Billy’s BooksReal Stories · Real People · Real Hope
Cover of The First Christmas Alone
The First Christmas Alone — from The Hard Days Collection

The Hard Days Collection

The First Christmas Alone

Getting Through the Holidays After a Separation or Divorce

by William “Billy” Brown

£4.99

  • — Available instantly
  • — Read on any device
  • — Yours to keep in your library

A digital publication from Billy’s Books

About the book

A quiet reckoning, written plainly

Christmas is built for families and couples, which makes the first one after a separation or divorce land harder than almost any other day of the year. A short, honest guide to the specific parts that hurt most — and how to get through them without pretending the day is easy when it isn’t.

What readers will find inside

The quiet of Christmas morning. Family gatherings. Seeing the kids, or not seeing them. The relentless cheer of social media. The particular ache of old traditions with nowhere to live. Written from the inside, plainly, for the first Christmas after everything changed.

When new pieces arrive

Be quietly told when there’s something new to read

Leave your email and Billy will send a short note when the next guide is published. Nothing else. Unsubscribe any time.

Chapter One

From the opening pages

Christmas is built for families and couples. That’s the plain truth of it, and it’s why the first one after a separation or divorce lands harder than almost any other day of the year. Every advert, every song on the radio, every window on the high street is aimed at a version of your life that doesn’t exist anymore.

This short book isn’t going to pretend the day is easy when it isn’t. It’s going to walk through the specific parts that hurt most, one at a time, and tell you the truth about each of them.

⋅ ⋅ ⋅

End of preview

About the author

William “Billy” Brown

William “Billy” Brown
Billy, at home in Scotland

Billy is a Scottish engineer, author and musician who spent more than thirty years working around the world before he ever thought of himself as a writer.

He writes from lived experience rather than theory — about work, love, distance, and the quieter lessons a working life hands over.

You may also enjoy

More from The Hard Days Collection

Father’s Day Alone — from The Hard Days Collection
Father’s Day Alone — from The Hard Days Collection

The Hard Days Collection

Father’s Day Alone

Getting Through the Day That’s Supposed to Be About You

£4.99

Meeting Your Ex’s New Partner — from The Hard Days Collection
Meeting Your Ex’s New Partner — from The Hard Days Collection

The Hard Days Collection

Meeting Your Ex’s New Partner

Getting Through the Moment You’ve Been Dreading

£4.99

Mother’s Day After Divorce — from The Hard Days Collection
Mother’s Day After Divorce — from The Hard Days Collection

The Hard Days Collection

Mother’s Day After Divorce

Helping Your Children Celebrate Their Mother, Whatever You’re Feeling Underneath

£4.99