Everyone looks forward to spending the holiday season with family members and loved ones. But for various reasons, people sometimes have or want to spend Christmas alone. On first thought, spending Christmas alone might seem like the saddest thing. But, if you are doing some or any of the activities we discuss below, your solo Christmas might actually be enjoyable.
1. Read a Book
If you are spending Christmas alone, you can dive into that book you’ve been too busy to read. With no one around, there would be no distractions, and you can savor the contents of the book as much as you want.
Reading a book/books can be your escape from feeling lonely. Throughout the time you spend reading, you are immersed into a new universe; you are surrounded by the characters or details of the book.
Of course, the book you choose to read does not necessarily have to be a novel. You could read a short story or any other genre that can bring joy to you.
2. Go for a Drive
Instead of remaining indoors, where the loneliness might be pretty intense, you could get in your car and drive around.
You could drive to any location you want and just enjoy the ambiance. You do not necessarily need to have a destination. Just drive around and stop at any place that interests you – like the local park or a store. Once you are done in that place, you can get in your car and drive elsewhere.
Then again, if there is a place you’ve always wanted to visit, this might be the time to check that place out.
Before you know it, Christmas day is over, and the time you spent driving around would have mitigated any feeling of aloneness.
3. Get Creative: Make Your Own Christmas Carols
Making your own Christmas carols is a fun way to spend your solo Christmas. You could spend some of that alone time composing and singing songs for Christmas.
You can sing as much as you want – no one will judge your lyrics or voice. You have all that time to enjoy yourself. But if you want to share the fun/funny moments with your family and friends, you can make a video of yourself singing and send it to them.
If you would rather not create your own carols, you could do some karaoke instead. You don’t even have to sing Christmas songs; you could just sing along to any of your favorite songs. Of course, you can also record this and share the video with your loved ones.
4. Invite Friends Over
If you have friends who also do not celebrate Christmas, and you know they will be around during the festive period, you could invite them over for dinner.
The dinner can be a sort of get-together where everyone reconnects and relaxes after the long, tedious months before the holidays.
The get-together must not necessarily be dinner in the actual sense. You and your friends can meet up in a bar and have some drinks together.
5. Volunteer
Volunteering is a noble way to spend Christmas; you get to help other people and bring the holiday cheer to them in the ways they need it.
There are many ways to volunteer during Christmas:
- You could visit care homes and spend some time with some older citizens. Some of them may not get anyone to visit them during Christmas. So, you could just be the person that warms their heart with a visit.
- You could feed some homeless people. They would love to be a part of the festive season, but some of them can barely afford their daily meals. So, by feeding them, you give them one less thing to feel sad about on Christmas day.
- If you would rather not do these acts of service in person, you could visit some stores and drop your donations there. Some stores have a list of families and people that can barely afford Christmas time stuff. You can reach such people/families through those stores.
- You could visit orphanages, spend time with the kids, and donate fun items to them. You could donate books, toys, and even foodstuff.
- You could offer virtual companionship to people who may need it.
- If you do not have much to spend on buying things for needy people, you could join an NGO as a volunteer. You could spend your time helping a cause that makes celebrating Christmas easier for other people.
If you are spending Christmas volunteering, there are many options available to you. A quick online search can reveal some of the choices you have.
6. Spend Some Time With Nature
You can have a merry Christmas alone by just spending some time outdoors. Instead of staying all cooped up at home for Christmas, you could go out and enjoy nature. Spending time with nature allows you to soak in the picturesque winter sky.
You could take a long walk or go biking through a local park while listening to a soothing playlist. You may also go for a run or just jog through the park.
You could also go hiking or take a walk on a woodland trail. You may also find a walking group and join them in their adventures.
If you can, you could spend your time outdoors drawing the beautiful sights of nature. Alternatively, you could write about what you enjoy out there.
On Christmas night and even on Christmas eve, you could go stargazing. You could stroll around the neighborhood and immerse yourself in your neighbors’ beautiful Christmas trees, Christmas lights, and other decorations.
7. Work Out
Working out on Christmas morning may not be the first thing that pops up in your mind when you imagine the Christmas spirit. But the endorphins released after a workout session can keep you in your best mood all day.
Gyms will most likely not be open during the Christmas period. So, if you intend to spend the day working out, make plans ahead.
8. Go See a Movie Alone
Theaters are typically open during Christmas. So, if you would love to spend the holiday season watching a movie, you could go there. If some friends are available, you may invite them to join you.
In place of visiting an indoor theater, you could check for drive-in theaters around. Spending Christmas at a drive-in theater may give you something different from your usual theater experience.
9. Binge-Watch Movies
Instead of going to the theater to see a movie, you can stay at home and have a movie marathon. With a movie binge, you have control over all you watch, and you can watch as many movies as you want.
It is pretty common for public visual entertainment platforms to flood their viewers with Christmas movies. But if you do not want that, you can select non-Christmas-themed movies for your marathon.
Of course, movies are not all you can entertain yourself with. You could spend Christmas binging a TV series you’ve been postponing for a long time.
10. Spend the Time Alone
Instead of worrying about where to go or what to do on Christmas day, you could spend that time enjoying the silence and repose of solitude.
You could just stay in your Christmas jammies all day and go about your daily routine. Have a lazy day. You could even stay undressed all day; it wouldn’t matter since no one else is around.
If you are doing this, you could spend the day listening to a playlist created especially for Christmas. It does not necessarily have to be carols – it could be anything that keeps you joyful.
11. Spend the Day Treating Yourself
Besides just spending Christmas alone and lazing about, you could make the day special for yourself. Prepare you favorite food, have a warm, luxurious bath, go out and get yourself a gift, and do those little things that make you feel special.
As part of your treat, you could bring the spa to your home and give yourself some facial treatments. Of course, to pull this off, you’ll have to prepare beforehand. So, get all the things you will need long before Christmas day.
Besides the facial treatments, you can spend the day waxing, trimming, and moisturizing the appropriate parts of your body.
12. Solve a Puzzle
If you do not have a movie binge, reading a book, or watching a TV series, you can spend Christmas alone solving various puzzles.
Puzzles are a great way to engage your mind and distract yourself from feeling alone. Of course, instead of doing the puzzle the only thing you do on Christmas day, you could make it one of many things you do.
13. Visit a Museum
If you can find an open museum around you and would enjoy immersing yourself in beautiful works of art and history, you could visit the museum.
It is highly unlikely that the museum would have many people in it during Christmas time. So, you will most likely savor the artistic works without interruption from other people.
If you cannot find any open museum, you may visit historical sites or any other tourist attraction in your area. But if you are willing to travel some distance, you may check neighboring regions for a museum or tourist attraction you can visit.
14. Cook Something Different
Instead of having your usual Christmas meals, you could so something different for the festive period this year.
There are many cuisines you can choose from around the globe: Indian, Chinese, Jewish, Turkish, or a vegan Christmas. You could try cooking something from any of those cuisines.
15. Have a Virtual Party
By throwing a virtual party, you can celebrate Christmas alone without really being alone. These days, there are many video conferencing platforms through which you can connect with your family and friends. These platforms allow all participants to share moments with each other even when they are miles away.
So, if you are up for it, you can get your family to join you on Google Meet, Zoom, Skype, or any other option that works for you.
16. Bake!
If baking wasn’t already one of your Christmas traditions, this Christmas day might be the time to include it in your Christmas routine.
You could spend the whole day baking all kinds of things. You could also spend the day adjusting your recipes to make them even better.
17. Craft the Day Away
You can spend the day crafting. If you are skilled at fabric craft, this might be your time to create. You could knit a new sweater or a blanket, quilt a tote bag or pouch, or you could sew a new shirt for yourself. You have the day to yourself, craft to your satisfaction.
You may also take the time to test your hands on some new type of craft. If you learned how to quilt a while back but haven’t really practiced, you could take the time to practice. The same thing applies to any craft you haven’t tried out as much as you should.
You could also try learning new techniques for the crafts you already know. You could watch a YouTube video to learn such a technique or read blogs.
18. Reignite Your Love for an Old Craft or Hobby
The holiday season might also be your time to reignite your interest in some old craft or hobby. If there’s something you used to enjoy doing when you were younger but haven’t had the same passion for a while, you may try doing it.
Your old hobby could be brewing coffee, sewing, or playing a musical instrument. Whatever it is, spending Christmas alone affords you enough time to try it out again.
19. Play Video Games
If you are a fan of video games, you can spend Christmas time playing as much as you want.
In many games, you have the choice to play in single-player mode or multiplayer mode. If you are okay playing alone all day, you can choose the single-player mode. But if you want to feel connected, the multiplayer mode may be the better option. Thankfully, there are online games that allow you to connect with and play against other players around the world.
In the end, besides keeping you happy, the games might actually help you make new friends.
20. Sign Up for a Christmas Shift
Working on Christmas day is surely not most people’s perfect way to spend Christmas. But if you are not really the Christmas type, you could spend the day earning some extra cash. Of course, this may only apply if your workplace allows for it.
For instance, if you work at a high street shop, food service place, or any place that provides service during the holidays, you might be able to work extra shifts on Christmas day. Sometimes, the pay for the holidays are much higher than usual.
If you are a remote worker or freelancer, you might also be able to immerse yourself in work instead of feeling alone all day on Christmas.
21. Go Skiing
It’s winter, and everywhere is probably covered in snow. So, you can go skiing if you want.
22. Adopt a Pet
Pets can be wonderful company when your family and friends are miles away. If adopting a pet was always on your mind, now could be a good time to do this! You can spend time getting to know your new buddy throughout the Christmas holiday. However, adopting a pet is a lifelong commitment, and you should not rush into making this decision. If you can not find a soulmate to adopt, wait until after Christmas. Sadly, this is when many pet owners give away their pets for adoption.
23. Clean Your Home
Your tight schedule may have been keeping you from cleaning your house thoroughly. You could take advantage of the holiday to clean the spaces you haven’t touched in a while.
You could spend the day vacuuming behind the furniture, scrubbing your bathroom, and cleaning the kitchen out. You could also get your clothes in order and rearrange your closet.
Cleaning your home is not only hygienic, but it could also improve your mood.
24. Try to Break a World Record
If there’s a world record out there you think you can break, you may spend Christmas trying to break it. You will have 24-48 hours all to yourself, and if this is enough time to break the record, go for it.
25. Sit Outside and Just Soak the Festive View In
If you are not in the mood to go anywhere but do not want to stay all cooped up indoors, you could sit outside your house and soak in the festive view.
This option is perfect if you have a porch and live in a warm climate. If you do not live in a warm climate and the weather is not extremely cold, you can wrap yourself in warm clothing.
You could just sit, enjoying the view from other houses around. You could also get a book to read while you enjoy the outdoor ambiance. If you prefer not to read, you could listen to a serene playlist while taking in the fresh air.
26. Do Some Street Photography
If the atmosphere in your neighborhood is so beautiful, you could go around taking pictures. You wouldn’t need a special camera for this as your smartphone should be good enough. But if you have a professional camera, the shots would be even better.
When you are done taking all the shots you want, you may share them on your social media accounts. You can send them to your family and friends.
You do not have to limit yourself to your neighborhood. You can go to other places around for your street photography session.
27. Have a Picnic
After baking and cooking all kinds of food for yourself on Christmas, instead of eating them indoors, you could take them outside for a picnic.
This picnic could be within your compound if there’s space in your front yard or backyard. You could go to a park or any other place where nature can be your backdrop.
28. Meditate
The alone time is perfect for meditation. You can leave your mind and body in a tranquil state for a few hours without anyone disturbing or distracting you.
29. Do Some Positive Introspection
If you are going to be alone on Christmas day, you could do some positive introspection. Look inwards and examine your own feelings towards yourself. Focus on how well you’ve treated yourself and how you can be kinder to yourself. Doing some of these can help boost your self-esteem and self-compassion. It can also make you happier overall.
30. Research a New Topic
If there’s a new topic that has left you curious for a while, you could spend the day researching and reading about it.
31. Make Your Own Decorations
Instead of buying readymade Christmas decorations, you could get yourself occupied making your own decorations. From paper ring chains to alternative Christmas trees, there are many Christmas decoration crafts you can keep yourself busy with.
32. Spend the Day Decorating Your House
Even if you will be alone on Christmas day, you can create a festive atmosphere for yourself. One way to do this is to decorate your house.
You can fill your outdoor space with icicle lights, C7, and C9 bulbs. Then you may fill your bedroom with fairy lights.
When used correctly, Christmas lights can be magical. They will not only make your home picturesque, but they can also improve your mood.
33. Start a Garden
You can seize the opportunity of the holiday to start a garden. You could plant some ornamental crops, or you could plant food crops – whatever works for you.
34. Write
If you are going to go outdoors on Christmas day, you are most likely going to come across various amusing scenarios. You could find inspiration in those scenarios and write short stories when you get back home.
You do not necessarily have to go out to find inspiration in the amusing occurrences outdoors. If you can write interesting pieces without external inspiration, do it.
If you own a blog, you could spend the day writing a new blog article.
If you are a video blogger, you could use the free time to come up with a script for your next video. You could even record the video if you have enough time.
35. Paint
You could spend your Christmas painting. You could stay indoors painting whatever you want. Alternatively, you could go outdoors – to a park, lake, or monumental site – and paint what you see in those places.
