Things to do When You’re Alone for Christmas

Home alone this Christmas? Don’t worry, you can still make it worth your while.

Waking up alone on Christmas morning can be extremely lonely. Since our early days, most of us have associated Christmas with festivities and the warmth of our family members.But due to some circumstances, we may be sometimes forced to spend the cheery holiday alone and away from our loved ones. A study predicts that this Christmas, one in five adults will spend it alone or with one other person only. This means that the holiday season might be lonely for a lot of us.

While each person’s definition for happiness greatly varies, there are a few things that can somehow lift your Christmas spirit and make that special day not so lonely anymore. Here are a few things you can do on your slow Christmas day.

• Movie Marathon
• Volunteer!
• Get a li’l random
• Treat yo’ self
• SLEEP

Movie Marathon

Most Oscar-worthy movies have been waiting to be released around this time of the year. What can be cozier than popcorn or microwaved food while sitting in the couch in your pajamas binge-watching some Netflix on your television? No more hectic preparation and cooking. You can catch up on the tv shows that you’ve been missing the last few months or get yourself some new Netflix originals. You can also take a walk to the nearest theatre and see the new Star Wars movies that you’ve been waiting for all year.

You can choose from Christmas classics, comedies, romance and other light-hearted movies if you’re feeling a little down. But for some people, a little action from thrillers, horror films or action-packed superhero films may do the trick.

To make sure you will not be wasting your time on new movies or tv shows, you can view their official trailers on YouTube or check their ratings. You can check out any movie or tv show’s ratings at Rotten Tomatoes or by simply googling it and referring to its IMDB and Metacritic scores. There are a lot of good movies out there that  you haven’t watched yet, and the ones you choose will surely set your mood this Christmas eve.

Give Love and Volunteer

There is no other season that’s more giving than Christmas. This is the time of year where people should celebrate their love and not only limited to family and friends. Reaching out to those in need on Christmas can be very rewarding and helpful. So, if you find yourself alone on Christmas with nothing to do, why not share your joys with other people and volunteer?

You can participate by volunteering in giving away food, clothes and other stuff to the homeless by simply Googling “volunteer” plus the name of your town or area. This will show results of local homeless shelters, feeding programs and other activities which you may join in on Christmas day.

If there is none yet, you may go the extra mile and help organize one days or weeks before Christmas. There is no better way to spend Christmas than giving back to the community.

Be Random

If you find yourself all alone and bored on Christmas day, the best way to battle this is to get random. Try doing things on top of your head that has with no particular intention. Sometimes, it is through this that you will find things worth doing. So if you have no particular movie you’d like to watch, here is a list of a few random things you can try:

• Visit weird websites that you’ve never visited before
• Feast on a four-course meal of your favorite dishes
• Do some arts and crafts – crochet or scrapbook your way till morning
• Rebuild all your childhood Lego sets or buy some new ones
• Clean up your place while listening to Beethoven
• Do a holiday photoshoot with a pet
• Have some take-out Chinese food

The key to getting random is by not questioning the whys and just doing stuff. It gives a special kind of peace of mind and helps you remind yourself this Christmas that you are your own gift.

Treat Yourself

If you’ve been stressed the whole year round, this holiday season might be the best time to unwind and treat yourself, especially if you’re alone and do not have to deal with the workload of buying gifts, cooking special meals, and tending to visitors all day.

If you always wanted a massage or a facial but haven’t found the time and money to do so, now is a good time to treat yourself to a spa. Or if you have wanted to shop some new clothes or toys, consider them as gifts to yourself. If you do not wish to spend cash, you can light a few candles by the bathtub and put on soothing music. Rub on your favorite oils and free yourself of all worries.

Also, if you do not want to leave, you can go online and buy that thing you’ve been saving up for all year. Shopping releases dopamine, the chemical responsible for feeling pleasure in the human brain.

Go to Sleep

If you’ve been working hard whole year, why not use the holidays to catch some sleep? If you’ve got no one coming over and you think you won’t miss much, it would be nice to put on some music and hit the sack.