The holiday season is a busy time for everyone whether you are single, married or in a relationship. Sometimes it’s difficult to know the right and wrong things to do when it comes to dating during the holidays. If you are concerned that you might make a faux pas or two, have no fear. Here are some rules to help you make it through the season.
1. Establish if you are giving gifts or not. If you have been together for awhile, chances are, you should be giving your beau a gift. However, if it’s a new relationship, the two of you need to decide if you are doing gifts. It is always best to start with something small and fun, like something from Uncommon Goods or T. Anthony Ltd.
2. Make sure you have an appropriate party dress to wear to his work holiday party and/or to his family’s home. The right outfit is something festive yet conservative. Do not go with your new uber trendy outfit. And, if you are concerned that it might be too sexy, it is. Instead, pick a timeless, classy look from Tracy Reese or Diane von Furstenberg.
3. Don’t misinterpret what an invitation to his holiday party means. Sometimes work holiday parties are date functions. If his job has one, chances are he will invite you because he needs to come with a date. Other companies do not allow guests. Don’t make assumption. Before you get upset that he hasn’t invited you, hint around about whether or not guests were allowed.
4. Only invite a new love interest to a holiday party with you if you can pay her appropriate attention. You don’t want to invite someone to go to an event with you and then leave her alone in the corner. And you don’t want to be so busy that your date will feel ignored such that he or she will look for attention elsewhere.
5. If he invites you to his home for the holidays, make sure you bring his mother flowers or a bottle of wine. And then the next day, either call to say what a lovely time you had or send a short note. His mother will notice this and comment positively or negatively accordingly. If you really want to make a good impression, splurge on a nice red from Morrell Wines or a holiday bouquet from BloomThat.
6. Make sure to save time for your honey during the holiday party madness. We all get invited to tons of holiday gatherings but do not book yourself so thin that you don’t save time for the two of you to see each other. If you see him on December 1 and then don’t come up for air again to see him until December 28th, chances are, he won’t be around anymore by that point to see you ever again.
7. Figure out if going away together makes sense for the two of you. If you are going away together, that’s great but if you aren’t at that point yet, make sure you discuss what going away separately means, so there are no misinterpretations. And make sure you make a solid effort to be in touch regularly to keep the momentum going. And, then maybe January will be the perfect time to start planning a romantic getaway for just the two of you. Wine country, anyone?
8. If you are dating a few people casually during the holidays, make sure you remember who you took to what event, when. The holiday season can be such a whirlwind, you need to make sure you don’t get so caught-up that you cause an issue for yourself.
9. If you are single during the holidays, keep in mind that this is an excellent time to meet someone. During this time of year, everyone is out and being social, so there are lots of opportunities to meet someone new. Plus, as the holidays approach people tend to take stock of their lives and become more interested in sharing with someone and coupling off. Stop by one of the singles hotspots in your city this winter. You never know who you will meet.
10. Rule of thumb for a New Year’s Eve date: if he hasn’t asked you by Christmas, or broached the subject at all, chances are, he is not going to ask you. New Year’s Eve is a big night and takes some planning. You might have to buy tickets to an event, make reservations etc., so people tend to lock down those plans as early as possible. If he hasn’t said word one by Christmas, make your own plans and then if he does ask you, try to incorporate him into what you are doing. In this way, you, personally, will be covered either way. Whatever happens, don’t forget to make your list of relationship resolutions come January 1st like accepting invitations to events that you have never go to in the past, hiring a Matchmaker like me or joining a a new and unique dating app like The Dating Lounge.
Happy Holidays!
Samantha Daniels is a well-known Professional Matchmaker and Dating Expert as well as the founder of The Dating Lounge, the exclusive invitation-only iPhone dating app for upscale people looking for real relationships. You can follow her on Twitter @Matchmakersd and IG: @samanthadanielsdatinglounge. For more information, go to www.SamanthaDaniels.info or www.thedatinglounge.net