How to Survive a Solo Christmas, Spencer-style:
This year will be my 8th consecutive Solo Christmas. And my 2nd official Sober Christmas. Since 2017 I have ‘done’ Christmas by myself and, while I’m still figuring out a few things here and there, I have sort of found my groove, so to speak. For some of you (or perhaps people you know) this may well just be the first time you’re on your own for Christmas.
Those of you who know me in the ‘real world’ will probably know that since I became an official ‘grown-up’, Christmas Day is actually quite boring for me. Christmas Eve - I love it! I have thing I do almost every year (as in, I do it where I can), I virtually have the same routine every December 24th:
* Get up. * Panic because it’s Christmas Eve (there’s a story there. Maybe I’ll tell it one day). * Throw some clothes on. * Race to the shop. * Buy all the golden syrup/sugar/bicarbonate of soda/parchment paper… or all of the Crunchies (Daddy Spencer and I used to call them Fridays… iykyk…), digestive biscuits, and chocolate that I can physically carry/not get in trouble for in the shop. True story: I was once questioned at the till in Morrisons as to why I had so many bars of chocolate. * Get home as fast as I can and make my almost-annual Honeycomb fridge/tiffin/chocolate thing. I make as many batches of honeycomb as I can (I average around 3). * Dinner/supper is almost always cheese and crackers while I watch The Nightmare Before Christmas and then The Muppet Christmas Carol while I chop up and weigh my chocolatey creation and put it into as many small bags as I can fit it into, before popping the whole lot into a big bag to hand out to people at church Christmas morning - until it’s all gone.
And then comes Christmas Day… I really do find it all kind of boring. I don’t really know why, but, like I said, since official adulthood, I’m just not that into it. And don’t get me started on how much I loathe New Year’s Eve/Hogmanay…
Anyway, almost eight years of practice has meant that I have actually found a few ways to cope with the boredom of a solo Christmas. Please don’t misunderstand me, though. I actually quite like my own company - I always have. It’s not a bad feeling to be bored. Some folk just handle it better than others.
Here’s how to survive a Solo Christmas, Spencer-style!
1) Put up a tree. It doesn’t have to be a huge one. Mine is really quite small compared to some that you can get. Obviously, mine is a Rainbow Tree. If that’s all you have space for, that’s cool. I might put some wee lights up around the flat but it’s nothing massive or over the top. Just enough to brighten the place and chase away some of the Seasonal Affective Disorder/winter depression. The rest of my ‘decorations’ is a tiny soft/stuffed toy dinosaur with a Santa hat on, and the lovely cards that I get sent.
2) At some point in December, I highly recommend watching Scrooge (the 1970 musical version with Albert Finney) and eating cheese and crackers. In fact, throughout December, watch all the Christmas films you can. I also highly recommend Arthur Christmas (always the first one I watch), The Nightmare Before Christmas (even if it is a Halloween film, as confirmed by Danny Elfman), and Santa Claus: The Movie - the one with Dudley Moore as Patch the Elf in it. Hot chocolate suggested. With cream (vegan, in my case. Cream decided it hated me when I turned 40. Rude.)
3) Buy your favourite foods. I do love the festive foodstuffs. I even once ate a whole plate of Just Vegetables and Gravy for Christmas dinner one year. Do you fancy chicken nuggets? Get some chicken nuggets. If you wanna eat a whole cheeseboard or three between Christmas and New Year - do it!
4) Buy a whole dessert for Christmas Day supper. Again, if you want to eat the entire thing - go for it. It’s your Christmas! Enjoy as much of your pudding-supper as you want. Just don’t make yourself ill. It’s not actually worth it.
5) Make the most of the internet. I am usually found - at some point during Christmas Day - under a blanket, a tub of chocolates within very easy reach and a nice cup of tea while watching a variety of films on whatever streaming platform has what I want to watch. If you have a TV or a nice collection of DVDs and something to play them on, do that. If you have a Twitch account, I can guarantee someone somewhere will be live-streaming something on Christmas Day. I personally love the Art category on Twitch, but I do also enjoy watching someone yell at a game of something. You can just ‘lurk’ and watch, or (depending on the streamer’s settings) join in with the conversation in Chat.
6) Buy yourself presents - and wrap them. If you’re anything like me, once you can’t actually see it you’ll forget what it is anyway, so it’ll still be a nice surprise. I’m serious about this one. There’s something fun about unwrapping a gift, however ‘old’ you are. Treat yourself. It could be something you need (like slippers or maybe some cosy pyjamas) or just something nice that you fancy (like that book that just came out, or perhaps tickets for a day out somewhere). I often buy myself some new art supplies and maybe a book or something. You don’t have to go overboard spending money on things but do treat yourself to something nice. You deserve it.
7) Phone some people. Talk to *somebody* at least once on Christmas Day. Don’t feel like actually talking? A wee text or message will do. Connect with another human. Or several. If you have a working camera (I do not!) wear a festive jumper and a daft Christmas hat - heck, even a paper hat from a cracker will do. 8) You do not have to drink alcohol. You do NOT have to drink alcohol. Drinking alone can sometimes seem like a good idea, but, from experience, it usually isn’t. Especially if you didn’t plan to be alone. Alcohol is a depressant - and it can make things feel much worse. Also, waking up with a hangover is no fun at all. Be kind to yourself, and remember that I love you.
