How to make it Christmas-sy?

[RumNotRun]

I'm spending Christmas on my own this year for various unimportant reasons. I've done it before, although in previous years a platonic friend would come over after spending Christmas with his family, but that won't happen this year.

Anyway, other years it's been fine, I quite like being on my own but I do feel a bit deflated at points because it doesn't feel Christmassy. I think when I speak to my family and they're all festive and together is when it feels the worst.

I've been reading the Christmas threads and have already come up with a couple of ideas, but wondered what you would do to make things more festive? I live alone so not doing anything except a Christmas dinner means it just feels like any other day off. Thanks!

Start drinking at breakfast, go for a walk (booze laced coffee acceptable), is there a nice church service locally? Any volunteering? Doesn't have to take all day, just an hour or two. If not, chocolate whenever you fancy it, Christmas music/films, king's speech, online trivial pursuit after dinner

A Christmas movie marathon, finishing with your favourites.
Hot Choc
Mince Pies
Christmas playlist on
A nice walk
choose a book, a real good one you can get your teeth into and look forward to. I suggest I am Pilgrim or The Seven Sisters series! Amazing.

Have a good Christmas xx

Xmas movie marathon
Arts and crafts
Puzzles
Good book and hot drink
Drink baileys/ gin/ bucks fizz/ beer/ whatever lol
Watch xmas TV specials
Put on music
Go for a walk
Eat lots of nice food
Dress up nice and/or wear xmas stuff

How many days, will you have company on other day's?

Hmmm I wouldn't do Christmas movie marathon, most of them are about how Christmas is all about family etc, I think I'd end up in a puddle of tears.
Definitely nice breakfast followed by a lovely walk somewhere, if you are a swimmer maybe a cold dip somewhere there will probably be Christmas day dips/swims you can join.
Make yourself something luxurious for lunch with carols on
Nice book, fire, candles on
Non Christmas but feel good film - Red Turtle, Whale Rider, Queen of Katwe for example.
Bath - treat yourself to lots of lovely bath stuff for Christmas.

Is there a Christmas Day parkrun near you? You don't have to be a runner, many people walk it. People dress up and make it very festive. A bracing walk or run followed by your favourite breakfast and a whisky mac could be a nice start to the day.

Some great ideas here, thank you!

I will be on my own for the whole period as my other single friends travel home for Christmas, and my other friends are with their families. I don't mind being on my own, I just want to jazz the day up so it feels a bit special 😊

Maybe looking at somewhere to volunteer on Xmas eve? Near me the Salvation Army need people to deliver Christmas hampers for instance, that might make it feel special

Nine Lessons and Carols from King's College on Christmas Eve. And YouTube has lots of choral Carol services to watch/listen to while you're cooking and eating - I got through a few when I spent Christmas 2020 alone due to lockdown (which I quite enjoyed).

I know there's a couple of places near me that take Christmas lunch bookings for people on their own then they actually all eat together as a group.

That might be an idea to save cooking anything and spend some time out of the house. Even if you end up not particularly having much in common with anyone else there, it would just be a couple of hours of general chat over a meal.

I was alone by choice last year, I treated it as a ‘self care’ day.
I got up in the morning to some fancy coffee and a nice breakfast. I had croissants for the no cooking and dishes value but you could have whatever you like
I put a Christmas movie on and I opened some presents.
then I started on the chocolate tubs and some booze.
i had activities planned, I chose not to do most of them but I was happy they were there so I didn’t feel ‘stuck’
so go for a nice walk, I found what places nearby where still open too if I wanted to go out to them, take a bath with some more fancy elements to it, like a nice bathbomb or something, a book I was keen to read - all these things you can plan and prep for the day and that’s nice and makes you feel festive too.
I did do a really nice face mask I’d bought for myself and I painted my nails whilst drinking a glass of baileys and watching Christmas movies.
i had a lazy version of Christmas dinner
and then I had a big cheese board in the evening
i found it helped to have ideas ready of things I wanted to do, movies to watch tv programmes to binge places to walk, books to read, then I felt like I was picking from lots of lovely things rather than just trying to fill my time. I really enjoyed it in the end and a tiny part of me is a bit sad not to be doing the same this year.

Make something special like cinnamon buns for breakfast/brunch with Christmas music playing. They'll scent the house while they bake as well. You could order a mystery box of beauty products, craft kit or whatever you're into to open that morning and try out? Then you get that Christmas stocking feeling of opening it and looking through all the treats.

Volunteer somewhere?

For me it would be my favourite food off limits, lots of Christmas lights, some nice movies in the evening, hot long bath in the morning or evening, and not putting my expectations too high. We always try too hard during Christmas, aren't we. I know I am.

What is your absolute most favourite meal? If it isn't turkey with all the trimmings, maybe have that instead.

Do you have a neighbour who might also be on their own on Christmas Day? You could team up, either for dinner or for a cup of coffee and mince pies in the morning, or tea and cake in the afternoon.

Are there any Christmas Morning gatherings near you that are interesting to you? The main types that come to me are:
Church services (your own or another faith)
Swim
Run

I would definitely think about what treats are special for you to enjoy - a nice dinner (probably either one that you will enjoy taking time to cook, or that is super easy to do, my money would be on spending time doing something special). But also a lovely breakfast (fresh coffee in a cafetiere, freshly baked pastry, and nice yoghurt - or a full on smoked salmon on a bagel with poached egg and hollandaise sauce....) and lots of lovely snacks to pick at.

If you do drink alcohol, it is worth having a buck's fizz for breakfast on 25th (just get a bottle of bubbles that holds 1 glass unless you want more later, then get a larger size), and a bottle of something really special to enjoy sipping throughout the day or that would go really well with your dinner?

A larger dinner could be fine if it is the kind that you will have leftovers to use in something else - I am quite happy to make a proper roast for 1 as I will only do enough potatoes and veg for that meal, but I have loads of uses for leftover meat, both hot and cold. And I can freeze leftover meat as well to use another time. I often make soup with leftover veggies, or homefries with roast potatoes, or a bubble and squeak type dish or top a shepherd's/chicken & mushroom/smoked fish & brocolli type pie with mash etc.

I love to read but don't get a lot of time, so often have a new book and a stack of books I haven't got to yet for Christmas. And a new puzzle book (sudokus, wordsearches, logic problems, crosswords etc). Sometimes I have a good magazine to flick through (women's interests ones like Good Housekeeping, Good Food etc, but it could also be one on sailing, computers, current affairs, crafts, ....just whatever looks good in the shop when I am looking).

If all your friends with families are around, can you organise a gathering involving them - maybe making decorations or decorating cookies before Christmas, or just games and nibbles one of the quieter days afterwards - where you are making it about the DCs getting together and doing something, which allows the adults some quiet relaxed time to catch up with each other. Maybe outdoor games and a winter picnic in the park (sausage rolls and cookies to eat, and hot choc from flasks perhaps) if you can't accomodate in your house?

Set up a playlist of music that you will enjoy, and of things to stream or watch that you can just turn on and relax with. Have a lovely candle with a fragrance that you like to light.

And if the time that makes you less happy to be alone is talking to family all together, can you organise to do that at a different time - before they are all together (and spreads it out a bit too), or just before you yourself go out to do the Santa Run locally, that kind of thing? Maybe save something that you know they will also be having or something you are looking forward to enjoying, ready to eat/drink/listen to etc, straight after the call? Or do it just before you get stuck into preparing food so that you will be busy (and can take it out on peeling the poor carrots or blame the strong onions for any tears if you need to)?

Our local village opens up the church hall and does Xmas dinner for people who will be on their own at Xmas. Maybe you could volunteer to help at something like that for a couple of hours?

There is usually a lot of charities looking for help at Xmas. Or even your local hospital, they look for volunteers to help go around the wards with goodies esp children's wards.

Start drinking at breakfast…..

😂 🍷

I would treat myself to a fancy advent calender and open it all on Christmas day

I think this will definitely be part of my day 😉

Thanks again for the suggestions. I think I have enough suggestions for the whole time off work 😁

Eat and drink what you like

When did putting a hypen in words like Christmassy start? I would pronounced it as Christmas y (as in letter y)