What do you do during the Christmas period if you've no/few friends?

[DriftGames]

Just that really. Just me & DD(2). Plans for Christmas Day and boxing day with family but nothing else. We've no friends so no parties to go to or host, no meals out with friends etc. So tell me what you do if you're in a similar position please!

It’s just me and 2 DD’s, we stay at home Christmas Day and stay in PJ’s/loungewear. Boxing Day we drive to the coast for fish and chips.

We don’t go to any parties, just visit a few family member on the run up to Christmas. I do have a few friends but most of them don’t do Christmas.

You could go and see some Christmas lights or a Christmas market, go ice skating or go to a panto?

Sounds like normal life to me. We are not party people, so would do things like
go for a walk through the town centre to see the lights, finish up with a hot chocolate/chocolate milk - did that once a week in December when they were little
Go to the local library Christmas story time
Playgroups at the church hall usually have a little party for the kids mid December. (Made one of my closest friends sitting round the edge of one of those!)
Local infant/primary school has a Christmas fete.. was outside in marquees last year... little ones are welcome, you don't have to have kids at the school, they want to raise money from the whole neighbourhood 🙂

Check what's on in your area, our fb group posts a list of events for children each year. Book a panto if your DC would enjoy it. Out ice rink does a child session with sledge's etc that mine enjoyed at that age. We always did a drive around the local area one night to see the lights

Watch TV, eat chocolate, go for walks, play games etc.

Panto?
Go to see Father Christmas somewhere

Thanks everyone, we do plenty of activities on the run up to Christmas, but my workplace closes down so we have 23rd December - 3rd January and I'd love to make some plans with such a huge amount of time. Maybe I'm just feeling lonely and overlooking things

I've never gone out with friends at Xmas or hosted parties and I'm mid-30s... who has got time for all that when you have a kid(s).

We do go out for meals and do Xmas things just us as a nuclear family though.

This year will be my first Christmas in my own with ds, I'm planning on taking him out for a meal, the cinema to watch a festive movie. And I have my parents visiting on the 28th and 29th of December instead of Christmas day. Take yourself out for a date op. Is there anything on at the theatre/cinema you fancy watching. Any live music? Christmas markets?

Find a Christmas market in your area. See what Christmas events are on too. Go see a Christmas film with a friend in the cinema etc or listen to nice Christmas music at home. This is a useful website I found www.christmaspartiesunlimited.co.uk/party/687/christmas-parties-2021-at-epsom-downs-racecourse-sutton.aspx
Have a festive pub lunch with a friend in town. Do a festive date night too. Attend a festive church service.

Could you book a little break away? We have a few bits planned like ice skating but my kids are older, at 2 she might enjoy walking along by the sea, arcades, swimming, trampolining ...

Definitely a pantomime or a show after Christmas x

Are you a member of any mums groups on Facebook etc where you could ask if there are any events etc happening also is she in nursery? Have you made any friends with the other parents? Even parents with big families dont always spend the full break with family so may be in the same situation etc

Winter Wonderland, the DC will go to my aunts' sometime over the holidays, otherwise lots of lounging around in pyjamas.

If you are very busy beforehand, would that quieter period be a good time for the crisp winter walks and notice what nature is doing at this time of year, and winter crafts that generally are done during December? So maybe not focussing on Christmas (Santa, Elves, stockings etc), but winter like snowflakes, holly berries, pine cones etc? And there are still the 3 Magii to come on 6th January.

It could be a good time to bake cookies together, or do some cooking that DD is involved with.

Do the "carpet picnic" treat, of a picnic type dinner (sandwiches, sausage rolls etc) sitting on the floor and watching a movie.

Thanks everyone. My family have a caravan in Norfolk on the coast which we visit a lot so we may pop there for a few days and enjoy the coast.

She goes to a childminders and I don't see a lot of the parents so no chance to make friends there unfortunately.

Some great ideas here though, thank you all!

We have friends but I'm a hermit. We do all the cosy stuff, mostly loafing in front of the fire cuddling the dog, watching telly, reading, whatever.
Winter is for hibernating not socialising!

I’m the opposite in that I have lots of friends but no family really, other than the teen DCs. I find images of big family Christmases on TV and mates’ social media make me feel envious, and a bit sad about my own position so I think I know how you feel, sort of.

As it happens I don’t see much of my friends over the Christmas fortnight. I think that a lot of folk “hibernate” as a PP put it, or spend it with the “nuclear family” as another said. I don’t reckon that anyone over the age of 21 who has kids will be partying with their gang on 24th Dec. Or even heading to a restaurant or cinema for that matter. Maybe we had the odd play date with schoolfriends and their parents thinking back, but your child is too young for that currently.

I spread the events over the holiday so there are things to do. Panto, going to see lights, Christmas markets, museum & activities all booked for during the break. We're trying to squeeze in a little break to the seaside, staying at the premier Inn.

Does your little one go to nursery? Can you ask some of the kids if they want to meet in the park after Christmas for a run around for an hour? Good way to burn off energy in the fresh air.

Lots of baking, watching films, music on, I invite an elderly neighbour round for mince pies one afternoon. We do sparklers on New year's eve after dinner so that's a fun thing to do.

Join Bumble it can help to meet similar people, embrace family Christmas and get into family events, also if you are single join Facebook dating, safer and supportive.

When my DS was 2, I took him to see Father Christmas, we did Christmas arts and crafts (mainly messy handprints!), decorated a gingerbread house and I took him on Christmas light walks to see the lights. He also went to his first Christmas panto and we went to a soft play Christmas party.

I also held a "Christmas jumper party" for DS and a couple of his little friends (basically a glorified playdate). My son was also at a childminder at that age and I asked the childminder to give invitations to the parents for me as a way of getting their contact details (alfhough he's left now, we still meet those children at the playground for playdates sometimes).

Not just for Christmas, but I'd definitely try to get numbers for some other parents with similar age children so you can plan some meet-ups when you've got a free day and want company.

When I was single with an under 5 I made a big thing of Boxing Day that we spent alone. It was PJ’s for as long as you liked and chocolate for breakfast. My child played with their Christmas presents and still thinks they were the best days ever.

Depending on your budget, here are some of the things we will be doing (in addition to the watching tv, playing board games, playing with new toys, baking etc that we will do at home).

• pantomime
• national trust or similar tourist attractions etc Christmas trails / Christmas markets / Christmas lights / Winter walks (we will probably go to Hampton Court for example)
• Christmas lights drive (kids have a bath and put in PJs then we jump in the car after dark and go out spotting the best Christmas lights (bonus if the kids fall asleep and you can transfer to bed!)
• local railway does a “Santa train”
• normal tourist attraction places are often open eg we went to the zoo on New Year’s Day a few years ago which was great (and we saw Andy Day from CBeebies there - I was totally starstruck!)

We don't spend any of the Christmas period with friends, only with family. And we've never been into doing Christmas activities. We just travel to stay with extended family (usually 2 or 3 days with one side of the family, then same with the other side, or we host one lot and stay with the other). It's all eating, drinking, walks, games and stuff.

Ooh that's a long time to not work so I understand you feeling at a loose end.

It's just me and my DS every xmas since my last ltr ended 8yrs ago. My sister invited me to a pre Xmas party once - I went because I knew it would please her but frankly it was shit - 3hrs of talking to strangers is not my idea of fun!

I usually take Xmas eve and Xmas day off and then go back to work boxing day. When DS was a child I used to take boxing day off - I'd usually swap with a colleague who preferred new years day off.

I would look for something constructive to fill that time - some sort of arts and craft project you can do with dc? If you enjoy being in a caravan then definitely go for that (I would literally die of claustrophobia 😂)

OP you have to give parties to be invited to parties in a reciprocal way. Is it too late to arrange a pre Christmas Sunday teatime drinks with the parents of the childminders' children and the children of course (and invite the childminder).

My other suggestion, if appropriate, would be to join a church - wonderful way of getting to know local parents.

But for the fallow holiday days:
Panto
Film
Winter walk at the seaside - love someone's suggestion of fish and chips at the beach
Swimming - children love swimming pools, followed by hot chocolate
RHS Gardens with Christmas lights - tea there and a forage in the shop

It sounds like bliss to me op. But a caravan in Norfolk in December will be an ice box I'd have thought - better to book a b&b.