22 December 2023 , 18:57
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One mum has loved spending her Christmases alone for the past 30 years - even though she has kids.
Teresa Andrews's idea of a good Christmas might differ from a lot of people's. Instead of getting all the family round and spending time together, the 64-year-old from Harrow, northwest London, prefers a slightly different way to celebrate.
Teresa will spent £100 on gifts for herself, then cooks a full roast and does it all entirely alone. But the mum doesn’t miss out at all - instead she says loves her Christmas days. Both of her two children are grown up and have their own families - and since Teresa split from their dad in 1986 she’s spent the big day alone.
She said that she’s often found arguments have forced her to leave Christmas parties or dinners early in previous years. Teresa said: "I'm not a lonely person and at Christmas time I just like to spend it on my own and do what I like."
She added: "I would find it very hard for anyone to move in now and live with me. I just like being on my own. At first it wasn't so grand - I did find it lonely at Christmas at first. But as the years went by and I sort of got used to it."
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She now enjoys her Christmas days, listening to festive songs in her PJs. She will always cook a roast dinner and buy herself some gifts - but doesn’t bother wrapping them. Last year she bought herself a sparkly jumper and this year she’s gotten herself a steam iron, some hair straighteners and a new bed spread.
The mum treated herself to a new bedspread this year (Teresa Andrews / SWNS)
The mum loves decorating on Christmas (Teresa Andrews / SWNS)During her Christmases-for-one, Teresa especially enjoys the festive films on TV, and the decorations as well as eating whatever she likes. She explained she wasn’t one for a big crowd or a lot of company anyway, and this gave her the freedom to enjoy her Christmas however she best wished.
Alongside that, the mum cooks a roast, like countless others, but hers is different in a few ways. She’s not a fan of turkey, or parsnips, so favours lamb or chicken and admitted mince pies don’t do it for her either.