What to do on Christmas Day if you don’t celebrate it

For some people, 25 December is just another winter's day

Listening to festive tunes on repeat could be bad for your mental health (Rex Features)

Tinsel, presents, mince pies… Christmas Day is great, so long as you celebrate it.

If you don’t, the whole thing can feel like one massive endurance test for your propensity for FOMO.

Luckily, it’s not all jingle bells and open sleighs. Though not as widely advertised as the yuletide frivolities, there are options for those who, for whatever reason, choose not to engage with the festivities.

Whether you decide to help one of the many charities working to support people in need or choose to simply take a long walk, there’s something to suit all tastes.

Browse our top picks of ways to spend Christmas Day if you don’t celebrate it below.

Volunteer

Christmas Day is one of the best days of the year to give back.

With homelessness on the rise – housing charity Shelter estimates there are at least 320,000 homeless people in the UK – and many people struggling to get from day to day without food or shelter, your support can make a huge difference, even if it’s just for 24 hours.

Crisis, the national charity for homeless people at Christmas, operates support centres across the country, meaning it’s never been easier to get involved.

Sign up now and you could be assigned one of a number of tasks to carry out in the lead up to Christmas or on the day itself.

These could include cooking and serving meals, leading exercise workshops or using your skills as a healthcare professional or a hairdresser. Click here to find out where your nearest centre is.

Elsewhere, the charity Community Christmas specialises in providing support and companionship to older people who may be spending the holiday season alone.

They run a number of community events across the country, including lunches, afternoon teas and movie screenings. Visit their website to find one near you.

Here are some other charities running special initiatives over Christmas: Age Concern, The Whitechapel Mission, Salvation Army.

Go for a dip

The weather outside might be frightful, but sometimes an outdoor swim is truly delightful.

Come rain or shine, brave members of the Serpentine Swimming Club take to the icy waters in the Serpentine Lake in Kensington, London every year to compete in the Peter Pan Cub Christmas Morning Race. So, clearly it’s doable.

If you’d like to try your hands at this rather unconventional Christmas Day activity, why not call up your local pool and see if they’re open? Or, if you're lucky enough to live near the beach, you could go for a frosty seaside swim. Here are some pools and beaches in the UK you could check out (some even host special Christmas Day races):

• Hampstead bathing ponds, London
• Hampton pool, Richmond
• Chesham Moor Gym and Swim, Chesham
• Wycombe Rye Lido, High Wycombe
• Felixstowe Beach, Suffolk
• Sandycove Beach, Dublin
• Lowestoft Beach, Suffolk
• Crooklets Beach, Cornwall
• Gyllyngvase Beach, Falmouth

For a comprehensive list, visit Wildswim.com here.

Go out for a slap-up meal

Thanks to seductive supermarket adverts and tantalising food campaigns, Christmas Day has become synonymous with gluttony. So it’s no wonder you find yourself waking up feeling particularly peckish on the big day, regardless of whether you’re celebrating it or not.

But if cooking up a feast doesn’t tickle your pickle – maybe you use your oven to store utility bills – there are lots of restaurants that stay open for the duration of the holiday season. Some even offer special deals on three-course meals while for others, it’s business as normal.

So, eat and be merry, or just eat.

Take a scenic walk

A long walk is always a good idea, especially on Christmas Day, when most people will be indoors, probably eating, meaning the streets are empty and prime for perusing.

It’s particularly nice to do this in big cities, such as London, Manchester and Leeds, that are usually teeming with people.

On Christmas Day however, the hustle and bustle subsides for just 24 hours. Make the most of the peace and quiet and take yourself, or whoever you’re with, on a pleasant stroll.

Go to the cinema

Sometimes there’s nothing better than spending an afternoon snuggled up in a warm cinema, catching up on the latest films you might’ve missed. It’s a good time of year to go too, given that the Oscars are fast-approaching, meaning the best films will be showing.

As for which cinemas are likely to be open, selected Odeon branches (check if your local one is open here) across the UK will be open throughout the day, as will a number of Cineworlds, see the full list below:

• Cineworld Leicester Square
• Cineworld Ilford
• Cineworld Feltham
• Cineworld Wembley
• Cineworld Birmingham Broad Street
• Cineworld Bradford

Have a ‘self-care’ day

It might sound cliché, but there’s no better opportunity to indulge in some “me time” than on a national holiday – and Christmas Day should be no different.

“Self-care”, as it has been dubbed, will mean something different for everyone. It could be as simple as reading a book or catching up on your latest box set obsession. Or you might want to give yourself the full at-home spa treatment (think bubble baths, face masks and pedicures). If this sounds like you're cup of tea, check out our guides to the best DIY beauty products and the best at-home peels.

However you choose to treat yourself, take pleasure in the comfort of knowing that you have a unique opportunity on Christmas Day to spend 24 hours to relax and drown out the sound of incessant jingle bells.