When the holiday season hits, being on your own can sometimes be hard to deal with. You're likely hearing about plans that others have or thinking about your own past holidays when things were different. Those memories are certainly bittersweet.
As with all things that are sometimes difficult to adjust to, spending a holiday on your own might have a lot to do with reframing the day. If you work, this means you can look forward to a peaceful day of rest. If you don't work, you can still spend the day on your own terms. When I think about spending a holiday on my own...this is what appeals to me.
Treat yourself as your own guest.
Get your house in shape in the days leading up to the holiday. Put special soaps and bath salts in your bathroom. Create a little coffee bar. Get the rooms that you spend the most time in ready as if you're hosting yourself. Maybe treat yourself to some flowers and put them in small arrangements in a few rooms. Buy a new set of PJs or leisurewear that you don't put on until that day. Get some frozen croissants that you can proof overnight and enjoy on the morning of the holiday with minimal work. Basically, create an environment that you want to wake up to on the morning of the holiday and can immediately enjoy.
You can also make some changes - or what I like to call "shop in your own house." I don't know what's been up with me lately, but I have felt the need to purge and make changes lately, which is something that doesn't usually happen until spring. I moved some things around and, inspired by a bar set up I saw in The Lost Kitchen, I made a bar out of a bookshelf I got at Goodwill years ago. I don't know if I'll keep it that way, but it provided me with a change that didn't cost me a dime!
Create a project ahead of time that you might work on that day.
If you're crafty, this might be a new knitting project or something along those lines. I am NOT a crafty person, but I love adult paint-by-numbers. The kits are inexpensive and I get so into them that time flies - it's almost meditative. There are some beautiful paintings to choose from.
Find a show or movie ahead of time.
If there's a show you've been wanting to binge or a movie that's streaming, DON'T WATCH IT UNTIL THE HOLIDAY! With this and the crafty project, it's all about anticipation. You'll wake up the morning of the holiday grateful that you have an entire day to spend as you wish.
Also, if there's something you'd like to see on a streaming service you don't have, go buy a gift certificate for that service. I did that for my parents so they would have Hulu for six months. They didn't have to enter a credit card number, just the gift card, so they knew it would stop at the six-month mark.
Cook yourself an amazing dinner.
For Thanksgiving, I've created a menu that's relatively simple and still gives you that Thanksgiving feeling.
Set a beautiful place setting - because you deserve it - and enjoy.