Alone For Christmas

gardenia101

barbarawright wrote: »

Why not come clean with your workmates and say that you want to have a really nice Christmassy do at work - everyone bring something in. Even if you can't all eat together, you can nip in and out. I bet you'll get offered the leftovers to take home :rotfl:

This is a great idea, as is taking a plate from work if work agree. Failing that you can always do a 1 pot roast in the slow cooker if you have one - everything cooks in the 1 pot so hardly any washing up, you can put it on before you leave for work quite safely & you'll come home to the most delicious smell & all you'll need to make is gravy

I love Xmas on my own (have evry other year alone as kids go to their Dads) - such a pleasure after all the usual rush. Wine, chocs, TV remote & PJs. Bliss :T

bagpussbear

This happened to me a few years back when I was a single parent, and my son had christmas at my ex-husbands place.

Basically my advice would be to make the christmas day/boxing day as full of stuff that you love. For me:

1) had a lovely lie in
2) cooked myself a lovely roast (but if you don't want to cook, have food that you love to eat in, regardless of traditionally festive or not.
3) got in my favourite wine and sherry
4) stocked up on snacks and chocs!
5) both some lovely bath stuff from Lush and had a soak in the morning
6) planned the tv viewing beforehand, and when there was nothing I fancied put my Father Ted videos on (always makes me laugh :-) )

Just do a bit of planning, and focus on making a brilliant couple of days for YOU, and you'll get through ok.

balletshoes

Faith177 wrote: »

Hi all

Just found out I'm going to be spending my first Christmas on my own and I'm gutted

How do others cope with this as I have no idea where to start?

At the moment I think I'm just going to work my shift come home turn off my phone and sleep.

nothing wrong with that at all - alternatively you could get in a whole load of bad-for-you-but-tastes-great food and drink, all the stuff you like, work your shift, come home, get your PJs on and sit in front of the TV watching crap festive TV and stuffing your face .

krlyr

Or maybe see if you can foster a doggy for the Christmas period! If you're going to be dogless yourself, you may be able to help out a desperate mutt who needs a break from kennels. You could be especially helpful to a rescue trying to place a dog in a dog-free home, there's a huge shortage because obviously many volunteers for rescue get into it because their own dog has created their passion for dogs and it makes for a lack of dog-free fosterers. Knowing that you'll get home to a rescue doggy in desperate need of lots of cuddles and a lovely Christmas Day walk (I did it with my Christmas fosterer and it was lovely to be out in the snow in absolute peace and quiet while everyone else was tucked indoors with family) may help salvage your Christmas break.

skipsmum

krlyr wrote: »

Or maybe see if you can foster a doggy for the Christmas period! If you're going to be dogless yourself, you may be able to help out a desperate mutt who needs a break from kennels. You could be especially helpful to a rescue trying to place a dog in a dog-free home, there's a huge shortage because obviously many volunteers for rescue get into it because their own dog has created their passion for dogs and it makes for a lack of dog-free fosterers. Knowing that you'll get home to a rescue doggy in desperate need of lots of cuddles and a lovely Christmas Day walk (I did it with my Christmas fosterer and it was lovely to be out in the snow in absolute peace and quiet while everyone else was tucked indoors with family) may help salvage your Christmas break.

What a lovely idea!

dogstarheaven

that sounds good about fostering a dog/or dog walking. unfortunately, any rescue places are out in the sticks, so i can't really get to them over the xmas period when the buses aren't running. maybe, i shall put a few adverts up and see what i can muster locally.

i'm too facing the prospect of being on my own for xmas due to family living too far away (2hr door-to-door via train and bus) and i have a cat to look after as well. no-one's willing enough to help me out by giving me a lift and back over the last 4 years that i haven't shared a xmas with them so i shan't bother mentioning the transport problem again. last year, had my then partner of 5yrs, but now i'm a singleton so am having to see what fate shall bring me..

ps. i've always worked on xmas eve you see, but this year i'm in a different job where i don't so going down there isn't a problem but coming back up on the 27th is a problem when i have no-one to look after my cat (i don't trust those electric feeders as i do have one and they're not so great on portion-control. also, wouldn't want to worry my cat for being absent for too long in case he might feel so upset and leave home for good!).

zaksmum

Can't you go to any other family members at all? Even if it means getting a cab? I do agree that Christmas is over hyped and the pressure's on everyone to make sure a good time is had by all...but even if you have to work in the daytime, you could pop around to someone in the family for Christmas tea?

Fire_Fox

Sounds like you are building your own barriers! Put your cat in cattery, I am or I'd be on my own for Xmas since I don't drive either. Not driving is a barrier I created for myself, so I feel I need to be flexible in other ways not expect my family to dance to my tune.

life_unexpected_2

I know your not going to be with your OH but it sounds like if you want to you can have a fun Christmas Day with your work friends and customers.

Could you and your OH not celebrate christmas together on another day. I do this with my son as he spends every Christmas with his dad, so the weekend before we have our own Christmas day and though after this I would rather spend Christmas day itself watching TV, walking my dogs and eating take away. I have to do the whole thing again as though DD dad wants her their in the morning to unwrap presents with his new partners daughter, they then bring her home as they don't want to take her with them when they go out for dinner.

I think as other have said its about getting your head around it and look at it from a glass half full prespective.

*Robin*

I've been wondering about xmas too.. Will probably get a choice of invites, but don't want to bring down the mood for everyone else when I'm likely to be feeling [STRIKE]carp[/STRIKE] introspective to say the least, remembering the lovely day DH and I had last year; all by ourselves for the first, and as it turned out, the last time.