# Alone on christmas, what can I do besides mope? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 24, 2007, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alone-on-christmas-what-can-i-do-besides-mope/431151 "2007-12-24T19:34:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SweetHomeColorado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d26b3c/32.png) [@SweetHomeColorado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SweetHomeColorado)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alone-on-christmas-what-can-i-do-besides-mope/431151/1 "2007-12-24T19:34:31Z")
Im in college and I can’t make it the 5 hour drive to be with my family for christmas… this was all kind of sudden. Im already getting down on christmas eve because everyone left town and I’m left here. Southern ILlinois is a boring area as well. What can I do to keep busy and have a somewhat enjoyable holiday? ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alone-on-christmas-what-can-i-do-besides-mope/431151/2 "2007-12-24T19:42:13Z")
Hey, you’re in the same boat as I am! I’m just lounging around with a pile of books from the library and a bunch of downloaded TV shows and movies on my laptop. Maybe I’ll bake something tomorrow to keep myself busy. I suppose I’ll go to Mass tomorrow as well - I’m not a practicing Catholic anymore, but I do like going to Mass on Christmas. Too bad you’re not in Chicago - we could be bored together. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alone-on-christmas-what-can-i-do-besides-mope/431151/3 "2007-12-24T19:59:14Z")
Me too. I will be on-line tomorrow morning, then go have a nice lunch in a restaurant and see Sweeney Todd again, then walk around in the dark looking at people’s decorations. I will happen to stop at some houses of people I know (I saw your lights were on. Can I come in and warm up for a few minutes?). That should take care of dinner. The main thing is to so something to keep yourself from moping. ---
**Author:** ![Malodorous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47774/32.png) [@Malodorous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malodorous)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alone-on-christmas-what-can-i-do-besides-mope/431151/4 "2007-12-24T20:05:22Z")
**Annie-Xmas** is alone on Xmas? That’s truly depressing. Also it sort of sounds like the set-up to a Christmas Special (or at least it would if she wasn’t planning on spending the day seeing a movie about cannabilism). ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alone-on-christmas-what-can-i-do-besides-mope/431151/5 "2007-12-24T20:12:27Z")
Welcome to the Mopefest! I’m alone but it’s kind of by choice. I’ll brood a little bit (which can be kind introspective) But, [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com) never lets me down! 4 seasons of jeeves & Wooster, the Complete Blackadder, 2 Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes I didn’t own yet and a Stephen Potter book! I just opened the box at the office today. Yee-haw. I baked pumpkin pies last night, I have a rather sunstantial stock of booze and food. Aside from someone to share it with, what’s not to love? ---
**Author:** ![Tenebras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@Tenebras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tenebras)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alone-on-christmas-what-can-i-do-besides-mope/431151/6 "2007-12-24T20:18:57Z")
Do you have an oven? If you have an oven, I say: go out and buy pumpkin pie fixins, a big chunk of meat, some wine and some brandy and a carton of eggnog. Cook the pie tonight and go see Sweeny Todd tomorrow afternoon. Then throw the meat in the oven and drink wine. It doesn’t count as drinking alone if it’s the holidays. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![SweetHomeColorado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d26b3c/32.png) [@SweetHomeColorado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SweetHomeColorado)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alone-on-christmas-what-can-i-do-besides-mope/431151/7 "2007-12-24T20:19:59Z")
I’m really glad to know that I’m not alone on this one ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alone-on-christmas-what-can-i-do-besides-mope/431151/8 "2007-12-24T20:51:45Z")
You can do the Jewish tradition on Christmas day, go out for Chinese food and a movie. Most Chinese restaurants are open on Christmas, and they may be full of fun, revelling Jews. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alone-on-christmas-what-can-i-do-besides-mope/431151/9 "2007-12-24T20:54:14Z")
Another loner here – but I turn down invites from friends to go round to their places and share the day with their families, because I much prefer my own company today. I’m in luck, though. One of our free-to-air TV channels, because there’s no advertising allowed today, is screening back-to-back episodes of the Eccleston series of _Doctor Who_. Bliss! ETA: Today being Christmas Day for us in NZ, of course. My least favourite day of the year. ---
**Author:** ![GilaB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@GilaB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GilaB)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alone-on-christmas-what-can-i-do-besides-mope/431151/10 "2007-12-24T23:10:51Z")
Are there any charities in your neighborhood that serve meals on Christmas, like soup kitchens? If you’d like to get out and feel helpful, see if any of them need people to cook/serve/clean up - it’ll get you active and keep you from focusing on being alone over a holiday. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alone-on-christmas-what-can-i-do-besides-mope/431151/11 "2007-12-24T23:26:19Z")
I’m cooking my prime rib, dammit! Doesn’t matter that I’ll be the only one here; it’s my tradition. From past experience I’ll be _very_ sick of prime rib by the end of the week. (And then I have to cook my New Year’s traditional meal – which I’ll be sick of after a week.) Aside from that I’m making Glögg. Actually, I think I’ll make that tonight. Got some nog, got some cognac. I have loads of DVDs I can watch, and four Discworld books I haven’t gotten round to reading yet plus the book I’m reading now. So lots to do. ---
**Author:** ![SweetHomeColorado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d26b3c/32.png) [@SweetHomeColorado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SweetHomeColorado)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2007, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alone-on-christmas-what-can-i-do-besides-mope/431151/12 "2007-12-24T23:27:22Z")
[QUOTE=GilaB] Are there any charities in your neighborhood that serve meals on Christmas, like soup kitchens? If you’d like to get out and feel helpful, see if any of them need people to cook/serve/clean up - it’ll get you active and keep you from focusing on being alone over a holiday. [/QUOTE] I like that idea! ---
**Author:** ![False\_God](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ee7513/32.png) [@False\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/False_God)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2007, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alone-on-christmas-what-can-i-do-besides-mope/431151/13 "2007-12-25T01:17:35Z")
Get out and go do something. Trust me, moping only makes it worse. We’re on lockdown due to a specific threat against the compound so the Xmas festivities here in Afghanistan are somewhat subdued, but there’s a Lord of the Rings marathon planned and a flag football game later today. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2007, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alone-on-christmas-what-can-i-do-besides-mope/431151/14 "2007-12-25T01:21:53Z")
> [@Big Bad Voodoo Lou](#): > > You can do the Jewish tradition on Christmas day, go out for Chinese food and a movie. Most Chinese restaurants are open on Christmas, and they may be full of fun, revelling Jews. Yep, I’m in the process of looking for someone to have that very Jewish Christmas with tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2007, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alone-on-christmas-what-can-i-do-besides-mope/431151/15 "2007-12-25T02:06:05Z")
Drink. ---
**Author:** ![ThisSpaceForRent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisspaceforrent/32/345_2.png) [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2007, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alone-on-christmas-what-can-i-do-besides-mope/431151/16 "2007-12-25T03:59:31Z")
[QUOTE=treis] Drink. [/QUOTE] hic…hic…hic up… :smack: tsfr ---
**Author:** ![Annie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@Annie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2007, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alone-on-christmas-what-can-i-do-besides-mope/431151/17 "2007-12-25T04:12:20Z")
[QUOTE=False\_God] We’re on lockdown due to a specific threat against the compound so the Xmas festivities here in Afghanistan are somewhat subdued,… [/QUOTE] And I was grumpy because Futureshop ran out of the cheap HD DVD players on the website boxing day sale. Thanks for the perspective, dude(ette?) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2007, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alone-on-christmas-what-can-i-do-besides-mope/431151/18 "2007-12-25T05:23:44Z")
Just forget the cranberries so you have to run to the store at the last minute. ---
**Author:** ![GilaB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@GilaB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GilaB)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2007, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alone-on-christmas-what-can-i-do-besides-mope/431151/19 "2007-12-25T05:33:22Z")
[QUOTE=SweetHomeColorado] I like that idea! [/QUOTE] Glad to be of service! ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2007, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alone-on-christmas-what-can-i-do-besides-mope/431151/20 "2007-12-25T06:02:36Z")
[QUOTE=treis] Drink. [/QUOTE] And play with yourself. Frankly, that sound much better than visiting the inlaws. Wanna trade? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alone-on-christmas-what-can-i-do-besides-mope/431151.md?page=2)