Some of you are going to be facing your first holidays alone soon, and this is something I know how to do! Some hopefully useful tips:

1. Make a plan. Don't try to replicate what you'd do with family, but have an itinerary. You'll be amazed how much space is left in the day. Watch that four-hour film you've been putting off. Read that book. Think of the thing you never have time for.

2. Cooking is good. Cooking your traditional family meal is bad - you'll get the timings off, you'll make too much, and it won't be as good as you want. Make something exciting and even complicated, but that you don't associate with the holiday.

3. If your family custom is sweets/alcohol first thing in the morning, don't do that. You'll just end up maudlin. Runs/walks are great on holiday mornings, and you'll be astonished how many other people are outside.

4. Pace your socialising. Your impulse might be to spend the day on Zoom. Holidays are often long (especially that Christmas to New Year's stretch in the UK). Spread out conversations with family and friends over those days. Boxing Day is the boringest on your own.

5. It's okay to be sad or sorry for yourself, and it's okay to think of it as just another day and do some work. Do whatever you're comfortable with. But also think of it as a time to make new traditions that are based around what you really like.

6. It's absolutely cool to buy presents for yourself, if opening presents is part of your tradition. If you buy something now, you might still be surprised when you open it up! Likewise, buy yourself the nice food/wine/whatever if that's something that makes you happy.

7. New Year's on your own is utterly, utterly dull. I go to bed at 11:30 every year out of spite, and I've come to really enjoy it.

8. This year especially, your body might collapse. You've been holding so much stress for so long, and you'll find yourself in a weird vacuum of time, and everything will just catch up with you. It's okay. Take care of yourself. You'll make it through.

9. I've come to really like holidays on my own, my own bizarre and accidental traditions and structures. But I think structuring your day in advance really does help - it'll give you something to look forward to, and make you feel like you have agency. It'll be okay.