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One Christmas alone doesn’t mean all Christmases will be alone. This year may be a quiet moment—that’s okay.

Spending Christmas alone is a lot more common than people realize.

​A Mission for Michael (AMFM) conducted a survey in December 2025, combining the results with US census data to estimate how many people will spend Christmas alone this year: 16.3 million.

But spending the holidays alone isn’t just an American phenomenon.

A study by the Policy Institute at King’s College London found that one in nine people in the UK will spend Christmas alone this year—that’s double the number of solitary Christmas celebrations from 1969.

No, this isn’t just more fodder about the loneliness epidemic that everyone’s going on about. According to AMFM’s survey, 16% actually say they prefer to spend Christmas alone.

Unsurprisingly, however, they’re in the minority. Twenty-five percent say they feel lonely about spending Christmas alone; 22% say it makes them feel sad.

This is not a post to encourage you to spend the holidays alone (unless you want to). But against our own wishes, there are sometimes factors at play that prevent us from being with loved ones on the holidays.

Your friends and family may live far away, and the cost of travel just isn’t feasible this year. Maybe you have to work during Christmas and can’t make it to your family’s festivities. Or perhaps you moved to a new city alone or you’re otherwise going through a phase in your life where your social circle is small. It happens.

If you’re spending the holidays alone this year, know that this is not your fate. Life will continue, and you will celebrate with loved ones again.

In the meantime, though, you can still bring some holiday cheer to your own loner Christmas.

As I like to call it, here’s a guide to A Merry Loner’s Christmas:

THE SHORTLIST: 11 things to do on Christmas alone

1. ​Don’t treat it like a regular day (because it’s not)
2. ​Get dressed up (even if you’re staying at home)
3. ​Stay off social media (it’ll make you feel better, I promise)
4. ​Leave the house at least once (even if it’s just for a walk)
5. ​Treat yourself to a special meal—homecooked or in a restaurant
6. ​Bake something festive: gingerbread cookies, bread, cake
7. ​Watch a Christmas movie—but don’t spend the whole day in front of the screen
8. ​Volunteer—it’s a great way to remember you’re not the only one spending the holidays alone
9. ​Write Christmas or New Year’s letters to put in the mail tomorrow
10. ​Go to a local event (markets, festivals, light displays)
11. ​Consider going to church (even if you’re not religious, you might enjoy the sense of community)

PLUS:

Even the most independent, confident, and self-possessed of us probably don’t want to spend Christmas alone. I’m not advocating for a solitary holiday season—but sometimes, it happens and you need to make the most of it.

If you need some moral support, here are six tips on getting through the holidays alone if you're feeling lonely.

AND:

Christmas may be one of the loudest and most celebrated holidays, but it’s not the only time people find themselves sitting alone while others celebrate.

​Valentine’s Day is a particularly woeful occasion for those unattached. And New Year’s Eve brings a lot of pressure to kiss a certain someone at midnight.

Beyond the Christmas season, these strategies can help you learn how to enjoy holidays alone, all year round:

JUST FOR FUN: Where to spend Xmas alone

If you're spending Christmas alone this year, it doesn’t mean you need to coop up at home. Especially if you’re feeling a bit down and are worried about how to get through holidays alone, a change of scenery can be a cure-all. Here are ideas:

• ​If you want to travel far...​
• ​If you want to want to stay close to home...​
• ​If you want to travel alone but not feel alone...​

MORE ARTICLES ON THE LONER MINDSET

• ​How to Enjoy Your Own Company​
• ​How to Get Better at Doing Things Alone​
• ​Accepting Your Fate (Finding Acceptance Alone)​

Wishing you a very merry Christmas, holiday season, and new year—however, whenever, and wherever you may celebrate.

Cheers,

Merry

NOW GO ON YOUR MERRY WAY...

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