Enjoy Christmas Day

1. While it may seem unusual to decorate when you re by yourself, it is a great way to get into the Christmas spirit and lift your own spirits. Choose your favorite decorations, or go out an purchase some new ones if you don t have any. If you enjoy making things, you can also make your own Christmas decorations for a special touch. Put up your tree, hang decorations around the house and string up a garland or two. Put some lights out the front that .....

Play Christmas music

2. Prepare a playlist of your favorite Christmas songs, or purchase prerecorded Christmas CDs. Keep the music playing on Christmas day to help you feel in the spirit. As an added bonus, you can sing as loudly as you want along with the carols and not feel embarrassed. .....

Send Christmas cards or Christmas emails out to as many people as you can

3. Send cards or email greetings to any family members, mothers father, sisters, brothers, cousins, aunts, uncles, cousins and nephews. Send them to your friends, send them to people you work with, send them to people who provide you services. Send as many as you can doing this will help you feel like you are sharing Christmas with others. Send the cards or greetings early and you will find that people send them back. Even though you are on your own .....

Buy yourself some gifts

4. It s normal to buy things for yourself all through the year, so it s just fine to treat yourself at Christmas too. The great thing about buying gifts for yourself is that you get exactly what you want in the color, shape and size you want. Wrap the gifts up using great Christmas paper and put them under the tree to open on Christmas morning. Even though you know what they are, it s still fun to have new special things on Christmas. .....

Plan a great Christmas meal

5. Since you are celebrating Christmas on your own, you can serve all your very own favorite foods. This might be as quirky as turkey and ice cream, as functional as pizza, or as traditional as what your Mother used to make when you were little. Anything that takes your fancy. Get your favorite foods, your favorite drinks, your favorite dessert and all the trimmings. Set the table up beautifully with a special tablecloth and candles to make it feel .....

Go to church if you normally do this

6. This will allow you to spend Christmas with others. Also it will mean that you will think more about the real meaning of Christmas and discover it is just as special whether you have hundreds of people to celebrate with or no one at all. If you are lonely, go to church services at three different churches on the day and see which is your best. .....

Get your favorite DVD of all time to watch or one you have been dying to see

7. Watch this as part of your Christmas Day celebrations. .....

Find an outing that you can go to that is open on Christmas day

8. Movies are often open and can be a way of being around others while enjoying a film. .....

Volunteer at a church or hospital or even a jail to help make other peoples Christmas special

9. This will allow you to be around others and to be helping. It s nigh on impossible to feel lonely when you re helping others and it can help put your own situation into perspective. .....

Plan a peaceful rendezvous with nature

10. Go for a walk or hike and be mindful of what you see and experience. How does the air feel? What birds do you notice? What sounds do you hear? Nature has a magical way of putting things into perspective. .....

Get festive

11. Create the atmosphere and mood by giving out Christmas cards to your friends, getting a tree (find a good place for it where it s not in the way too much) and have fun decorating it. .....

When it is Christmas eve lay out your stocking and dont go to bed too late

12. Feeling cranky and tired can wear you out quickly,and you certainly don t want that on Christmas day When it s morning, go into your living room and have fun opening the stocking Say thank you for everything, even if your parents insist they all came from Santa and enjoy them. .....

Enjoy the food

13. The classic roast dinner and Christmas pudding is fantastic,and even have crackers available Enjoy your delicious meal,as it is likely it took ages to make and prepare. .....

Presents

14. Give your presents one at a time, and see how pleased your family members are with them When you get yours,remember to say thank you for all of them, even ones you don t like them greatly (though you are most definitely going to get ones you love) Admire them and talk about them too. You ll feel really happy. .....

As it is Christmas you could take this opportunity to stay up late

15. Have fun and a very Merry Christmas. .....

Re evaluate your gift list

16. Make this the year you have that conversation with friends and relatives. Think about who you gift to, and why. Martin Lewis, the moneysaving expert wrote a great piece about this a few years ago. .....

Have a homemade Christmas

17. Tell your family and friends what you are doing. They might like to join you. .....

Have a swap evening with friends in the run up to Christmas

18. Ask everyone to have a sort out, and bring along anything they no longer want or need. You can then swap. This works really well with kids toys and books etc for stocking fillers. .....

Give your time

19. If you know people who have young kids, gift a baby sitting voucher if you have a friend who wants to learn to sew, or knit, offer to teach them in the New Year if you have an older relative with a large garden, gift them a couple of hours of gardening time. .....

Its all about warm feelings

20. You are creating memories for yourself and for those around you. Stay in the moment and don t dwell on past occasions, because this one coming up will be the best Christmas yet. I have said that every year. .....

Bake bustle and bedeck

21. it takes work, but like labor (as in childbirth) it s one of the times when your work really pays off big time. The point is that it is different, so let it be different. Fill the house with the smell of ginger, chocolate and cinnamon. Go out in the yard, cut holly and greens and drape them everywhere drapable. Put reindeer horns on the dog, mistletoe in the office break room, a big red bow on the mailbox, and definitely a big wreath on the fron .....

Spread good cheer

22. Many people do have a hard time with the holidays. If you don t, let your light shine on the corners of others darkness. When I hear someone say, I can t handle this, or I m overwhelmed, or There s too much to do and I m tired. Aren t you? I bellow out good and loud NOT ME. .....

Its only commercialized if you let it be

23. Everything in life is commercialized . Or not. My dear friend Ann McGlone told me years ago what fun she had figuring out the greatest vacation on the least amount of money. She was incredibly creative about it and I had the good fortune to do many events for charities with her, and I adopted her ways and applied them broadly. I recommend it. .....

Christmas works on any budget

24. Yes, it s hard if you re really facing a hardcandy Christmas, but it s at those times that we re often at our best. Stripped of our lucre power, we are left with us imperial, proud and true. In truth, the things you DO with people, and the way you ARE with people are the greatest gifts you can ever give, and they are increasingly rare. .....

The perfect gift

25. Giving of yourself. It requires no money whatsoever. What s demanding about going out and buying her a sapphire ring? On the other hand, would you take the time, effort, and empathy to create an occasion designed for her enjoyment, which for any man, woman or child would be a time of your unconditional, undivided, unadulterated attention? .....

Love yourself and love the season but focus on others

26. My many years raising funds for charities gave me a unique opportunity to see it s really true it s the giver who gets the gift.It is great fun to sit down and think about who really needs some help. Mita s husband is in Iraq. Babysit for her one Saturday so she can go shop for the kids and have lunch out with a friend. Give a Christmas party for the kids down at the shelter. (Tip Buy the very best candy, not the cheap bag stuff. The difference .....

Find the sacred moments and dont be afraid to cry

27. The joyous part we talk about, but when you sit down finally at the end of a long day in your rocker in front of the beautiful Christmas tree to rest for a moment and enjoy the beauty, and put on your Luciano Pavorotti video and listen to him sing that duet with his arm around that precious little boy who looks up at him as he hits the high notes, innocently and easily, as little boys do, and the tears well up as you remember such a little boy wh .....

Love the Scrooges

28. They are there and you will hear them. There are people for whom there s always something wrong with something, and this is just the next something. Same issue, new venue. Get your mantras ready. Here s one I use, with my big holiday smile That s okay. I ll enjoy it for you then, and get twice as much fun out of it As if it were a zerosum universe. .....

It isnt an intellectual debate

29. You ll hear it Should someone who isn t Christian celebrate Christmas? Should we also do Hanukkah? Have we materialized Christmas so it has lost its meaning? Will we offend someone? Is it a religious celebration or is it secular ?My answer to this is, I m at peace with my maker and my fellow man in my heart, I understand my way is not the only way, I see that nearly every culture celebrates something this time of year for a reason and why o .....