"HOLIDATING" SECRETS -- How to Make Sure Your Relationship Survives Into the New Year

SAN DIEGO, Dec. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The holidays can be a high-pressure time for any relationship, but it's particularly difficult for those couples celebrating together for the first time. "The newer the relationship, the more questions there are about striking the right balance," says Irene LaCota, spokesperson for specialty dating service It's Just Lunch. "Everything you do seems to make a bigger statement during the holidays." 

Christmas and Hanukkah catch-22's include whether or not you invite your date to your family's home, and how much you spend on a gift. The decision to invite someone home to meet the relatives should be based on two factors: how long you've been together and how far away your family lives. "If you've been dating less than three months, anything with friends is fine, but keep it to no more than dessert with your family.  After three months, dinner is fine.  But hold off on long distance travel requiring an overnight stay until you've been together for half a year. If you do it too early, it makes too big of a statement," explains LaCota.

Time together also plays a major role in how much you spend on a gift.  If you've had less than ten dates, keep it low-key, but thoughtful. Home-made brownies, a favorite book, flowers or champagne are all appropriate at this point in a relationship.  At three to six months, you can get somewhat fancier.  Pick something you know they'll like, but don't go overboard.  And if you're on a budget, an intimate home cooked meal with a bottle of wine and candles can also be special. At the half-year mark, feel free to spend whatever you're comfortable with.  When you've been together six months, you're with someone you feel close to. Celebrate by spoiling them and giving them gifts that show how well you know them.

More holidating advice is available in The It's Just Lunch Guide to Dating (10 Finger Press). It's Just Lunch is a personalized dating service for busy professionals. The company has coordinated over two million dates for clients since opening in 1991. IJL minimizes the stress and maximizes the efficiency of dating by sending people on casual, no-pressure dates over lunch, brunch or drinks after work. IJL's team of dating specialists, not a computer, perform the matchmaking.   The company has over 150 locations in the US, Canada and internationally.

SOURCE It's Just Lunch