Dating Tips for the Holidays

Dating around the holidays adds another layer to your growing relationship. Not only are there multiple families and obligations involved, but you want to spend time with your partner at this special time of the year. Buying gifts, snuggling by the fire – there’s plenty of time for every obligation. You just need to sit down and plan with your partner so that no one feels left out and obligations are out on the table.

Who needs to be where? You both have families and traditional things you do around the holidays. Sit down and talk with your partner about who needs to be where so that you know if you’re going to take the leap and travel together or plan to have your own time and then visit with families separately. If your relationship is newer, maybe you’re not ready to “meet the parents” yet. Save yourself the headache of pushing a premature meeting by being open and honest with your partner about your feelings and expectations. It’s a time to celebrate – not argue!

What about the kids? If there are children from previous relationships involved, it’s time to put your Kid Hat on! The holidays are exciting times filled with great food, family and presents and you have to think about how you and your partner are going to handle their involvement in your own holiday celebration. If it’s early on in a relationship and you haven’t met your partner’s children (or vice versa), it’s a great idea to sit down and talk with your partner about where kids need to be and when. School assemblies are also common this time of year, so you or your partner may have additional obligations when it comes to kids in action!

What kind of gift is appropriate? This one is simple: always give within your means and from your heart. There is no “tit for tat” rule with holiday gifts for the person you’re dating, either. If you can’t wrap your head around what’s right, ask one of their friends to do some recon for you or throughout the year, make a list of things they think are cool or have expressed an interest in. For the women in your life, try to skip the gift certificates as the only gift. Make the effort to go to a store or spa she likes, get a small gift and attach a gift certificate alongside. This lets her know that you went to the effort to find TWO things she liked (even if you were at a total loss!). For your best guy, stop it with the awful trend of getting him something YOU want him to have. Even if you hate monster truck rallies, he’ll love a pair of tickets to an upcoming event where he can take a buddy. If he’s a techno geek, try the website Think Geek for some cool gifting ideas.