So far, I have been making a big assumption that you will be surrounded by family and friends during the holiday season.
I was single and living alone for 7 years after my marriage ended, which meant that I often spent quite long periods alone over Christmas. Since I love my own company, this never posed any problems for me and I was always fortunate enough to have friends and family to spend Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's with. However, one Christmas, there was a particularly ill-timed flu epidemic and, by Christmas Day, everyone that I would usually eat Christmas lunch with was tucked up in bed, sniffing and shivering. All except me - I was fine.
If I had been less proud, I would have phoned a friend and got myself invited somewhere else for lunch, but I was a bit embarrassed that I suddenly had nowhere to go on Christmas Day and, feeling like Norma No-mates, I decided to spend Christmas Day by myself. To cut a long story short, I rather enjoyed it, but the most positive thing to come out of the day was the fact that I managed to rid myself of a longstanding fear of being alone at holiday times.
Anyhow, enough about me! What about you? Are you facing your first Christmas as a single? Is it the kids' turn to go to their Dad's for Christmas? Are you separated from your loved ones this Christmas? You probably already know all the old chestnuts such as 'Invite your elderly neighbours over for Christmas' or 'Help out one of the charities serving Christmas lunch to homeless people on Christmas Day'. In addition to these though, I would like to offer you the following ideas to help you make Christmas feel special this year:
1. Try to have something to look forward to every day of the holiday - something you really love to do but often don't have time for in your workaday life
2. Use the holiday to do something completely different - learn something new, give yourself a makeover or turn your home into a spa, so that you start the New Year looking and feeling fabulous
3. Do Christmas your own way. Use the opportunity to just please yourself for the whole of the holiday - do absolutely nothing that you don't want to do and include as many of the things that you DO want to do as possible - totally indulge yourself
4. Research a subject that fascinates you - go back to work an 'expert' (well maybe expert status is unlikely, but you could take several steps towards it)
5. Clear your clutter and start the New Year with a clean, clear, clutter-free space
6. Rent out all the funny films you can find and have an hilarious holiday
7. Aim to solve a problem you have been procrastinating over before the holiday is done
8. Plan a new life for 2006
9. Get a temporary job in a lively bar or restaurant for the holiday period - earn some extra money and be part of the festivities at the same time
10. Spend the time researching that business you've always wanted to start - the Internet never takes a holiday, so log on and find out how you could start a business on a budget, then, in the New Year, resolve to spend (at least) one evening each week working on your new business until it's up and running
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