I've pretty much spent the last 7 or 12 LOL Christmases alone (pretty much stopped keeping up). Even when I was in relationships during half that time, either the guy was not Christian or in one case the guy was Catholic but went abroad to be with his family at Christmas. It's not that bad, I have grown used to it.

It helps that I am not at all a Christmas person (prefer Thanksgiving), and I usually do some combination of go out for Chinese (or whatever is available, but I prefer Chinese), go to the movies, or just stay home and watch streaming. There is a whole world of (non-Christian) people who treat Christmas as just another day, and I lean into that. As you're making friends, keep in mind this is a great perk of having diverse people in your friend group. I will say one downside to living in Baltimore and not like Toronto or someplace is fewer restaurants are open.

It is what you make it. This year I am also making and freezing more cookie dough to replenish my depleted frozen supply after baking holiday cookies.