How to spend Christmas alone – from someone who’s done it a lot

Since it was announced that London and south-east England will be placed under tier 4 restrictions, many people are suddenly faced with having to spend Christmas alone.

The new rules mean that people have to stay at home and no household mixing is allowed – even on Christmas.

The prospect of spending the holiday season without family is obviously not ideal, but one person has shared a few tips for making it through a solo Christmas Day.

Lucy Furneaux, who works with homeless charity Crisis, popped over to Twitter to share her advice as someone who has firsthand experience of spending the festive season by her lonesome. 

And it seems her advice caught on – the thread went immediately viral and at the time of writing has over 1,300 retweets and hundreds of likes.

So here’s her advice:

Her first tip: plan ahead. “Schedule your day well in advance and stick to the schedule,” she says. Also, make those Christmas plans super indulgent. A solo Christmas is all about self care.

“Do something novelty and fun you couldn’t do if you were spending it with family,” she continues. “Watch TV they can’t stand, drink things you’d get told off for, ruin your appetite by snacking on chocolate all day, play music that sparks joy for you but granny would hate.”

Furneaux also advises that you stay off social media on the day. “You’ll see happy families and people on holiday and if you’re not able to have that it can be sad, no matter how much you love those people,” she says.

Most importantly, you just have to “be your most extravagant self”.

Furneaux attests to the power of treating yourself, so if you’re spending Christmas by yourself this year, put on that bubble bath and eat as much as you want. You deserve it.

Finally, if you can spare the cash, make a donation. Christmas is a time for giving after all.

The idea of a solo Christmas might be tough to swallow, but these tips and tricks might make the day a little easier. At the very least, there are plenty of people in the exact same situation.

MORE: Tis the season: 5 ways you can give back this Christmas