A woman hangs Christmas ornaments on a tree as she celebrates the holidays away from her family. (Photo : Getty Images/Joe Raedle)
Christmas time and New Year often means get together with family and friends. However, there are people who do not have a family or loved ones to spend the holidays with. In particular, overseas workers, divorced, estranged from family and widowed can find the festivities, which stretch from Thanksgiving to New Year, bleak and depressing.
For someone who is spending the holidays alone, December could feel like a very long month. But then, no one can stop Christmas or New Year from coming so the best way to deal with being solo during the festive time of the year is to be optimistic and celebrate in the best way one can.
A clinical psychologist at Nassau County Medical Center in East Meadow, N.Y. Jason Kornrich, PhD stated on WebMD, "This is the time of year when I see a lot of people who feel guilty or blame themselves if they're alone."
"They think there must be something wrong with them if they don't have a partner, or that they're being punished for things they've done in the past," Kornrich added. "Such dark thoughts can be avoided with a little planning."
Celebrating alone can be challenging but this can still be a joyful event if these tips are followed:
Decorate the home
Decorating without anybody else looks like a sad scenario but it is actually a good way to uplift that holiday spirit. Buy nice ornaments and fill the home with them. Aside from making the house beautiful, it can be a reminder that Christmas is around.
Greet everyone with cards or emails
Send cards or email to greet family and friends. This will reduce the loneliness since it can make the sender feel that he or she is sharing Christmas with others. Make sure to send the greetings early so people can reply back just in time for the occasion.
Prepare a good meal
A nice feast can still be served even if there is no one to share it with. This might even be better since the person's favorite dishes can be prepared. Set the table up for the occasion and make it more special by lighting up a candle during the meal.
Attend the mass or treat it as a day off
Spend Christmas and New Year with others by going to church. The festivities will also have its true meaning by hearing mass together with hundreds of people. Finally, Carmen Fishwick of The Guardian advised people to forget that it is Christmas Day altogether and do whatever they usually would on a day off.
