Learn to enjoy your own company.
Life is much better once you do that.

You can also start hanging out here.

Volunteer to help others in need.

Spend time outdoors snowshoeing, hiking or walking. Exercise lifts your spirits.

Read a good book. Put together a jigsaw puzzle. This is absorbing and fun.

I suffer from depression this time of year was well. People of told me that my happiness is up to me, it’s hard to accept that but I do know that it is true. I hope you are able find some happiness by doing something that makes you feel good.

I'm going hiking on Christmas

As a secular Jew, I recommend Asian restaurants christmas eve or day. My daughter and husband do Chinese food and a movie on christmas day. As for making friends, I strongly suggest Meetups. Join a bunch, go to a few meetings and if they don't meet your needs, go to a different one. I'm also a member of our community recreation center and a number of running clubs. Just a few ideas on how to meet people and make friends.

Volunteering is probably good, pets, excercize like some others said. Honestly being this late its probably to late to set stuff up like volunteering for this xmas, pets require planning and pre thought...Talking shit online about more social people being shallow and enjoying themselves works for me sometimes. Just remember its almost over now. The run up for new year isn't nearly as bad as Christmas. Of course then all the Valentine's shit goes up everywhere. Sorry just thought of that, probably doesn't help much. Sorry your lonely. This is a good place to hang out if you don't otherwise have people. I've found it helpful. Try not to be to hard on yourself.

I've put some thought into the best ways of meeting new people and how to go about it.

1.) At work. Does your place of employment have a social committee? Get involved, even if it's just scheduling events via outlook. Everyone at work knows everyone else and that gives people common topics of conversation. When you have a common goal, or topic, or worplaces, the converstaion usually comes easier and brings people together.

2.) Dancing. Most people won't care if you can't dance as long as you don't throw up on anyone or break something. Chances are, the live band is depressed if nobody is dancing to their efforts. They spent probably thousands of hours preparing/training/performing to be here tonight. As long as you don't fall on their amp or smash something, etc. They will probably appreciate your efforts. Are other people dancing? Are they soused out of their minds? Good. They will be less judgmental. Go dance with them and talk to them afterwards. Say how much fun you had out on the dance floor. You should probably have gone to the after-bar with them in retrospect. Why not close out the night at 3am?

3.) Karaoke. Similar concept as 2.

4.) Clubs/Organizations//charities. That works. You guys may all have just one thing in common and talk about nothing about that for a few days. It's a start

5.)Tennis/gym/sports. This is good. If your instructor freaks out b/c you suck- smile and shrug. Remind them that you are here for fun- not Olympic training. Go to the after dinner.

6.) General bars with no music/trivia/distraction. Ok, now you are more or less depending on your looks to meet people. People will talk to you and you may have to turn them down if you are not interested. This can be worse than nobody talking to you at all in some ways.

7.) Meetup.com - most people come and go once they establish new friends- they're out. But it is one hell of a lot better than staying home and not talking to anyone.

Finally, socializing is an art. Social People tend to be positive and have a lot of standard topics to talk aboit. They tend to be upbeat and comfortable with themselves. Watch them closely and learn. I have friends that are social butterflies without being Mean-girl-esque like high school. I'm trying really hard to learn from them.

Make new friends. That requires taking risks and getting out in the world, opening yourself up to possibilities.

Hey jump on a plane and come to UK. Your dinner is waiting for you...

Join the band! Sgt Peppers is recruiting as we speak.

I can absolutely relate, loneliness is awful and it's not as easy as "get some friends." Try looking into other groups on this site, especially for support. There are a lot of kind and understanding people here. Or look for support groups in your area.

I am in agreement with most of the comments below. Do something different, something that takes you out of the realm of repetitive thoughts.

sorry you're feeling lonely. sometimes (a lot of times) i go to movies alone. no pressure to talk to anyone while watching and it puts me in someone else's story instead of my own, even if momentarily. and then i also force myself to do things alone that i would rather do with companion(s). somedays i can get through the day as intended. others i retreat and vow to myself to try again later.

good luck. (from experience i know) lonliness sucks.

I get lonelier this time of year. But I also know what it's like to feel lonely all the time: I went through a large period of time where I didn't like myself very much, so any efforts to better my social situation didn't work because the story I had internalized was that I wasn't good enough. The way to turn that around is to start to find at least one small thing about yourself that you appreciate, and focus on that. And be very kind to yourself... And when you reach out -- in some of the ways suggested here, very good ones -- do it in small steps... And keep coming back to this site, there are a lot of good people here.

I'm very grateful I have a few local friends and they can spend some time with me during the holiday season as subs for a family. Not as good as having a partner or even dating someone, but enough to get me by. I have my father that I will visit on X-mas day.

Volunteer somewhere. Open your home & invite random people to contribute potluck & BYOB
i personally am going to see "Bohemian Rhapsody Xmas Eve...none of my friends wants to see it, so, a perfect use of my time before it leaves theaters.

When we're alone - and so many are for all different reasons - it's up to us as individuals, to decide what we need to get by. Or better yet, what we can do to for ourselves, to nourish our spirits, help us to grow and thrive, and maybe even make a friend or two ...

Treat it like any other day of the year.

I seem to lose track of things - have to think hard to remember which day of week it is and barely notice the holidays going by.

I'm working on Christmas day. I live on my own. I would spend it alone if necessary and I'd make the most of it.