.

It's not drastically different from our day to day lives but I love the quiet that descends around us. Our planning for this day, aside from decorating and present buying involves looking up films and thinking about what we want to eat.

It looks like we will get to spend this Christmas on our own, and I'm sorry for the reason for this but happy that we can!

Christmas Eve we usually visit DH’s mom and partner in the morning and his aunt and cousin, if we haven’t visited on 23rd.

If we have I will do some baking, mince pies and sausage rolls for Christmas Eve evening. We have taken a walk in our village and stopped at a coffee shop in the past.

Late afternoon we head to lunch parents where my mom will be roasting pork for hot sandwiches at tea time. We have those with hot sausage rolls and little sausages and the mince pies and normally a cake (like birthday cake but for Christmas) then head out to our local church for the Christmas Eve carol service. We aren’t religious but have done this the last few years and it’s a lovely way of getting in the Christmas spirit. After the service we cross the road and head into our cricket club for a few drinks.

Christmas morning we get up and open our presents in bed which we will have brought upstairs the night before. We have breakfast, usually croissants for me and bacon rolls for DH.

We walk to my parents and spend the day and evening there. We will have Buck’s Fizz or normally one of the flavoured fizz’s from M&S. Lunch is normally around 1pm - pate, turkey and all the trimmings and Christmas or chocolate pudding.

Late afternoon we normally get a board game out.. last year it was monopoly. We crack open the after eights and the malteasers Christmas pudding I make.

We put the telly on as there’s usually a Christmas special we like to watch and me and my mom will put a buffet together. Usually turkey sandwiches, some nibbles my M&S bits, etc etc.

We normally head home around 10pm and put our pyjamas on and watch some telly.

Boxing Day we either have another full Christmas dinner at my moms or a buffet and head to the cinema.

We just love Christmas with my family... we tried it once just the two of us at home and it wasn’t the same... we clock watched pretty much all day - the Christmas spirit just didn’t feel the same.

This year we have puppies, we have a boy and my mom and dad have his sister so our Christmas will involve dog walks which I am so excited about. We have some lovely woodland walks near to us so I can’t wait to wrap up warm and head out with the pups!

Op, I'd go mad spoiling myself and dh. You said hot Xmas doesn't appeal, personally I've never tried it but don't have ££ to get away.
Challenge yourself! Get out! Do different things. Go somewhere hot.

Have expensive hampers delivered, the most tasty food etc.
One year I'd try Thailand, another Russia... Ballet.. Another skiing. Another lapland...

Amazing hotels.. I'd try Xmas in different country each year...