Top Tips for a Perfect Single Parent Christmas Day!
Whether it is the first Christmas that you are going it alone, or whether it is your tenth, here are some top tips for making it the best Christmas ever!
- First and foremost, DO NOT believe that everyone else in the world is enjoying a cosy family Christmas around a log fire. They aren’t.
- This is the year to create new family traditions with your children. Get creative, make or choose new decorations and then have fun together decking the tree.
- Go out with the children and get holly and ivy. Frame your photos or doorframes. Make the house look magical.
- On Christmas morning have a small treat just for you, next to your bed to wake up to.
- Open the stockings all together snuggled on your bed.
- Put on Christmas music and dance around the bedroom in your pyjamas just celebrating the day.
- Treat yourself to your favourite breakfast – bacon & eggs, salmon & cream cheese bagels, pancakes.
- You might consider going to your local church for the morning service. Sing along to all your favourite hymns.
- Consider inviting other single parent friends over for lunch. A family is what you make it.
- And last but not least; catch up with some Christmas films, curled up on the sofa with choccies and blankets until you all fall asleep :)
- If you need a bit of support or a boost in preparation for the day, chat to other parents on forums such as Mumsnet, DadInfo and The Parent Connection.
Tips from other single parents:
“I am going to eat chocolate on Christmas morning with my girls and then put the Mamma Mia CD on very loudly and dance around the Christmas tree.”
“Every year I allow C to open one present on Christmas Eve. We play board games too, all over the Christmas period. Even though there's just the two of us, I peel the vegs the night before, so I don't miss anything with him Christmas morning.”
“We camp out in the living room.”
“What we like to do on Christmas Day is wear our favourite clothes that we don't usually wear - you know, the little black dress that you love but never get the chance to wear, or the really hideous top that is at the back of the wardrobe, but you can't bear to throw away because, well just because!!”
“Christmas Eve they get new pjs to open, we watch Xmas films have some nice treats to eat, leave carrots for Rudolf we make 'Santa dust' to sprinkle before they go to bed. It's glitter, sugar whatever i've got. It helps Santa find his way to us. They each have a stocking they hang that at the end of their bed”
“Each year we buy or make a new tree decoration to add to it.”
“Food shopping I cover by saving all my clubcard points from Tesco and Sainsbury and using them towards that cost.”