Spending the holidays alone can be disappointing, but here are some things that you can do to cheer up should you find yourself in this position! There are many different ways of spending the holidays alone. You may be around other people or friends, but without the presence of a certain loved one or loved ones you may feel as though you’re alone. My mind goes to deployed military members or elderly people in retirement homes, and college students without money to return home or family members away on business trips. Please keep reading if you or someone in your family may be spending the holidays alone.
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Volunteer Your Time
If you’re spending the holidays alone, you can get your mind off of it by volunteering your time! Homeless shelters, nursing homes, hospitals, orphanages, and veteran homes are full of people just waiting to be loved and accepted. If you can drop in and spend the day with someone who needs a little Christmas cheer, you may find yourself rewarded beyond compare!
Skype in
So maybe you can’t be with your family in person on Christmas day, but there’s always the Internet! Skype into family dinner and make your annual jokes about Uncle Tom’s haircut. You may not be there in the flesh, but being there in spirit is better than sulking alone in your room!
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Have a Christmas Party
Grab a few co-workers, roommates, or friends nearby and throw an impromptu Christmas party! String up some lights, pop open some eggnog, and play Christmas music in the background. Just bringing together a few people who may be in the same situation you’re in might help you to feel less glum and more glee!
Do Something That Makes You Happy
So you’re alone on Christmas. It’s okay to feel sad, and to even be a little mad about it, but don’t spend the entire day in the dumps. After you’ve gotten past the initial pouting phase, decide to spend the rest of the day having fun for yourself. Curl up with some hot chocolate and watch some of your favorite movies, or spend the day doing online shopping! Choose something that makes you happy and don’t feel guilty about it!
Be a “Secret Santa”
Do you know a family who can’t afford much in the way of Christmas this year? Be a secret Santa for them! Buy and wrap a gift or two, make or buy a Christmas dinner, and deliver it all to their door. You can choose to be anonymous if you would like. You may even go as far as setting up Christmas decorations in their home if you can do so without breaking and entering.
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Involve Others around You
Remember you aren’t the first person to spend Christmas alone, and you won’t be the last! Do something to be nice for someone else if you can’t get into the spirit yourself. Bring hot cocoa to the doorman. Hand out Christmas candy to the kids in your apartment building. Offer to shovel snow for the elderly woman next door.
Celebrate Early or Late
Maybe you can’t be with your loved ones on Christmas day, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have Christmas anyway! Celebrate early or late! Have Christmas on New Year's or celebrate in October! Making the holidays happen however you need to will be more fun than you think and it will create some of the best memories.
Don’t Be a Scrooge
It’s easy to feel like sitting around and moping when you’re alone on Christmas, but stop throwing a pity party! Don’t be a scrooge to everyone who wishes you a Merry Christmas. Get into the holiday spirit and enjoy everyone else’s happiness!
Determine to Make the Best
No matter what your situation is, it’s up to you to get into the Christmas spirit. You have to determine to make the best out of everything. Spending the holiday alone can be depressing, or it can be a life experience that taught you something. It may turn out to be the best Christmas you ever had!
Spending Christmas alone isn’t really ideal, but if it happens to you, these tips can help you cope! Have you ever had to spend the holidays alone? I haven’t, but my husband has. So we have applied these tips in our own life, and they really work! What are your tips for dealing with spending the holidays alone?
