Anyone else spend all holidays alone?

[Anonymous]

My little family (me, DH, two kids) spend every holiday alone due to family distance and dysfunctional family (lots of estrangement issues on DH's side).

I find this time of year (November and December) to be the hardest months of the year to get through. All the family holidays, everyone has amazing plans with family, and we always spend all three holidays just the 4 of us.

What can I do to make holidays feel more festive and special, when it's always just the four of us? We already go all out on decorating and the food (we order nice holiday meals from a restaurant and do take-out) since I don't like to cook.

We are new to the area and don't have close friends yet that we could celebrate with. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

I can commiserate. I’m a single parent with no family at all close by. I also find this a hard time of the year. I used to dwell on it but now I just put my head down and go through it. My kids don’t seem to notice. It isn’t fun though.

[Anonymous]

Ask on your choice of social media if there are any other lonely onlies that want to do Thanksgiving at your house this year. If it works, you can build on that.

[Anonymous]

I’m an army brat who grew up with a family celebration of 4 my whole life. I don’t understand why you think that’s “all alone”? You have your family with you on the holiday and it’s a perfectly normal size!

[Anonymous]

Yes. Single parent. No fam nearby.

[Anonymous]

Take a trip somewhere? Warm and tropical?

[Anonymous]

Travel, do special things around town, make friends and invite them to join you. I only get sad when we spend the holidays sitting around on our devises not doing anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m an army brat who grew up with a family celebration of 4 my whole life. I don’t understand why you think that’s “all alone”? You have your family with you on the holiday and it’s a perfectly normal size!

+1 Change your perspective and make the best of it. You’re not alone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My little family (me, DH, two kids) spend every holiday alone due to family distance and dysfunctional family (lots of estrangement issues on DH's side).

I find this time of year (November and December) to be the hardest months of the year to get through. All the family holidays, everyone has amazing plans with family, and we always spend all three holidays just the 4 of us.

What can I do to make holidays feel more festive and special, when it's always just the four of us? We already go all out on decorating and the food (we order nice holiday meals from a restaurant and do take-out) since I don't like to cook.

We are new to the area and don't have close friends yet that we could celebrate with. Thanks!

I feel ya. It can be lonely but at least we have our nuclear families, which many people in this area who move here for great careers op don’t have. Do Not every spend every holiday alone but many since travel to either family costs thousands of dollars and tons of jet lag when there is only 2 weeks off school..

This area is actually amazing for fun things to do in the holiday season. There are also many family community service ops.

Just google fun things to do in DC area in holiday season and many activities come up. I can’t remember them all and have not tried them all yet but plan on doing so.

Holiday activities
White House Christmas tree that has tree from different t state every year
Ice skating in sculpture garden downtown
Drive through Winter lights in MD and Va
Beautiful Nativity crèches from around the world at Mormon Disney like temple off the beltway Connecticut exit
Bus or car tours of lighted monuments by night
Holiday concerts at National. Cathedral
Shows such as A Christmas Carol at historic Ford Theater

Service
Dec 25 Service project by JCCC (many people of different faiths help throw parties on Christmas Day at many different locations such as senior homes, hospitals, homeless shelters, domestic violence safe houses, drug rehabilitation hiuses etc)
Many more - just Google
National Catholic shrine Cathedral feeding the poor on. Christmas Day
Interfaith initiatives to help Afghan refugees arriving in our area by the hundreds

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m an army brat who grew up with a family celebration of 4 my whole life. I don’t understand why you think that’s “all alone”? You have your family with you on the holiday and it’s a perfectly normal size!

+1 Change your perspective and make the best of it. You’re not alone.

I get it OP, when I see those pix of big extended fam celebrations. But I wouldn't call nuclear family "alone."

[Anonymous]

Extended families can be a pain— cherish that you get to make your holidays your own

[Anonymous]

I feel you, OP. Same here. Yes, it could be worse, and it’s important to remember that, but at the same time, it’s still hard. My kids have this idea that it’s not really special unless there are lots of people and my DH thinks take out and restaurants are not “real” Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners, although he does not cook AT ALL.

He thinks you have to have a turkey plus lots of sides, so I find myself cooking a lot of food for 4 people, and it’s not worth the effort but otherwise everyone is disappointed. I am dreading this year. I said I’m not cooking but everyone is pretty bummed. I’d love to invite friends but everyone seems all set with their families already.

[Anonymous]

We’re spending Thanksgiving as just the family. Honestly, I welcome solo holidays because my family makes every holiday miserable. I would love to have idyllic holidays where we can sit around a fire and wear cozy sweaters and play Pictionary and be with family but it’s always screaming, put-downs and drama.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My little family (me, DH, two kids) spend every holiday alone due to family distance and dysfunctional family (lots of estrangement issues on DH's side).

I find this time of year (November and December) to be the hardest months of the year to get through. All the family holidays, everyone has amazing plans with family, and we always spend all three holidays just the 4 of us.

What can I do to make holidays feel more festive and special, when it's always just the four of us? We already go all out on decorating and the food (we order nice holiday meals from a restaurant and do take-out) since I don't like to cook.

We are new to the area and don't have close friends yet that we could celebrate with. Thanks!

I feel ya. It can be lonely but at least we have our nuclear families, which many people in this area who move here for great careers op don’t have. Do Not every spend every holiday alone but many since travel to either family costs thousands of dollars and tons of jet lag when there is only 2 weeks off school..

This area is actually amazing for fun things to do in the holiday season. There are also many family community service ops.

Just google fun things to do in DC area in holiday season and many activities come up. I can’t remember them all and have not tried them all yet but plan on doing so.

Holiday activities
White House Christmas tree that has tree from different t state every year
Ice skating in sculpture garden downtown
Drive through Winter lights in MD and Va
Beautiful Nativity crèches from around the world at Mormon Disney like temple off the beltway Connecticut exit
Bus or car tours of lighted monuments by night
Holiday concerts at National. Cathedral
Shows such as A Christmas Carol at historic Ford Theater

Service
Dec 25 Service project by JCCC (many people of different faiths help throw parties on Christmas Day at many different locations such as senior homes, hospitals, homeless shelters, domestic violence safe houses, drug rehabilitation hiuses etc)
Many more - just Google
National Catholic shrine Cathedral feeding the poor on. Christmas Day
Interfaith initiatives to help Afghan refugees arriving in our area by the hundreds

+1
Lots of fun things to do in this area.

PPs piling on OP - give her a break. She is new to area. It would be more helpful to actually suggest nice things she can do with her nuclear family such as list rather than judgy platitudes such as “You are not alone. Just make the most of it” this area is daunting at first but has so much to offer.

Nearby weekend trips - Also can take in live shows in New York for a weekend trip. Williamsburg in Virginia has wonderful Christmas decorations in historic town with many eighteenth century re-enactments of early American life. It is near Busch Gardens theme park.

[Anonymous]

Sometimes I wish we did!!!