Christmas for single parents unable to see wider families?

[MrsHookey]

It will be strange this year not being able to see friends or family. For those of us in a single parent household, any ideas on how to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day? Kids are 7 and 8. We won't be able to have visitors.

I'm not a single parent household so I hope it's OK that I respond –but I have spent Christmas alone before, and what really helped was scheduling in video calls with different family members throughout the day. So although there's some 'quiet' time in the day, you've also always got something sociable coming up.

You could also put the kids in charge of an hour each - so the 8 year old is in charge of the hour between 10 and 11am, for example, and they get to choose and organise a Christmassy activity for the three of you to do together for that hour: it might be baking Christmas cookies, making up a funny festive dance routine and videoing it to send to family....

Other than that, embrace the hygge! Movies, bundle up for a walk outside to look at the lights, play some games, make hot chocolate with marshmallows...

It is going to be strange – and it might also be really lovely

We have spent Christmas alone for the past 2 years (DD’s 14 and 16). Christmas Eve we bake and order a take away in the evening, then we watch a film together. Christmas Day is quite relaxed, open stocking early and then have a posh breakfast, open other gifts throughout the day, play board games etc.., we don’t do a big roast, just a normal Sunday roast or a buffet type thing. Last year my dad popped over for an hour but not sure that will be possible this year. We have driven to the coast before for a walk or a walk closer to home. Boxing Day they go to their dads so I will probably be on my own this year if I can’t visit anyone.

It will be odd this year but it can be relaxing and fun too x

Christmas Eve was always extremely special just me and my DD. I always made sure the day was full of quality time activities, things like baking sweet treats to eat with a Christmas movie at night or filling my travel cup with a festive hot drink, bundling up and going on an extremely long winter walk (the area I live in is absolutely beautiful) and then the Christmas Eve boxes (yes I have one too 😂) sat by the tree, just the two of us, opening them together. It was always so special because it was my time with my daughter before the madness of the next day. We still kept the same Christmas Eve routine even when my boyfriend joined our family.