# So what do you do if you're alone Christmas day? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 13, 2011, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-do-if-youre-alone-christmas-day/605993 "2011-12-13T04:32:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2011, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-do-if-youre-alone-christmas-day/605993/41 "2011-12-14T00:06:00Z")
> [@Moonlitherial](#): > > Decide that the calendar is not going to rule your moods. You’re going to celebrate Christmas with your little girl on Dec 26th, so to YOU, Dec 25th is just Christmas eve. Spend it wrapping things or otherwise preparing for Christmas Day (which will be tomorrow). The last time my brother and his wife and two small children had Christmas at my parents’ house, we celebrated Christmas on the 23rd. Did the Christmas Eve Service on the 24th, and enjoyed the extra time before the presents had to be packed up to be driven back north. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2011, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-do-if-youre-alone-christmas-day/605993/42 "2011-12-14T00:21:09Z")
I completely understand how spending Christmas alone could be depressing. On the other hand, I’ve never spent Christmas alone and would try to treasure the experience. I enjoy being alone and, as a husband and father, rarely if ever am. I would go grocery shopping beforehand and plan a completely non-traditional meal that the rest of my family wouldn’t care for. For example, get all the ingredients to make a fancy beef vindaloo, with rice, vegetables, papadums, and samosas. Some of which can be purchased already made, and to cut corners even further Patak’s jarred sauce can be substituted. A good bottle of red wine and a half dozen premium beers and I’m on top of the world! ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2011, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-do-if-youre-alone-christmas-day/605993/43 "2011-12-14T01:26:58Z")
I’m single. I was raised Jewish but am a practicing Atheist. (I’ll get it right one of these days!) My sister’s birthday is December 25th, but we didn’t live in the same town for about 10 years. I’ve spent many a Christmas alone. I’ve just watched TV. Cleaned the house/caught up on chores. Taken a homeless guy I knew out for a picnic lunch. I hope you find something that works for you. -D/a ---
**Author:** ![shemarstan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aca169/32.png) [@shemarstan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shemarstan)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2011, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-do-if-youre-alone-christmas-day/605993/44 "2011-12-14T04:30:37Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Eat whatever you want. > > Buy yourself a christmas present like a new book or a new movie. > > Enjoy. > > I mean, seriously, there’s no reason to feel sorry for yourself. I think the media and our culture make such a big deal about being alone on Christmas that it really upsets people. But it’s just a day, and your family is coming right back, or you’ll see them the day after. Sleep late, do whatever you want, eat bad food, and enjoy it! I agree with this statement. We are made to feel less than if we do not have a house full of family and friends at Christmas…so much so that we make plans with family and then realise…we don’t really enjoy their company. That is why we don’t see them all year. We are just made to feel we HAVE to be with family at Christmas. Enjoy yourself and don’t let media expectations make you feel you are unworthy because you are alone on the 25th. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_I\_Am](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@Sam\_I\_Am](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_I_Am)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2011, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-do-if-youre-alone-christmas-day/605993/45 "2011-12-14T15:48:32Z")
Being in that hand’s-on phase of parenting a really little one, I can only dream of a day all to myself. I would spend the day in the studio making art, interspersed with playing some video games, and a nice snowy walk (one can hope!) then eat my favourite foods while watching a movie. ---
**Author:** ![Maiira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Maiira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maiira)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-do-if-youre-alone-christmas-day/605993/46 "2011-12-15T07:31:52Z")
I don’t get why people make such a big fuss over having big Christmas bashes with EVERYONE over to celebrate. Crowds of people exhaust me, and even though my family’s fairly small, I still wouldn’t want to hang out with all of them at once. I’ve never been alone on Christmas day, but I think it would be interesting. I’d probably cook something nice for myself–and bake, I love sweets–and maybe look up a recipe for a fun cocktail, buy the ingredients for it in advance, and make that. Then I’d spend my time watching TV in my PJ’s and dicking around on the internet. Or I’d buy myself some new books on my Kindle and read those. Even if you can’t go to the stores, you can still shop online. Honestly, I LOVE being alone, and Christmas would be a great excuse to throw my feet up and treat myself like a queen. ---
**Author:** ![monavis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e0b2c6/32.png) [@monavis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monavis)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-do-if-youre-alone-christmas-day/605993/47 "2011-12-15T13:01:21Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Due to scheduling, I’m evitably stuck at home alone on Christmas. I have my daughter the day before. The day after Christmas - Boxing Day to us - I pick her up and head off to my side of the family. But in between she’s not here, I have no relatives nearby and available, and going all the way to my parents’ and doubling back to get the Small One just isn’t logistically feasible. > > So I’ll have a nice Christmas… but it won’t be ON Christmas Day. It’ll be on the 24th and the 26th. > > What do people do in this situation? > > Note that I live just west of Toronto, if that matters. I spent Christmas day alone in 1950. I would not have had any food to eat, and I didn’t get any presents,but I was living in a shared apartment with an older couple who had a party the night before and she came in and told me to please eat up some of the leftovers, so I did have a feast!It was really the best Christmas I had,had. I had given my money that I had to a Boy who worked with me, he and his mother both worked there and needed money to pay for his hospital costs. We raised enough for them and they were so very grateful to everyone. I slept until 2 in the after noon and then read most of the rest of the day. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-do-if-youre-alone-christmas-day/605993/48 "2011-12-15T14:28:52Z")
Celebrate Christmas the way Jewish people do: a movie and Chinese food. ---
**Author:** ![codgerone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c37758/32.png) [@codgerone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/codgerone)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-do-if-youre-alone-christmas-day/605993/49 "2011-12-15T15:23:04Z")
I’ve always had family get togethers at christmas - there was no escaping it, you were expected to be there. One year I rebelled and rented a cottage down in Cornwall (UK) for 4 days, just me and my dog. Drove down christmas eve, well stocked up with food and good wine. Christmas day I went for a long wet and windy walk in the morning, lit the fire and cooked a simple roast chicken dinner. Opened a decent bottle of Merlot, shared christmas dinner with happy dog, watched TV for a bit, another shorter walk and settled down for the evening in front of a roaring log fire with more wine, a bit more food and some more TV time. Bliss! ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-do-if-youre-alone-christmas-day/605993/50 "2011-12-15T15:33:53Z")
Definitely get up at a normal time & go for a drive. It’s really kinda neat to drive around your town or city in the morning & be the only car out. Pretend like it’s after the Blue Death Virus world-wide pandemic or something. I agree with the folks who say the media makes way too big a deal out of it & causes a bunch of extra suicides each year. When I was a kid my Dad traveled for days at a time, so we’d have Christmas whichever day he got back. Occasionally it was the 25th, sometimes it was the 29th, etc. The date itself is meaningless. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-do-if-youre-alone-christmas-day/605993.md?page=2)