Do you ever find yourself alone on holidays?

Uptosnuff

Uptosnuff

Member
Location
Great Plains, USA
This last Christmas, for the first time in my life, I spent alone, if only for a short time. My husband was working and my adult daughter was at her boyfriend's. I didn't think it would bother me all that much, but was surprised by how much it did. I found myself getting more and more depressed until my daughter came back home. I come from a large extended family, but over the years we have really grown apart. Everyone has their own families now and their own traditions.

It made me think of all the people out there who don't have anyone to share with and what are my own future holidays going to look like?
 

I usually go every yr to see my brother&family at Thanksgiving for couple days but didn't last yr because of a sore knee.He was disappointed
I'll spend either Christmas Eve or Christmas afternoon with my close friends,rest of time I'm alone which I prefer
 
No, my daughter has taken over Christmas because the Grand kids like to be home playing with their new toys so we stay with them. Thanksgiving is my holiday but what does make me sad is that each year there are fewer and fewer around the table. We weren't a big family to begin with so anyone not present is very noticeable and adds some sadness to the day. The other holidays are up for grabs and usually we are not alone. If it works out that we are I don't stress over it.
 
I love living alone but I have to admit I miss spending Christmas with my family. All my family, siblings and children are now living in other countries. We keep in touch over the internet, but it's no substitute for actually being with them. Yes, I could spend Christmas with them, but I prefer to be in England at that time of the year.
 
Well, I will be having some family over for Thanksgiving. Same guests I have had in the past. Not sure what will happen for Christmas, I suppose my niece will invite me, but not sure if I want to travel if weather is not good. New Years eve and day I will have no problem staying home. That was our usual routine anyway.
 
I don't mind being alone on holidays.

If it bothered me I would invite someone in for a drink or a meal take them out for a meal, etc...

Sometimes we need to make an effort to change/improve our own lives and not depend on others to do it for us.

 
I've been alone on holidays, by choice, and it never bothered me. Being alone, and being lonely are two very different things.
When I feel the need for company or a little livelier setting, especially on the holidays, then I head over to my daughter's house (about a mile away) .... never a dull moment at their house with kids/dogs, etc.
 
Never have. My wife and I do not have an extended family, only our own kids and their families. We all live in southern New England and birthdays, graduations, marriages, etc., are shared by us all. It's unlikely that either either my wife or I (now in our 80's) will find ourselves alone, as our kids include us in all of the family events. Even now, when night time driving is not possible for us, they always arrange among themselves, to get "mom and dad" back home after dark or have us stay over for a couple of days at their homes.

We worked from the time the kids were born to form a closeknit family and evidently did some things right and now are enjoying the fruits of our labor.
 
I feel all alone on Christmas because I have seasonal depression. Christmas in our home while I was growing up, was the most joyous times of my life while living with Mom and Dad.

I have to go off by myself for about an hour and just meditate and think back of how it was back then. I even find myself talking to them. It’s a very sad day, but I have to put on a happy face, so I don’t ruin the day for my family. I think we have good Christmas’s now. At least, I never heard anyone complain.

We had some Christmas’s back in the day that would make a good holiday movie. I would put my trains up at Christmas time on their own platform. It would take me a couple of days to get it all set-up with all the scenery items. My Dad played with the trains as much or maybe more than I did. And, our cat loved to cause train derailments.
 
All holidays all the time. All my close relatives have passed and I only have a few cousins that don't speak to me. Usually doesn't bother me, but for some reason, Christmas 2017, I felt very melancholy.
 
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When I was younger and facing a solo holiday I would plan a trip ,to another area or even another country. It was interesting to see how others celebrated certain holidays.

I was visiting London on July 4th once and had fun explaining to a sort of dim person in our group why British banks were not closed on that day. She was absolutely certain they would be.
 
Only once. Christmas of 1971. Living alone in my 49 Pontiac hearse, parked behind a filling station with my hot plate plugged into the soda machine outlet so I could cook my oatmeal raisin Christmas supper. Was a mighty lonesome day. Later however, the Pontiac broke down and while at the junkyard hunting parts, I met the women of my dreams. 3 weeks later we wed. :D
Now, 47 years later, still together..... what can I say? Life has it's bumps, but, it still goes on.
 

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