What to do on Christmas day when there’s only one of you

It is forty years after we were told “All you need is love”.  The law of unintended consequences means that more of us than ever before are on our own at Christmas.  Sometimes this is because we have no close family. Sometimes it is that we cannot be with them, for whatever reason.  This year, as it happens, I’m one of them, because my family are away.

So what to do?  Not everyone likes the peace and quiet.  I suspect that it would be very easy to sit around and be miserable, feeling sorry for oneself!   That doesn’t sound like a lot of fun.  Just because we’re on our own, why shouldn’t we make a little effort for ourselves? 

I have a plastic Christmas tree which lives in the loft most of the year, and a few decorations for it and some fairy lights.  I got this down last weekend, and I will put it up on Christmas Eve.  I find that, if we don’t do this, it feels as if Christmas never comes and that’s rather depressing.  Most of us grew up having family Christmases, after all!  Our “inner man” expects to have Christmas, and gets all unhappy if it never comes.  So while I shall not go to town, the Christmas tree will go up, and will remain up until the end of the Christmas holidays.

The Christmas cards that I have received I shall place on the top of my bookshelf in my sitting room.  That’s about all the decoration I will do, but it will be enough for one.  I’m not going to wear myself out; but I do mean to do something.

I’ve ordered a few books from Amazon in the last week.   But I have left them in their packing.  These will go under the tree, and I shall open them on Christmas morning at one hour intervals. 

I’ve also got in some food for a Christmas lunch, suitably scaled for one.  I’ve always wanted to buy a whole Edam cheese, in its red wax covering; this evening I did so, and it will appear on my table on Christmas day.  I shall have some nuts and chocolate, I shall read the books, and I will watch the TV, at least as far as good taste allows.  And I shall celebrate the good season!

There may be snow outside, there may be only us indoors, but we can lift a glass to the spirit of Christmas.  I think that I might even read A Christmas Carol again!

Many good wishes to everyone reading at Christmas!

(Normal blogging will resume before Christmas, but I wanted to get this in now!)