Spending Christmas alone for the first time

And just like that, we are in the thick of the festive season! I love this time of the year. People are usually very kind, giving, jolly and merry. The malls are buzzing with people shopping, dinning, chattering and going about their holiday business. There's so much color, light and beauty. I love it all!

Normally, around this time (mid-December) I'd be wrapping up at work and getting ready to take my leave and fly home. I'd spend about two weeks at home. My mom and I would drive to my grandparents' house for Christmas and we would spend a couple of days with my aunts and cousins. But this year things will be different...

I'll be spending Christmas by myself, for the first time ever. I have my reasons for this, one of them being the need to rest, like properly rest and recuperate. I love my family, and I love spending time with them. But the travelling, meeting this relative and that relative. Preparing this dish and that dish. It gets tiring. I get overwhelmed sometimes and feel the need to take a bit of time out by my own. 

Another reason I decided not to visit my parents this Christmas is that I want to start creating my own Christmas traditions over the holiday season. I have a beautiful home and I just want to enjoy it over the holidays for the first time since moving in here. I put up my very first Christmas tree today! How exciting! It needs a little bit of color but it will do for now. Take a looksie 😅:

I've also never been at church on Christmas Day. The church that my parents attend is usually closed on Christmas Day so I never got the opportunity to be at church. I'm very excited to be at church this Christmas! I cannot wait!!! I'll be serving on Christmas Eve and on Christmas Day.

Spending the holidays alone, especially Christmas Day, can be lonely and can lead to sadness and misery. That is why planning ahead is very important. You need a game plan!

A few tips to consider if you're planning on spending Christmas alone:

1. Plan ahead

From what you're doing on Christmas, what you're going to have for lunch on Christmas, who will you be spending the day with. Plan it all. Without a plan, you will feel lonely and sad. 

2. Decorate your home

Just because you'll be spending the day alone doesn't mean you need not put in the effort in making your home look and feel festive! Christmas deco will bring life to your home! Buy that Christmas tree, those Christmas lights and tinsels. Buy that wreath and go crazy!

3. Buy yourself a gift

Yes! Please gift yourself and wrap it up and put it under your Christmas tree. I've put together gift bags with all my gifts from me to me and I'm going to open them on Christmas Eve. I obviously know what's inside but I'm still so excited to open them up on Christmas Eve! 

4. Plan your Christmas lunch

If you'll be eating out, book ahead! Imagine how sad your Christmas would be if you didn't have a yummy lunch to devour on the day! If you'll be preparing the lunch by yourself, get all the ingredients you will need ahead of time. Most shops, if not all, do not open on Christmas day. Don't be caught unprepared. 

5. Invite friends over to your place or go to church or volunteer 

It's always nice to be surrounded by people, even if it's for a couple of hours. Think of something or someone or people that bring/s you joy, whether its volunteering at an old age home or soup kitchen, or volunteering at church, or having your friends over. Consider doing that very thing on Christmas, even if it's for a few hours. I'll be attending and volunteering at my local church on Christmas Eve and on Christmas Day! I'll then be spending the rest of the afternoon at home by myself binging on those Christmas movies we've all watched a 100 times!  

Most importantly, take time to reflect on who Jesus is and what He has done for you. We're celebrating his birth after all. Take time to relax and plan for the year ahead. And take some time to give - be a blessing to other people

Merry Christmas everybody! Be blessed and stay safe.

Grace