Holidays

Fall is here, and with it are many seasonal first date options. Unlike, say, the winter holidays, Halloween is relatively secular and celebrated by most, so it's less of a sticky subject. And almost everyone loves a fall harvest celebration.

When choosing a seasonal activity for a date, particularly a first date, it's important, as always, to be aware of safety issues. A well-populated city ghost tour is one thing; a trip to a cemetery at midnight is quite another. However, one benefit of fall activities is that many of them actually occur during the day on weekends. A pumpkin-carving festival certainly makes more of an impression than the standard coffee or lunch date.

Fall harvest celebrations often mean one or both of two things: food and the outdoors. Thus, it's not unreasonable to ask your date about any associated problems. For example, are they allergic to apples? Will a hayride make them miserable? You might feel silly asking, but overlooking something like that could mean the difference between a great time and a really long day.

We're waist-deep in the holidays and I'm sure like many people, you're just a teensy bit crazy right now. Maybe your shopping isn't done, or maybe your travel plans got ruined by the Snowpocalypse 2009, or maybe your mother is coming to visit and your apartment isn't going to pass her white glove test.

Take a break from the crazy to update your online dating profile!

Putting up a fresh update:

1. Lets people know that you're alive and actively looking
2. Sets you apart from the legions of people who haven't seen their profile since they posted it
3. May get you a second glance from someone who overlooked you previously

Zoosk let us know a few holiday trends that they experience on their Facebook Dating Application last year. The busiest week for online dating activity was the week before Christmas. The second was the first week of January. Christmas Eve was the busiest day of the year for Zoosk. Throughout the year, on average Mondays are the most popular day to visit a dating site.

In a recent online survey conducted by Zoosk, 63 percent of Zoosk members are looking for long-term relationship. 33 percent of respondents are just looking for a holiday party date and 4 percent will not date this holiday as they find it too stressful. 19 percent of men from this survey also stated that they would invite a women on a first date to their office holiday party, while with women, only 10 percent said they would do this. In total, 39 percent of singles would prefer at least 3 dates before considering taking someone to their office party.

For more on this subject, read the Zoosk press release. To find out more about Facebook dating, check out our review of Zoosk.

With the holidays just around the corner, it is not uncommon to start thinking about that dreaded question: what kind of gift should I get for my new boyfriend or girlfriend? Well, never fret! There’s the perfect gift solution for those couples who are “newly dating.”

You should never feel pressured to spend outside your means when it comes to the holidays. This is especially true if you’re been with your partner less than six months. If your partner is with you for material reasons, best to find another partner now and buy yourself something cool than waste any more time on someone more interested in your bottom line than you.

When you’re “newly dating,” that’s not the time for expensive electronics or pricey jewelry. It is, however, a great time for you to let your partner know that you value their place in your life and went to the effort of getting something that suited their personality. Skip the stuffed animals and Wii video game systems. It’s not Valentine’s Day and you’re not a bank.

Here are some perfect gift suggestions for all you “newly dating” folk that should get you through the holidays is style – and still in love!

No one wants to be alone at the holidays. If you’ve ever thought about delving into online dating, well – what’s stopping you? The holiday season offers plenty of opportunity to get out on the town and find someone to snuggle-up with inside. There’s no reason to lock yourself up and stare at the Yule log solo. Here are five tips to get you in the mix of things with online dating this holiday season!

Tip 1: The community is hopping! There’s no better way to break the ice (or bear the cold) than by taking on the town with a partner in crime. Whether it’s a festival of lights or a special engagement of The Nutcracker, the holiday season is ripe with activity. Find a partner at an online dating site and keep one another company while seeing the holidays from the streets of town.

Tip 2: It’s a time for sharing. Enjoy meeting new people this holiday season. Don’t think of it as dating – think of it as an adventure with people! Whether over coffee or a meal, it’s a treat when someone lets you see a glimpse of their life. Even if you’re not a match, walk away richer in spirit after sharing your time with someone.

It's amazing how much a little red plastic cup can say about you, without you even realizing it.

A good deal of my regular clientele are folks in their 20s and 30s. They fall into two groups (with a little overlap): The Settled Down (focused on career or already with kids) and the Livin' It Up (single/never married, working for the weekend, still partying a bit). If we're going to get really stereotypical, members of the two groups prefer to date their own kind. The Settlers prefer to date other Settlers and the Livins prefer to date other Livins.

Problem is, there's a large group of Livins who are dying to become Settlers. They party, but they look forward to the day when they can just chill out on a Friday night and watch a movie with their One and Only Love. And the only way to achieve that dream is to either a) Date a Settler or b) Date another Livin' that's dying to become a Settler.