The Lone Parent Christmas Support Thread, if you are lonely come and join us, if you are not... come and help :-)

[MeMySonAndI]

We are in the countdown to Christmas and I wonder how many of us will be on our own for the whole/part of the Christmas period.

Obviously, being away of the people we love in Christmas is enough to get down even the bravest of us, so, if you are starting to feel the Christmas blues, please come and join us, so we can go through this together. If you have gone trough this already and are in company this year, come and join us anyway. The idea is to try to go through this together.

Lets help each other not to feel alone this Christmas

Well I was really looking forward to a first row-free christmas and put up the tree on Nov 30th eve !
My mum will be coming over to stay which will be nice company.
But am feeling a bit sorry for myself in the run up to it because I can't go to any evening Christmas dos. Am also feeling really really knackered now and a bit close to tears.

BUT definitely still better than fretting about how awful xmas might be with x getting hammered by 2pm as many past xmases have been.

I think we should choose a top chef caterer for our Christmas party so who would everyone like to cook for us?

can we have Gordon Ramsey?

I'm sure he will appreciate our situation, as he may well be single parent soon enough!!!!!

PurpleOne, which part of London are you in?

Yeah. Lets bring Gordon Ramsey! Otherwise I may end up having mince pies until January.

Would you like anything in special? any vegetarian requests?

For those of you alone during the Christmas period, please don't stay alone, we can be together online ;)

I will need to pop out for Christmas eve but I'm sure I will be here on the 25th and New Years eve (and the days in between, I'm afraid...)

XP1 has decided i can have DS1 and DS2 here all day christmas day and he will have them Boxing day.
NYE will be dull as usual! Kids will probably stay up until midnight if they can keep their eyes open lol.

Pressies are all wrapped. Couple to still get.
Had to get as much as possible done because i am having my gall bladder out Tuesday.

TTSTBsolo, I'm in Ilford. Whereabouts are you?

I'm the other side of the bridge PO.

will be a quiet christmas here too. just me and ds 7 as I dont like to put myself on anyone. IYSWIM. he will have an amazing time and to me thats what counts.

usually dont do anything at all on new years eve but have been looking at maybe booking the snowman at the peacock theatre. all the tickets are half price.

I might be here to chat on Christmas eve, I will have the kids, but once they go to bed I will probably chat. First year I will be on my own once kids go to bed, last year exH came to stay and that was crap. My NM will not be staying, thought it was a bit too much as the kids will be in my bed in the morning.

I think Gordon should be shunned just now for pretending he is a family man whilst shagging someone else. had he never pushed the family angle to sell books and cookery programmes I would have more sympathy.

XH will be here xmas day & eve i'll be with DP the run up to then thou.

XH is going on xmas eve so my folks may walk over if not will be me myself & david tennant for Dr who don't really want to be on my own thou - would ask DP down but the trains are not running.

Roll on boxing day is what I say when i'll be celebrating properly with all of my family and DP.

Didn't that story about gordon turn out to be crap anyway?

I will be traveling to see my new DP on boxing day too. Booked a 4* hotel for 2 nights with my club card vouchers, better than being home without kids or squeezing into DP's single room in a shared house. I have kids during the day on the 27th even though exH is supposed to be having them, he is working and his GF (the OW) was going to babysit , I decided to have a treat day for the kids in the city where hotel and exh's work is anyway. Using the money I have been making on Ebay to have a really special day, before I hand them back . Sorry I want to end on a .

oh I'm glad to find this thread.

Sorted with exH the arrangements for the DS's over Christmas. Which, while I know make it perfectly fair (as we've agreed to do the reverse next year) means that I will be spending the late afternoon of Christmas day, until late Afternoon boxing day totally on my own.

I've never spent any of Christmas or Boxing Day totally on my own and am really dreading it .

goldFAQinsenceandmyrrh is there anyone you could meet up with at night or go visiting so you will not be alone? I am lucky the way my days work out that I won't be alone too much.

not really - my friends are all going to have their large - or in my BF's case very large - families with them for Christmas.

Just gatecrash then hide in the corner with a big glass of wine . I would say if you are going to be alone, try and put a positive spin on it, perhaps plan a decadent evening up to your ears in bubbles, chocs and wine.

oh I would be quite happy sat in a corner with a big glass of wine - as long as I have people around me - problem is I don't drink on my own now - not deliberate but since my "brandy" episode earlier this year I don't even seem to be able to enjoy just a small glass of wine if I'm on my own

(mind you put me in a room with at least one other person and 3 bottles and they'll be gone by midnight ).

Perhaps someone else will admitt they are going to be alone, or you might get an invite to someones if you are open about your arrangements and how you feel.

Dread to think what the "brandy" incident was , perhaps some ovaltine then for you. Perhaps you will join us all on here for a chat, on Christmas eve and Christmas day my kids will have to go to bed eventually so I will probably be on here for a chat and to compare notes . Mind you I might keep them up all night so whenthey go to dads they are to tired to bother opening his couple of presents , only joking.

not the brandy thing was just after exH and I split, was going through a (small) bottle a day - was just before I hit rock bottom and ended up in hospital for two day .

Aw babes I total understand that, I was starting to have too much of a relationship with whisky then cider, I still have few bottles of cider at the weekend but don't feel it is out of control now.

I suppose you know best yourself now when to avoid alcohol or when you are fine with it,

I've still got 1/3 of a box of white wine in the fridge from DS3's Christening last Sunday - brought it home saying I'd have a glass or two of it - haven't touched it.

I've had the odd glass of wine on my own since then, but just don't seem to enjoy it.

Like I said though - put me with someone else and I'll demolish a bottle (or 3) in an evening

I think that is a good thing that you can still enjoy a drink in company but aren't interested now when you are on your own. I never have company that much so drink while on here, that counts as comapny for me .

I am looking forward to christmas. Gulp.

I love christmas. I am going to friend's and her lovely family for xmas lunch. Hopefully play some games.

Going to have a champagne cocktail in the morning and am sneakily saving some of Ds's advent calendar chocolates so he can have three in one go. I am making him a stocking (he is 1yr) and one for myself too.

Am going to put full heating on in the house and light the (real) fire first thing -logs/sticks/coal etc. Put xmas carols on the speaker system.

have hot bath while ds has am nap. More champagne.

Laugh

Open Ds's pressies with him. Eat a box of sticky dates and ferrero rocher.

Just remember/imagine(?) that I am ok and erase any thoughts of h shagging his bangfriend in foreignland while his wife and baby Get On With Real Life in lil' ol' blighty.

ha ha.

I am defo up for a virtual MN xmas LP glass-raising ceremony...how about we all join this thread and raise a toast (tea/juice/bubbly/slippery nipple/whatever) at 11am?