A space to learn how to enjoy your own company and make life less scary and more exciting.
🌻 How to Spend Christmas Alone
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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
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 aloneIf 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:
Psst—if you know someone (a co-worker, a distant family member, that kind bloke at the coffee shop you always exchange pleasantries with) who will be spending Christmas alone this year and seems to be putting on a brave face about it, send them this email.
Better yet, invite them over, if you can. If you can't, perhaps they can find some reassurance in these words.
MORE ARTICLES ON THE LONER MINDSET
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...👋 Questions? Comments? Salutations? I love to hear from you. Just hit REPLY and send me a note. 💌 Like these emails? Perhaps a friend would, too. Please FORWARD them this email. 🔔 Did someone forward you this email? Welcome to A Merry Loner, the blog that helps you learn to enjoy your own company. Sign up here to join the mailing list. |
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A space to learn how to enjoy your own company and make life less scary and more exciting.
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