Alternative Christmas day ..what would you like to do different

I chose to stay at home by myself for the first time ever. I didn’t want to travel 200 miles, as I have done for years, to be with my sons. They offered to come here instead, but we decided children should be in their own beds at Christmas, not in a hotel. (I haven’t got room for them.)

I was a bit nervous, because it was the first time in my 78 years I have spent Christmas without my family, but it was fine. Very peaceful! I actually wasn’t tired, a first for me atChristmas. We talked by phone and FaceTime.

They all descend tomorrow, so it won’t be peaceful for much longer.

I would like Christmas at Ramsey Street!

For practical reasons I rarely see my children on Christmas Day itself, but for the past 10 years have been to my younger sister about 10 miles away, who likes cooking (which I hate) and who would otherwise be alone. Unfortunately she does not like Turkey and experiments with alternatives ( goose this year) which just don’t do it for me. Also I would much prefer to do something useful like help with cooking the lunch for the homeless, or just stay home.
Ironically my other sister ( we are three widows/divorced and neither sister has children) loves the whole Christmas thing and used to join us, but lives a long way away, and is no longer able to travel, plus has also fallen out with first sister. She now sits home alone feeling sorry for herself, thinking we are having a great time without her and wanting a blow by blow account of what we had to eat, what presents we exchanged, how long I stayed, etc!

I wouldn't want or do anything different. We've had many warm Christmases in the Middle East when we lived there, and enjoyed them, but it's not the same as at home.

As for hot Christmases, no thanks! Dd spoke to an Aussie friend on Christmas Day - it was 38 deg! You can keep that, thanks - I had enough of Hot and Stinking Hot durimg our many Middle Eastern years.

After organising and doing all the cooking every Christmas for years when my husband retired we decided to take the caravan to Spain for the winter. On Christmas Day we took a picnic up the mountain and enjoyed the peaceful time. In the afternoon we phoned the family. My daughter in law said she prepared the turkey in the way I had showed her, put it in the oven on the automatic and forgot to switch it on! Now years later she hosts ten people on the day.

I had a nice quiet day with DGS, his Papa had to work and Maman had the dreaded lurgy so he came down first thing and opened his pressies Santa had left here. We played with the new games, I had forgotten how long Mousetrap takes to put together !!!!
He went upstairs when Papa came home then back down to watch Strictly and consume a huge pile of Lamb Chops with me.
Back upstairs to bed and Grandma put her feet up with a small Baileys.
A really lovely day.

Preserve me from hot Christmases. Nightmare! Everyone knows there should be snow, or at least frost, at Christmas. The mild temperatures this year even here in England have annoyed me.

I'd like to go away. Nothing fancy just a self catering cottage somewhere. Just need to persuade husband and son!!

Evianers those were the days ...

I would love to volunteer at a centre for the homeless but DH doesn’t ‘do’ being on his own OR, if it was all about me, i’d Sign into the World Peace Centre on the Holy Isle and meditate

When we lived in Exmouth we used to go to the sea front to watch the brave souls who'd go for a swim. Brhh! Then we'd queue for an ice cream and walk along the prom. Happy days.
Now I'm widowed and inland again so spend it at sister's and her family. Turkey and all the trimmings.
If I was catering for myself I'd cook salmon as I'm a real fish lover.

This year, being the first Christmas without my dear father, I booked my adult son and myself into a local hotel. The rest of my children celebrated together interstate but my son suffers from physical and mental illness and doesn't like to be away from home for too long. This way he could relax before we went to lunch, at the hotel eat what and as much as he liked, and then we had less than a 5 minute drive home. The cost for a stress free day was worth it, especially when he thanked me and said it was the best Christmas Day he could remember.. (I have now joined my other children for a belated Christmas).

I hate cooking.... but am surprisingly good at it and have cooked Christmas dinner for varying amounts of family for 46 years without a break....it’s never seemed stressful until this year ...when everything went ‘tits-up’. It all worked out in the end , but that stress is still lingering... my blood pressure is high ( despite the pills)...and my normal heart rate of 62 has gone up to 80 and refuses to come back down! I just wish that someone would invite me to Christmas dinner next year. The thought of doing it all over again is already starting to make me feel down!!!

B1zzle sorry to hear your loneliness, hugs to you.

Bizle: lots of towns now do Christmas lunch for people on their own. And no expense spared either....Maybe you could enquire now for next year? Get your name down.

I'd love to go away. Hoping our son follows through with gap year plan to teach English in China. We'd go there. Ideally would go somewhere warm short haul

For the first time in 40 years we were on our own on Christmas Day, DD and DS both going to their respective in-laws. We did our alternative Christmas taking jam sandwiches (posh strawberry and champagne jam) to our favourite seaside and then returning home late afternoon for lasagne in the evening. We really enjoyed doing something different.

I plan on going abroad for christmas next year with my two youngest sons who will be 16&21 by then,so its a more mature christmas now for them.

We usually go see other family and my grandchildren before christmas anyway as most of them live in another county. Id also like to help out at a homeless shelter or some such to give out lunches.maybe after we've been abroad as my youngest will be older then.

To everyone wanting to help Crisis or another homeless organisation at Christmas, but have OHs or family who want to see them on Xmas Day itself, the homeless organisations are usually overwhelmed by helpers on Christmas Day but they usually have vacancies before and after Christmas, also with setting up or closing down the centres. Still vacancies for helpers for the next few days if you look online.

For several years, my parents and I helped at lunch for the homeless at our local RC church on Christmas Day. It was good to help, and I was frankly horrified by the number of homeless or lonely people in our very middle class little town. Certainly put any of my own worries into perspective! ✅

Best alternative Christmas ever was eating ready roasted chicken and salad and a bottle of good red in the back of our campervan in Queenstown, NZ. Van doors open to let in the sunshine. In the morning we'd been up the mountain trying out the luge and later in the afternoon we went on a Lord of the Rings 4x4 safari. 12 years later we still talk about it.

Don't suppose it's that alternative - but I have cooked Christmas dinner for the last 45 years and this year I didn't - also I haven't been away from my home since I was 19 and this year I did - so it was an alternative for me

Sounds a Wonderful way to spend Christmas day

Years ago when I was just a slip of a girl, my then boyfriend and I would go youth hostelling in the lake district. One year, I climbed Hellvellyn on Xmas day. Can't sa8i enjoyed it overly much. Maybe that's why that relationship didn't last very long. I'm afraid I'm a bit of a traditionalist. I like being at home with my daughter's and grandchildren at Christmas.

Having thought about this, I now think a lovely alternative Christmas, would be if our family could all go to a certain hotel we like and have two days there, meeting up for meals but doing our own thing for the rest of the time.