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Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

Help me plan a “ just the two of us Christmas”

35 replies

MrsGrindah · 09/10/2020 18:19

So it is just going to be me and DH this year. He will struggle with that but it is what it is, so I’m looking for ideas to make it special.These are my “ problems” that I’m looking for help with please.
How do we get the day off to a lovely start? We do breakfast in bed most days so that’s not a treat as such and I don’t want to go to the fuss of a formal sit down breakfast.
I’m tempted to do presents in two shifts ( we won’t spend a lot) ..maybe at breakfast and then after dinner?
The how do we fill the day? He will Zoom his family and that might bring him down a bit so I want something else to do ..
I don’t fancy a walk..we live in a city centre so it’s not that picturesque.
We are not religious so won’t be going to church.
Nice wine will be freely available!

Any ideas ?

OP posts:
OverTheRainbowLiesOz · 09/10/2020 18:49

Christmas film with snacks

Christmas lunch / dinner with beautiful table decorations & candles

Listen to Christmas podcast or radio.

Maybe an online game with family as well as zoom eg Murder Mystery, Escape Room challenge, you could join Tabletop Simulator which has lots of online games.

Write an online Christmas quiz to do with family over Zoom.

A beautiful Christmas jigsaw or a board game two can play.

Stargazing with a hot mulled wine in evening.

Fivemoreminutes1 · 09/10/2020 18:49

Eat out for Christmas dinner or brunch.
Buy a new board game or jigsaw puzzle.
Also, wait until the Christmas Radio Times is released you can see if there’s any good TV on. If not, plan a good film to watch!

ICSI · 09/10/2020 18:52

You could make a present treasure hunt with clues to find the presents?

TheRosariojewels · 09/10/2020 18:56

Do you drive? You could go for a nice drive. You could eat out or go away for a few days.

elQuintoConyo · 09/10/2020 19:00

A big jigsaw, something that can keep you going a few days.

I'd walk through the city centre anyway, with a camera, looking for interesting things to snap (cat on a windowsill surrounded by little lights, etc, anything quirky). You're sure to see people out and about who don't celebrate Christmas, or walking dogs, to say hello to.

You could watch Die Hard and play a drinking game - one shot for each F-word , one shot if you say 'yipeekayay motherfucker' at exactly the same time as Bruce, two shots for the first person to notice his vest change colour halfway through a scene Grin

Pre-xmas look up some cheesey Xmas jokes and tell each other different ones over the days that feel the longest. You could fold them up and pull a joke out of a box at random whenever you feel like it.

Cook your favourite meal - we don't have traditional UK Xmas lunch (abroad, can't find half the ingredients), so have something rather faffy but tasty instead. I make crackers out of bogrolls. I put a joke and a small gift in each, often a cute pen (I have DH and ds), a small cute toy from Flying Tiger or whatever. This year DS has got a small telescopic backscratcher, something he's been mithering for but for a euro it's ok to go in a cracker. I need to use a kitchen roll tube as it's a bit longer than a loo roll.

You could make an online album or Hoffman album or scrapbook (whichever floats your boat) of lovely positive things that have happened this year. Whether it's a pic of pub lunch with mates, you both at the cinema, random things that have made you laugh during the year.

I'd follow zooms calls with a cup of tea and look at the birds in your garden (if you have a garden...and visiting birds! Maybe make fatballs for them Xmas Eve and hang out). Or put a film on - doesn't have to be festive.

Big hugs, Xmas can be a fucker x

CloudyVanilla · 09/10/2020 19:04

Games and lovely Xmas tv is the way! There are some really good board games and some of them are cooperative too which I prefer. I was in hospital for a long time at the end of my pregnancy this year and DP got us Forbidden Island to play Halo

CloudyVanilla · 09/10/2020 19:07

And yes I'd do a cute stocking for each other for in the morning first thing and then after dinner open a mix present under the tree

ShelbyCherryBlossom · 09/10/2020 19:11

It's always just me and DP at Christmas (and our pets!)

We do something fun on Xmas Eve (normally ice-skating but maybe not this year)

Stockings on Christmas morning, always silly stuff, Ann Summers are great for naughty stocking fillers!

Nice breakfast with chocolate and Buck's Fizz

Christmas music on all day

Christmas films on all day

Chat with family (that is 2 people max)

Board games

Open more presents

Lots of food

Then spend the rest of the day drinking and eating chocolate

Boxing Day we usually go for a walk/drive

If it's just the 2 of you make the most of it and wear a sexy elf outfit or something!

ImAncient · 09/10/2020 19:14

Stockings in the morning & presents later on. Easter is our biggest celebration & we had Easter lunch on zoom. Wasn’t as bad as it sounds.

I’m already thinking of how to make Christmas special if it’s just us. So getting up late with champagne & chilling as it’s usually manic. Canapés after leisurely breakfast & no regimented timetable. Bliss.

Dillo10 · 09/10/2020 19:22

Im just jealous you have breakfast in bed most days! Grin

MrsGrindah · 09/10/2020 19:32

Thankyou! Makes me realise that actually it doesn’t need to involve a lot of effort . Love the idea of Die Hard drinking game!

Will definitely have Christmas music and a new board game. I love a traditional Xmas lunch so will do that but might persuade him to cook with me so that’s part of the day. We’ve never done stockings before so will do that at breakfast and then tree presents after lunch. Might do a special Christmas cocktail too !

OP posts:
caringcarer · 09/10/2020 19:35

Make stockings for each other to open in bed. Breakfast in bed.

Do a jigsaw together with chocs and snacks.

Get dinner in oven.

Video chats with champagne.

Blu ray if no Xmas TV you fancy.

Open main present from under tree.

A bit more jigsaw.

Eat dinner at table mid afternoon with lovely place settings and crackers. Light candles. Great desert. More champagne or wine.

A game.

More TV.

We like to finish up evening with choice of cheeses and crackers and champagne.

A game.

Squirrelblanket · 10/10/2020 06:48

Have your breakfast in bed with stockings but have things you wouldn't normally have for breakfast. (E.g. for us we'd have smoked salmon or croissants with bacon.) And have some fizz with it!

CloudyVanilla · 10/10/2020 07:00

I'm jealous your day sounds amazing Grin

TheHoneyFactory · 10/10/2020 07:00

id do filled croissants (mustard, ham & cheese/ turkey, cranberry, brie) - assemble and freeze prior - take out of freezer straight into oven - switch on and cook through. nice, easy done!

gosh im slightly envious. id love a christmas with just DH. id buy new books to spend most of the day in bed reading, breakfasting on croissants, fruit, mince pies, champagne & fancy coffee.

i think the zoom quiz etc with family is a lovely idea, otherwise sometimes festive phonecalls/chats can be a bit sad/painful. sharing a experience/game etc is a nice way to avoid the dwelling on the separation.

AllTheUsernamesAreAlreadyTaken · 10/10/2020 07:31

Before we had children, my husband and I used to go away to a hotel for Christmas. We'd arrive Christmas Eve, have a drink in the hotel bar and then settle in our room with a big bath, Christmas films, new pyjamas (for me), chocolates and some champagne.
We'd have breakfast in bed on Christmas morning and have a leisurely walk around wherever we were staying. Back to the hotel for presents and Christmas dinner then up to the hotel room to get our glad rags on and back down for cocktails in the hotel bar.
On Boxing Day we'd get up early for a swim and then hotel breakfast before leaving to visit his parents.
When our children are grown enough to either come with us and enjoy it or have their own Christmases, we fully intend to return to our tradition.

Katjolo · 10/10/2020 07:44

So many lovely ideas.

Quackersandcheese3 · 10/10/2020 08:07

We loved a couple of Christmas days by ourselves before the kids. Wake up and unwrap presents ( I like to get the mess out the way) . Breakfast usually pastries With a fancy hot choc. Wash and put nice matching jammies . Around 11 start drinking! We spread the food through the day. Starter for lunch , main Xmas meal in the evening and pudding later. Watch good movies , play games, call
Other family members etc.

So basically you need lots of champagne , yummy food and good tv. Enjoy, I’m
Sure you’ll love it .

TW2013 · 10/10/2020 08:17

If you are the sort of couple who would like it, a gingerbread house competition, identical houses, lots of sweets, take photos and get friends on social media/ mumsnet to declare a winner.

I saw another idea on here which is to have one person blindfolded and one person instructs and the blindfolded person has to build a lego model. Again the result could be judged remotely. You could even get families giving instructions over zoom and you are both blindfolded in a race.

mbosnz · 10/10/2020 12:07

That hotel Christmas sounds heavenly! If and when the kids desert us for Christmas, we'll be trying that out, for sure!

MrsGrindah · 10/10/2020 17:36

I’m back. DH has announced we are going out with the in-laws to a hotel for lunch. Let’s just say the atmosphere here is now seasonally frosty!

OP posts:
mbosnz · 10/10/2020 18:27

Has he just? A unilateral decision, was it? Hark! Was that the sound of ice cracking under a certain DH's feet?!

katy1213 · 10/10/2020 18:39

So now you want lovely Christmas ideas for one?

MrsGrindah · 10/10/2020 19:14

Ha! Yes please. Aw shit I feel mean but I was sooo looking forward to it. Still I suppose we can still do something special in the afternoon and evening.But his presents have just been seriously downgraded though.

OP posts:
AllTheUsernamesAreAlreadyTaken · 10/10/2020 19:26

@MrsGrindah

Ha! Yes please. Aw shit I feel mean but I was sooo looking forward to it. Still I suppose we can still do something special in the afternoon and evening.But his presents have just been seriously downgraded though.
Book two nights in the hotel you're eating in!
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