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10 things to do on Christmas Day if you’re spending it solo

Illustration by TwylaMae

Words by Kaitlyn Wilson

Ridin’ solo.

Jingle bells, jingle bells, single all the way. Oh, Christmas. A time for joy, giving, and all of those cultural expectations around family and togetherness.

Admitting that you’re spending Christmas alone is often met with the same sympathetic sigh that occurs when you’re trying to convince someone that you’re genuinely happy being single.

Outrageous. How can one be happy alone, especially during the festive season? But honestly, a Christmas sans creepy uncles, intrusive nannas, casually racist relatives, and bratty children isn’t always half bad. And for one reason or another, there are a lot of people who spend the holidays alone every year. And that’s ok, even if it doesn’t feel like it at the time.

So, for all you travellers, uni students, hospo workers, or anyone else planning on spending Christmas Kevin McCallister style, we have some suggestions that may brighten your day.

1. Binge watch and binge eat

Let’s be real, the best part about Christmas is the food. So gather all your favourite snacks, switch on Netflix and gorge in the festive glory.

2. Read

When was the last time you dedicated an entire day to escaping with your favourite book? The best part is, there’ll be no one around to interrupt you or judge you for reading Harry Potter for the seventh time.

4. Start a DIY project

Admit it; there’s a Pinterest project that you’ve been putting off all year. Well, look who now has an entire day to kill. Bonus, this means you get to do a pre-Christmas trip to Ikea or Kmart for craft supplies.

5. Clean EVERYTHING

Cleaning can be very therapeutic, so if you’re feeling down, doing something productive will boost your mood. Also, you’ll enter the new year with a clean place, so that’s got to come with some good juju.

6. Go for a hike

Endorphins, fresh air, pretty views, and best of all the absence of all the regular walkers. Headphones on, world off. Sign us up.

7. Explore the empty streets

You’ll have your postcode all to yourself, so spend the day looking around the quiet streets. Get creative – photograph the empty cityscape, window shop or find new restaurants to try (when they’re open of course).

8. Meal prep for the week ahead

The week between Christmas and New Year’s Day is often spent consuming the leftover spoils of Christmas Day. This can mean staring your year with an epic food hangover. Prepare healthy food, which is also yummy, and you’ll start your year off feeling detoxed, healthy and energetic.

9. Cull your wardrobe and donate old clothes

The new year is a time for reinvention, and Christmas, a time for giving. So put on your sorting hat and say goodbye to your old clothes. This is not only therapeutic but means you can give others a gift this Christmas too.

10. Learn something new

Why not spend your day getting a jump on your New Year’s resolution? Want to learn a new language? Become a better cook? Or even take up knitting? Dedicate Christmas Day to learning the basics of something you’ve always wanted to be able to do.

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