"Tis The Season" - Do You Get A Gift For The New Boyfriend Or Girlfriend?

It's that time of year!  Santa and his elves have invaded every mall.  Holiday parties have been planned, decorations have gone up, and budgets have been set.  As Christmas approaches, preparations have been made to travel home, visit with family and friends, break out the holiday music, and simply get in the spirit.  It's also the time of the year to gain a few extra pounds and blame it on your mom's famous lobster macaroni & cheese or your aunt's delicious and buttery pound cake.  I just gained a few pounds thinking about it!  Either way, it is indeed the most wonderful time of the year.  

New relationships are also pretty amazing during the holiday.  You have someone to help you trim the tree with, sip on a little spiced eggnog, and take those super cute first Christmas pictures together.   However, if it is your first major holiday, Christmas is by far the most stressful for new relationships.  Expectations are natural, but it doesn't mean they are fair, you might have to adjust accordingly.

There is typically a dilemma on what to get that new and special person in your life.  Do you get anything at all, or play it safe and just plan to meet under the mistletoe?  Most new relationship gifts involve some type of universal hat and scarf set or a super annoying pair of mittens that you will pretend to love and cherish for all of eternity.  Either way, it's supposed to be the thought that counts.  The problem is, what if you don't get a gift but the other person does?  Does that begin to make the other person feel as if they aren't liked as much, or does it simply mean it's early in the relationship and maybe it's too early to exchange gifts? 

Communication seems to work very well, so you could always try that.   It might seem a little awkward to ask your new boo if you will be receiving a perfectly wrapped gift, so try suggesting that the two of you exchange gifts.  People are often open to ideas when they are presented in a non-selfish way.  Think of ways to make it fun and inexpensive.  Set a limit and go from there.  Hopefully, since the two of you have decided to be in a relationship, you have learned a little bit about the other person so it shouldn't be too hard to find something that's not too corny and pretty decent.  Keep in mind the other person might be totally against exchanging gifts so when you place that suggestion on the table be prepared for honest feedback.  

Never let the pressure of others, including your significant other, cause you to place boundaries on your relationship by saying it's too early to do something you really want to do.  If it's in your heart and spirit, you will make it happen.  You constantly see Christmas commercials, ads and displays and you almost feel compelled to buy something that you never intended to.  Try not to overthink the process, it takes the fun out of it.  

At the end of the day save yourself a little bit of grief and find a nice simple gift or tell your partner the whole gift gifting thing is not your 'thing'.   Honesty has been known to work wonders!  But, if you choose to go the gift-giving route and you are working on a budget, there are lots of cool finds at many places for under $10 that you really can't go wrong.  This new amazing person could be "the one", or just the one for right now, but it won't break you to think outside the box and put a smile on someone's face.

If the two of you have a strong connection and you genuinely like one another, don't let a gift or lack thereof cause you to second guess what brought you together in the first place.  Enjoy and celebrate the reason for the season!
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Head on over to www.groovmagazine.com and check out this article and download the 2019 Winter Issue!  There is something great in store for all of you music lovers!

Merry Christmas from AJ'S Diary to all of you!

​~AJ