Christmas in Madrid: A Table for One, a City Full of Possibilities, and Not an Ounce of Guilt

Thanksgiving in Portugal. Christmas in Spain. And a little reminder that the holidays don't have to look the same every year.

There is something wonderfully liberating about realizing you can love your family with all your heart and still be perfectly happy spending Christmas somewhere entirely different.

Say, Madrid.

Twinkling Christmas lights, beautiful architecture, centuries of history, fabulous food, and absolutely nobody asking when dinner will be ready.

Merry Christmas to me! 🎄🇪🇸

This year, my holiday season looks a little different. I’ll spend Thanksgiving exploring Portugal and Christmas wandering the streets of Spain.

And I couldn’t be more excited.

Not because I’m escaping anything. Quite the opposite.

I’m simply embracing the opportunity to experience something new.

Christmas Doesn’t Have to Happen on December 25

I adore Christmas. I love the decorations, the anticipation, the traditions, and especially the magic of experiencing it through my granddaughter's eyes.

But I’ve also come to appreciate that family time isn’t measured by whether everyone is sitting around the same Christmas tree on December 25.

Sometimes the most loving thing we can do is make room for other people to create their own memories.

My granddaughter has lots of people who love her, and they deserve their special moments with her, too. And goodness knows, Honey gets plenty of wonderful time with that little girl!

In fact, later this month, I’ll be in Atlanta enjoying lots of one-on-one time with her while her parents enjoy a vacation of their own.

Then, December 9–13, my daughter and granddaughter will be visiting me in Charleston.

We’ll enjoy the Christmas decorations, downtown festivities, and all the magic of the season together.

We’ll have our own lovely early Christmas.

And then?

Honey is going to Spain. 😂

No guilt. No sadness. No feeling that I’m somehow missing Christmas because I’m not celebrating it traditionally.

I’m simply celebrating it differently.

And perhaps that’s something more of us could give ourselves permission to do.

A Holiday Doesn’t Have to Come With Obligations

I think sometimes we become so attached to the idea of how holidays are supposed to look that we forget to ask ourselves what would actually make us happy.

Perhaps it’s a big family gathering with twenty people squeezed around a table.

Perhaps it’s a quiet morning at home with a good book and a favorite breakfast.

Perhaps it’s volunteering, visiting friends, taking a road trip, or renting a little cabin somewhere.

Or perhaps it’s buying yourself a plane ticket to a city you’ve never visited and spending Christmas Day wandering its beautiful streets.

There’s no single correct way to celebrate.

And choosing something different doesn’t mean we love our families any less.

It means we’re allowed to have lives full of curiosity, adventure, and joy alongside all the people we love.

I think that’s a pretty wonderful example to set for our children and grandchildren, too.

Life doesn’t stop being yours just because your children grow up.

In fact, entire chapters may be waiting to be written once they do.

My Christmas Gift to Myself: Madrid!

On the evening of December 22, I’ll board a plane to Spain and arrive in Madrid the morning of December 23.

My home for the week will be Hotel Regina, right on Calle de Alcalá, in the heart of Madrid.

A beautiful hotel, a fabulous location, and a Junior Suite Premium Alcalá overlooking the city lights.

I can already imagine opening the curtains each morning, looking down at the city, and wondering where my feet will take me that day.

I’ll have eight nights to explore, eat, walk, learn, and enjoy being somewhere new.

And the best part?

My office will be closed for the holidays, so I won’t even have to feel guilty about not answering emails! Though I'll still check my emails, just from a different time zone. 😉

This won’t be one of those vacations where every fifteen minutes has a scheduled activity.

I have some wonderful things in mind, of course.

I want to experience the history, the museums, the Christmas traditions, and a couple of extraordinary nearby cities.

But I also want time to get lost in beautiful neighborhoods, linger over lunch, discover little shops, and stop whenever something catches my eye.

I want to experience Madrid, not conquer it.

And I fully intend to eat my way through a respectable portion of Spain while I’m at it.

Christmas Eve: Old Madrid and a Little Holiday Magic

My first full day in Madrid will be Christmas Eve.

Imagine wandering through centuries-old streets, past grand plazas and little cafés, with Christmas decorations hanging overhead.

I’ll explore Madrid de los Austrias, Plaza Mayor, Plaza de la Villa, and the Christmas market.

Perhaps wander toward the Royal Palace and Almudena Cathedral.

I may even visit the Palace that morning if the timing works out.

Or perhaps I’ll find a particularly inviting café and decide that sitting there watching Madrid go by is exactly where I need to be.

Christmas Eve dinner might be a beautiful reservation somewhere special.

Or I might make a wonderfully long Spanish lunch my main event, then spend the evening strolling beneath the Christmas lights before heading back to my room for a little picnic.

Either sounds lovely to me.

The only thing I absolutely don’t want is a holiday that feels like an amusement park itinerary.

No rushing from attraction to attraction.

No checking my watch every fifteen minutes.

Just Christmas Eve in Madrid.

How wonderful is that?

Christmas Day: A Different Kind of Christmas Morning

Christmas morning, I plan to sleep until I wake up.

No alarm clock.

No presents to assemble.

No elaborate meal to prepare.

Just a lovely breakfast, perhaps a walk through Retiro Park or the elegant streets of Salamanca, and a beautiful Christmas lunch somewhere in the city.

The museums and many major attractions will be closed, and that’s perfectly fine.

I’ll be on vacation, after all!

I can wander, admire the decorations, stop for something delicious, and enjoy the experience of spending Christmas in a place where I’ve never spent Christmas before.

And somewhere along the way, I’m sure I’ll be thinking about my granddaughter and imagining her excitement that morning.

I’ll love hearing about it and seeing pictures.

At some point that day, I will enjoy a little FaceTime with that sweet, wild little girl!

But I don’t need to be physically present for every beautiful moment in her life to be part of the love surrounding it.

That love travels remarkably well.

Even across the Atlantic.

A Little Medieval Magic: Toledo and Segovia

After Christmas, I have two adventures planned that I’m particularly excited about.

Toledo, December 26

A short train ride will take me into a city that feels like stepping into another century.

Medieval streets, magnificent churches, El Greco, a remarkable cathedral, and beautiful views across the Tagus River.

And 2026 is an especially interesting year to visit because Toledo Cathedral is celebrating its 800th anniversary.

I’ll spend the day wandering, exploring, learning, and undoubtedly stopping for something delicious.

Before returning to Madrid, I want to see the city from Mirador del Valle, where the entire medieval skyline stretches out across the river.

I suspect that view alone will be worth the trip.

Segovia, December 27

Then there’s Segovia.

A nearly 2,000-year-old Roman aqueduct. A magnificent cathedral. A fairy-tale castle perched above the landscape.

And because I don’t particularly enjoy rushing away from beautiful places just because the sun is setting, I’d like to stay into the evening.

I want to see Segovia illuminated for Christmas, enjoy dinner, and then catch a train back to Madrid.

No changing hotels. No packing another suitcase.

Just a full day of exploring and then back to my lovely room at the Regina.

That sounds like my kind of day trip.

Art, History, and the Joy of Wandering

The remaining days will be spent in Madrid.

The Royal Palace, the Prado Museum, perhaps the Thyssen-Bornemisza and Reina Sofía.

Velázquez, Goya, El Greco, Picasso, and all those masterpieces I’ve admired in books but would love to see in person.

I’ll visit the museums without feeling obligated to spend six hours inside each one.

I want to see beautiful things, learn a little, then go back outside and enjoy the city.

I'll explore neighborhoods, investigate shops, discover cafés, and take advantage of plenty of opportunities for ridiculously long lunches.

And because I love to walk, I imagine I’ll cover miles and miles without ever thinking of it as exercise.

My favorite kind of sightseeing!

One Last Madrid Tradition Before Heading Home

December 30 will be my final full day, and Madrid apparently has a rather amusing tradition that I hope to experience.

It’s called Preuvas.

Every New Year’s Eve, crowds gather at Puerta del Sol to eat twelve grapes as the clock strikes midnight, one for each chime, for good luck in the coming year.

On December 30, Madrid traditionally holds a practice celebration.

A rehearsal for New Year’s Eve.

A dress rehearsal involving grapes, crowds, laughter, and a little bit of Spanish superstition.

I mean, how could I possibly resist that?

I’ll confirm the arrangements closer to the trip, but I think it sounds like a fabulous way to spend my final night in Madrid.

Then, on December 31, I’ll fly home.

There’s something delightfully chic about spending New Year’s Eve flying home from Spain after a Christmas adventure.

I’ll have celebrated Thanksgiving in Portugal, Christmas in Madrid, and I’ll return home with a whole collection of new memories.

And hopefully some wonderful stories to share.

A Table for One Isn’t a Lonely Table

I think this is one of the things I most wish people understood about solo travel.

Being alone and being lonely are not the same thing.

Not even close.

Waking up in a beautiful city and knowing the day is entirely yours is an extraordinary freedom.

You can spend three hours in a museum or three hours in a café.

You can change your mind.

You can walk down a street simply because it looks interesting.

You can order whatever sounds delicious without negotiating with anyone.

And yes, you can sit alone at a table in a beautiful restaurant on Christmas Day and have an absolutely wonderful time.

A table for one isn’t a sad little table waiting for someone else to arrive.

Sometimes it’s a table occupied by a woman who is perfectly delighted to be exactly where she is.

And perhaps she’s raising a glass to the lovely life she’s continuing to create.

I rather like that woman.

Give Yourself Permission to Celebrate Differently

I know that not everyone enjoys traveling alone.

And not everyone wants to spend Christmas away from family.

That’s perfectly understandable.

This isn’t about convincing anyone that my way of celebrating is better.

It’s simply about remembering that we have choices.

And sometimes those choices become more interesting when we stop worrying about what other people might think.

If your heart is happiest surrounded by family on Christmas morning, I hope that’s exactly where you are.

But if you’ve ever wondered what it might feel like to spend Christmas in Paris, Rome, Madrid, New York, or some little seaside village you’ve always dreamed of visiting, perhaps you should give yourself permission to imagine it.

You don’t have to wait for someone to go with you.

You don’t have to justify it.

And you certainly don’t have to feel guilty for enjoying yourself.

The people we love can have wonderful experiences while we have wonderful experiences of our own.

Those things aren’t in competition.

Love isn’t diminished by distance. And joy isn’t something we have to ration.

This year, my Christmas will include the magic of Charleston with my family, the joy of watching my granddaughter discover the season, and then the adventure of experiencing Christmas in Spain.

There is room for all of it.

And I hope that someday, when my granddaughter is grown, she’ll understand something I believe very deeply:

You can love people fiercely, give them room to live their own lives, and still create a beautiful, adventurous life of your own.

You never have to stop being curious.

You never have to stop exploring.

And you never have to stop looking forward to what comes next.

So here’s to Christmas, wherever we choose to spend it.

Here’s to beautiful traditions, unexpected adventures, and permitting ourselves to enjoy both.

And here’s to a table for one in Madrid.

I have a feeling it’s going to be a lovely Christmas.

With love and a little wanderlust,

Honey 🐝

Lively by Honey — Because there’s always more life to live.