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Wife died in April after a 3 1/2 battle with dementia and I'm the last man standing.
Of course, last Christmas I was alone too. Although she was physically here in the living room in a hospital bed, she was unable to talk, walk, use her hands; in fact she wasn't aware of anything.
I'll go to Mass on Christmas morning. That's the extent of my human contact except of course for contact with salespeople and clerks in grocery stores, etc. and MD appts.
Well I will have my dog. My dad lived with me and he passed last month. This will be my first Christmas without any family. I will visit my aunt and I have a friend or two that will stop by during the holidays.
Me, and I'm more than "okay" with it. That's the way I prefer it. After spending many years driving long distance and fighting DC Holiday traffic for the privilege of watching spoiled nieces and nephews shred mounds of wrapping paper in record time, I decided that I'm much happier staying home by myself. I've created a bit of a tradition for myself ... I buy new pajamas for Christmas Eve and put something in the crock pot all night to have for breakfast in the morning. Christmas morning, I work on a new puzzle, watch "Love Actually" and then a couple other movies (this year it will probably be "The Martian" and a TBD musical), then I make myself a nice dinner later in the evening (probably still in the new jammies, to be honest. LOL).
Me, and I'm more than "okay" with it. That's the way I prefer it. After spending many years driving long distance and fighting DC Holiday traffic for the privilege of watching spoiled nieces and nephews shred mounds of wrapping paper in record time, I decided that I'm much happier staying home by myself. I've created a bit of a tradition for myself ... I buy new pajamas for Christmas Eve and put something in the crock pot all night to have for breakfast in the morning. Christmas morning, I work on a new puzzle, watch "Love Actually" and then a couple other movies (this year it will probably be "The Martian" and a TBD musical), then I make myself a nice dinner later in the evening (probably still in the new jammies, to be honest. LOL).
That sounds really fun! I need to get a Christmas routine like that.
I'll be alone this Christmas. It has been the norm for the past five years. In years past I would spend it with extended family or friends but lately I prefer to spend this time alone.
I won't be totally alone as I will have a quick gift opening with my mom and brother and sister then off. My SO spends every holiday with his mentally ill mother and I'm a widow. I also dog sit so I need to go home and do that. It is really better than the stressfull times I spent with my drunk alcoholic husband.
I won't be alone on Christmas Day but I will be, for the first time, on Christmas Eve, if I choose not to go to my friends' house. My husband is working out of state and won't have Christmas off, and I have two adult kids in Guam (sorry - not traveling that far!), one in Austin who's working Christmas Eve and driving up Christmas morning, and one who only lives an hour away but I'm going over there on Christmas and don't want to spend the night there Christmas Eve or make the drive twice.
So I have options, but I'm actually thinking that a quiet Christmas Eve alone at home might be fantastic. I don't think it will be depressing at all. I can turn on Christmas music, and drink a cup of eggnog by the fire and reminisce about all the beautiful Christmas Eves I've spent with my kids and parents and grandkids and cousins, etc through the years. Lots and lots of good memories and frankly, I don't replay them enough in my mind to "keep them fresh" in our busy, hectic world.
Christmas Day will explode with family - my daughter and her husband and four kids, my parents, and my son and his friend driving up from Austin. We're having a big "Looziana" spread - red beans and rice, cornbread, bread pudding, lots of iced tea. That day should be rambunctious, fun, and loud. So I'm really looking forward to that quiet, lonely-in-a-good-way Christmas Eve.
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