Anyone else going to spending part (or all?) of Christmas Day and/or Boxing Day totally on their own?

[goldFAQinsenceandmyrrh]

exH and I have just agreed to Christmas arrangements. I'm having them Christmas Eve and Christmas day until about 4/5pm - when he'll come over, they can show him their presents and then will stay with him overnight, and he'll drop them off similar time on Boxing Day - so we'll have them for part of each day. I know it's a fair way to do it, but I'm really dreading Boxing Day morning (in particular) getting up to no kids wanting to play with their new toys.

It's going to be so bloody weird, I've never spent part of Christmas day or Boxing day without adult company - let alone been totally om my own.

much sympathy to you by next christmas i expect to have separated from dh and this has been weighing on my mind. by coincidence i've had conversations with a couple of divorced women recently about christmas and it is very hard when the ex has the kids... do you have any friends you could go and stay with? special "no kids" treats you could organise for yourself?

i hope someone with experience will be along in a minute to help.

good luck

korma - all my friends have family close by that they're going to have over - I'd rather feel like I was gate crashing on their Christmas if I called over

bossykate - I was thinking I could entertain myself in the evening by playing on the DS's main present - a Wii...........but I've realised that exH is buying them a game each for Christmas for it and so will probably have to let the Wii go with them for the night .

my dh is working but i will be with my baby, however if i wa on my own i would go to the theatre

faq - do you have other family members who you could visi o invite over?

Are you enar me? You could come over to us and entertain the MIL

"enar"??? I meant near obviously, its very hard to type properly with an 18kg Border Collie on your lap

I'm on my own for Christmas, dc are at their dad's Christmas eve until Boxing ay. I'm working night's Christmas Eve & Christmas Day so I'll be sleeping during the day.

So much sympathy to you and to bossykate.

I have no experience of this but am almost certain I would be beating a path to my sister's door, if at all possible. That or immerse myself in something I really loved but couldn't usually do with impunity- 24 hour mumsnetting or reading in the bath for hours on end.
The other thing I would consider doing is some kind of charity event like crisis at Christmas, though I've always imagined those to be during the day rather than the evening.

Only when in the shower

Seriously though FAQ, I can only imagine how hard it must be. I have a friend who is divorced and remarried. SHe has 2 boys from the first marriage and a 3rd boy from her current marriage. This year it is exh turn to have the 2 eldest and she is going with the 3rd an dh to SA to visit his family (Haen't done so since ds3 was born) so she won't see ds1 and ds2 for 10 days over christmas and she is in bits about it.

Hope you can find something nice to do either with friends or a lovely treat for yourself. Is there anything you can think of to work on during the day to really surprise the boys when they get home to keep you busy?

I ususally spend my childfree weekends MNing/doing other stuff that I can't do when they're around - I suppose I'll just have to treat it as any normal 24hr period with DC.

Brightwell gosh the whole Christmas eve/day/boxing day without them. Even if I was working nights (used to do nights myself not so long ago) not sure I would be able to cope with the whole period on my own.

After a hectic christmas day you may find (I hope) to be happy not to have to deal with 3 over-excited/over-tired boys to feed/bath/get to bed.

Tidy up, soak in the bath, open a bottle of wine and watch tv, sleep late (buy a couple of magazines or a book a couple of days before christmas), have breakfast/lunch in bed, go for a wlak, then prepare a nice carpet picnic for when the boys return with a dvd to watch together snuggled under a blanket.

I would have wine - except I don't drink on my own since my brandy thing earlier this year, it's not that I don't want a drink - I just don't enjoy it anymore (ok with company - can do 3 botttles with a friend ). Oh and have no DVD player lol.

not to mention that I think any suggestion of TV or anything other than playing their new Wii will be met with looks of absolute disgust .

Could you manage 2 glasses of wine on your own or would that be a slippery slope (if you don't mind me asking)? What would you enjoy if you had an evening/day to yourself?

no - I tried having a glass of wine the other night and I just didn't enjoy it at all. It's odd I never said to myself I wouldn't drink on my own after the brandy thing, I just haven't (or when I have tried really not enjoyed it - or even finished the first glass).

Give me company and a bottle (or 3 ) and I'm more than happy and can drink all night

I don't know what I'd like to do on my own, usually on my childfree weekends I either go shopping (lots of people around), or potter around whatever event our church has one (regular sales of various sorts - again just being "around" people), or I'll come on MN and chat to virtual people .

I don't have many friends, but I do like being around people (iykwim)

OK have a think, if you had to have a day all by yourself (not worrying about ds's or anyone else) what would you do with your time?

Wake up naturally, the joy of not being woken up by the alarm clock. Make myself breakfast in bed, leisurely bath, paint my toenails, get into clean pj's spend the day watching tv, dvd's & reading. Have something nice to eat M & S readymeal, a couple of glasses of wine, early night.