Alone this Christmas?

Christmas can be a lonely time of year if you are single, divorced, have empty nests, relocated, or may have lost loved ones or family and this is your first Christmas without them?


If this is you then stop! No feeling sorry for yourself, no tears, do something about it! It is good to see as many different people as you can if this is the case for your Christmas.

Try and organise some social events...

• Co-workers appreciate having someplace to go and gratefully call it my “Orphan Christmas.”
• Neighbors are glad to get out of the house. 
• Non-Christian friends have an excuse to party.

Redefining tradition

Tradition is important in defining ourselves and our values, but so is adapting as circumstances change, says Purdue University cultural anthropologist Andrew Buckser.

“Holiday rituals are really a kind of play, and everyone is always rewriting the script,” he says. “Each of us is our own character, and we each have something we want to say.”

Re-thinking expectations and letting go of the goal of a picture-perfect holiday can relieve the pressure on those who find themselves without family, says another expert, who specialises in family issues.

So if you are alone this Christmas, stay up beat - positive or contact Retrack so we can help!