If you are single or single again, you know about the pressure to be part of a couple during the holidays. Last year the compulsion to connect resulted in a 350% increase in online dating traffic from Thanksgiving through the New Year. Many of these new connections turn into ongoing romances, but others crash before takeoff. Pilot error is the biggest reason for faulty connections as many try to find a love that lasts. If you desire to couple-up during the holidays, you’ll want to increase your odds of success by avoiding the top ten holiday dating blunders presented in Kailen Rosenberg’s book Real Love Right Now
Top 10 Dating Blunders That Will Take The Jolly Out of Your Holidays
1.) The Fast and The Furious: The North Pole: Fast tracking the relationship before the feelings are fully developed or accelerating the exclusivity of the relationship and speeding up the intimacy before the relationship has genuinely moved beyond the casual stage;
2.) Home Alone: Inviting that special person home for the holidays prematurely so as not to be the only unattached family member at the holiday festivities;
3.) Scrooged: Ridiculously overspending on holiday gifts and making the other person feel uncomfortable and put on the spot;
4.) The Grinch Who Stole Christmas: Making the unfortunate choice to hook up with an Ex to avoid being alone over the holidays only to be reminded once again why they are an Ex;
5.) Heartburn: Having an ugly confrontation with an Ex at a holiday party in front of your new man/woman;
6.) Nightmare Before Christmas: Expecting a marriage proposal or engagement over the holidays – you miss being in the moment by having such unrealistic expectations;
7.) He’s Just Not That Into You: Prolonging a dying or dead relationship just so you can be together for the holidays;
8.) The Christmas Story: Every conversation you have with your new friend is about a couple who is getting engaged / getting married / getting away for the holidays;
9.) Meet Me In St. Bart’s: Jetting off to far away places with someone you barely know;
10.) Love Story: Faking a terminal illness to attract or keep a lover – enough said.
Rosenberg concludes: “New relationships, regardless of how seemingly successful they are leaving the gate, require time and patience to grow and develop. Your first holiday in a relationship should be the start of your special journey together, not your final destination. There are few greater gifts in the world than that of a happy, healthy, sexy, thriving relationship, especially with your soulmate. So have fun, take it slow, and remember, if this is ‘the one’, they’re not going anywhere.”
For more on finding a love that lasts take a look at my latest book, The Science of Finding Love That Lasts