This article contains spoilers for Netflix’s Home For Christmas season one

Whether you don’t want a partner right now or you’re looking for a relationship, being single at Christmas is undeniably harder than usual this year. Many single people are stuck on their own in London because of the tier four restrictions, while others are continuing to navigate the wild and tiring world of dating during a pandemic. 

But there are plenty of TV series and films to help single people feel a bit more seen, understood and reassured right now. Take Anna Kendrick’s Love Life on BBC iPlayer, a relatable series that follows the ups and downs of a woman’s relationships throughout her life. Then there’s Someone Great, a Netflix film that examines the reality of how we cope when a relationship ends and why it’s the best time to reconnect with the world. 

And now Netflix’s Norwegian drama, Home For Christmas, is back with a second season to help tackle the societal pressures single people face during the festivities. 

The first season of Home For Christmas landed on the streaming platform last year. It introduced us to Johanne, a 30-year-old successful nurse in Norway who, once again, finds herself sitting with her young nephews at the end of the family table in the run up to Christmas, because she is the only single adult there. 

After being quizzed by family members about her ex-boyfriend from three years ago, and assured by them that she’ll “find someone” soon, Johanne finally cracks and tells her startled family a lie: she has a boyfriend. What follows is a six-part series about Johanne’s mission to find a boyfriend who will join her for the family’s Christmas Day meal. 

Sounds like another one of those ‘single woman at Christmas” stories full of clichés, right? Well, kind of – but the series cleverly (and very humorously) upends them.

Johanne goes on a journey of online dating, having amazing sex (again and again… and again), laughing her head off while living with her best friend, nurturing her relationships within her family and befriending an elderly female patient at work who inspires her with no-nonsense talk about not fitting into society’s expectations. 

Sure, the series acknowledges those realistic frustrations that can come with being single – Johanne takes on extra shifts at work because her peers have children to look after, she has terrible dates with men who talk about the size of their penis, and people think it’s helpful to set her up with totally unsuitable men they know. 

But by the end of the final episode, Johanne is happy with her single status while sat at her mother’s Christmas dinner table, and she even takes her patient along as her guest. 

The cliffhanger in the last scene, however, suggested another season was in the works…

The doorbell rings while everyone is eating dinner, and Johanne goes to answer it. Her face lights up when she opens the door, but we don’t actually see who is there. But that’s the whole point: she has reached a content and happy place so it doesn’t even matter if one of the guys she dated has come to declare his love. 

But curious viewers still really, really wanted to know who was stood on the doorstep. So thank the gods that a second season has landed on Netflix to continue the story.

Watch the trailer for Netflix’s Home For Christmas

Yes, Home For Christmas is back with six new episodes. The new season catches up with Johanne a year after we last saw her: we find out who was stood on the doorstep, we see her deal with the news that her best friend and flatmate is moving away, and we learn how she copes with the collapse of her parents’ relationship.

Although this is a pandemic-free zone, the show is the perfect companion for anyone who relates to everything Johanne experienced in the first season (because there’s plenty of more where that came from). So get cosy on the sofa, tuck into a takeaway and prepare to laugh and cry while bingeing the new series. And know that so many others will be doing the same thing – you are not alone. 

Images: Netflix