I understand. My kids father was the same way. Of course, he was a drinker. His birthday is also New Years Eve and so I wasn't allowed a New Years party/birthday for him, as he always chose which left me out. My kids are grown too, however my daughter lives behind me with 3 kids and her husband and a new baby soon to be here around Jan, 16th. Son lives 3 miles down the road with wife and 5 kids, plus I have 3 older granddaughters (belong to son) that are out of town. It still gets lonely around the holidays, but we must all do what we can to make the best of it. Just focus on it being Jesus' birthday, go bake him a cake and make a nice birthday celebration meal for him. And if your hubby isn't home, celebrate/share it with your pups. They'll be more than happy to share in delights of the day. God bless and I pray you have a very wonderful day.