? And a Happy Christmas to you too! Well I hope it will be but for some of us, who are single with family members in far-flung places, it can be a reminder that you are going to spend another Christmas at home alone; either attempting to cook (and eat?) a roast for a family of 5 in earnest or dining on a bowl of pasta and a glass of Moët ?… Woop!

I used to love our families Christmas traditions. We used to put the tree up and hang the decorations together as a family. Dad would string the ceiling from corner to corner and suspend all the Christmas cards that were sent from room to room. Back when cutting down forests for the good of Christmas was de rigueur and it’s impact on our overall survival wasn’t a consideration!

Now I know myself more, I took last week off work to give myself some down time before all the Christmas pressure hit. I spent a week deep cleaning my flat, managed to donate a bunch of stuff that no longer ‘sparked joy’ to charity, went on a couple of dreadful ‘Hinge’ dates and relaxed. I put up my tree, wrapped presents and generally did everything without rushing… Yes I am that annoying person who embraces the ‘season of smugness’ and has usually bought all my gifts by October 31st!

The night of the work’s Christmas party I was on the shots. One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, four! Wow I was drunk! I went home, took 1 paracetamol, a pint of water and went to bed. The next morning I had no hangover whatsoever! Amazing.

Not that everyone can just breeze through Christmas with gay abandon but what I realised is that Christmas is about being able to make your own rules and create your own traditions, whether you’re lucky enough to live the dream, stockings and all, with presents under the tree or whether you are single and spend it alone listening to George Michael’s ‘Last Christmas’ and wishing you had a +1 to share it with! (Side note… Don’t wave mistletoe in the face of a single person. It’s funny but a little irksome! ?)

I myself will be running a long bath first thing, while the roast is in the oven, lighting candles all round the house and making some Christmas wishes. Roll on 2020 and everything it has in-store for me… and breathe!

Image; Christmas Boxes Poundland £1, Gold Ribbon Primark £1, Crackers Sainsburys £3, Moet £35 (Everywhere!)