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Solo Christmas on the cards? These songs and movies feel like company
Party of one ain't all that bad
It could be a loved one, the love of your life, or even someone you thought was going to nestle their way into one of those honours — absence, for better or worse, always gnaws harder than presence. If you've not been feeling the festive cheer, despite your feeds and streets overflowing with Christmas spirit, we have just the picks for you which will help you — not get into it, but maybe see the point of the bigger picture.
Melodies for your heart
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Judy Garland
A classic. But for those feeling limited by their headspace and feelings, this one is also a gentle acknowledgement that things are hard, paired with the quiet promise that warmth, connection and better days still exist. Always.
Blue Christmas by Elvis Presley
Another alt classic, but Blue Christmas' magic lies in the fact that it finds comfort in naming sadness plainly, reminding listeners their loneliness is shared, familiar, and part of the season’s history, and yours.
Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkel
For many, feeling like you're walking alone feels like the most obvious mindset to hold, and maybe not without fault. But Bridge Over Troubled Water feels like the world itself offering shelter, reassurance and steadiness when personal support feels absent.
This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody) by Talking Heads
Naive Melody holds its Christmas magic with a very freeing suggestion — that belonging isn't fixed or conventional, but something you carry with you, even when circumstances feel unsettled or quiet.
Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield
Now before you turn your nose up, just give it a listen. This Christmas doesn't have to be a blueprint of future 25ths. Or your life ahead. Because it's all unwritten.
Cinema for the senses
Lost in Translation (2003)
Two strangers share quiet days in Tokyo, proving connection can be fleeting, non-romantic, and still deeply human and sustaining there. And that's the whole point of life — maybe not to last, but to feel.
Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
An imperfect family on the road reminds us belonging is messy, noisy, accidental, and strongest when nothing goes as planned. And there's ALWAYS a higher plan, even if you don't believe in it.
While You Were Sleeping (1995)
A warm reminder that community can form unexpectedly, offering kindness, inclusion, and chosen family when you least expect it there, and even if you've felt like you've never had it.
The Station Agent (2003)
Quiet encounters between outsiders show how companionship grows slowly, without fixing anyone, simply by sharing space and time together quietly. This one's a heartening reminder of the magical power of human connection; nothing extraordinary, but just by being.
Julie & Julia (2009)
Parallel lives connected through cooking suggest purpose, routine, and creativity can link strangers across time, loneliness, and cities worldwide gently. It's about taking the reigns of your life in your own hands and finding purpose in your own self.
We wish you a Merry Christmas, and a merrier-whatever comes after it.
