Holiday Dating – Surviving Your First Meeting with Your Date's Friends and Family

Meeting people and dating someone new can be a pain during the holidays. The fact that the holiday season focuses more on families and on relationships that have taken root over some time can create a sense of awkwardness if your current romance is just a few weeks old. There is the question of what gift you should give your significant other. And then there is the matter of going to the inevitable Christmas party that your new flame's family, friends and co-workers are expected to throw, to which you may or may not have to go.

All of us who are actively dating known that meeting our partner's family, friends and peers for the first time can put some pressure on our nerves. Among family and friends, this first meeting often takes a serious light during the holiday season simply because the atmosphere at such meetings tend to get very close – if not totally intimate – whenever the holidays come around. It can really make you feel like two things: 1) an outsider looking in; and 2) a fish in a bowl.

So, if your new romantic partner asks you to come to a Christmas party, you really shouldn't be too worried. You can survive it with flying colors, and here is how to do it.

Be Prepared

If you're heading for battle, you'd want to know what to expect so you'll come out of the skirmish alive. I'm not saying that this first meeting is like entering a battlefield, but being prepared beforehand can prevent you from, say, offending someone without really knowing that you did or embarrassing yourself without knowing why.

The first thing you need to know is who is going to be there. If you can, fish out some information from your significant other, details like what those people do for a living, what their likes and dislikes are, and other stuff like that. These tidbits will keep you from committing a faux pas but will also give you topics for small talk.

Create a Good First Impression

Part of being prepared for this first meeting is creating a good impression. You want your partner to be proud of you, and you can do that by making your partner's friends and family like you. The first step to achieving that, of course, is by making a good impression.

You'll need to pay extra attention to your grooming and outfit for this first meeting. Ask your date if there is a dress code to the event you're going to. Also, if you normally dress sexy and you're meeting your date's family, you may want to tone the sexiness down a bit. All mothers like to think that their babies are dating good girls and dressing a little on the conservative side is one way of winning your date's mother's approval.

Don't Be a Wallflower

To make your partner's friends and family like you, you have to go out of your way to interact with them. This isn't the time to be shy or aloof. Go ahead and circulate among the guests. Make small talk and try to get to know the people there a little bit better. Help out in the kitchen if there is a need for it.

One thing you shouldn't do is to pry information about your date that they aren't willing to volunteer. You'll find out about these things soon enough, if you stay in the relationship long enough. You can keep your eyes peeled, though. You'll be observing your date in their natural surroundings so you're sure to find out things about them just by observing them.

Don't Take Sides

Gatherings composed of family and friends may be intimate, but they can also be volatile. It is not entirely unheard of for family members or friends to break into an argument at some point during the gathering. Whatever happens, don't be pulled into taking sides unless it's about you. It's your date's business, not yours, so keep out of that business and resist being pulled in.

Remember Who You're Sleeping With

At the end of the party, what matters is the person whom you will be going home with. No matter how hard you try, you just can't please everybody. So if it turns out that someone at the party ends up not liking you, if your date isn't worried about it, then you shouldn't be worried either. Your date is the one you have to deal with regularly, after all, not your date's family.

Are you meeting with your date's family and friends for the first time? How are you dealing with the jitters?

(Image: Pixomar from Free Digital Photos)