|
The holiday season has officially begun and for singles, this can be the
best and worst of times.
The reasons are obvious. You don't want to spend the holidays alone; you
want to share them with a loved one; you want a guarantee that someone in
your life will buy you something you want.
If you're dating during the holidays, things can get exciting -- exchanging
wish lists, attending parties, feeling as if you are on display when meeting
your significant other's family members for the first time.
But what if your relationship is on the rocks, and you want to get out. Do
you break up before or after the holiday season?
That's a tough one. Even Santa wouldn't know if it's naughty or nice. If you
decide to break up before the season of giving, you may feel relieved at
first, but later face a swirl of emotions as you head to the stores and
watch everyone else shopping for a loved one, getting into the spirit of the
season.
Attending holiday parties as "newly single" can have some benefits, as long
as you have plenty of rum egg nog. But you may have to listen to "lifelong"
singles sharing their tales of woe, describing their bitterness toward the
commercialized Christmas season. (Just have to walk away from those people.)
Breaking up before the season could also lead to random calls, text messages
and e-mails from your ex blaming you for trashing dreams of holiday bliss,
wanting you to know how much of a Grinch you are.
Now if you decide to wait (which would be my preference -- call me greedy
but I want my present), you can still enjoy some of the benefits of the
holidays, but it will challenge how you maintain your interest.
There is also the tricky gift exchange scenario. Do I buy an expensive gift
to cloak my true feelings, or do I buy something cheap so I can save money
knowing how this Christmas story will end?
She's going to get suspicious if she gives me an iPhone and I give her a
SunPass. If you decide to stay together through Christmas, there is a small
window of opportunity to break up -- five days -- and then comes New Year's
Eve.
Generally when you plan your holiday schedule you account for both events.
Who wants to start the New Year by dumping someone? Just as greedy as
sticking around for a present is ensuring you have a guaranteed kiss at the
strike of midnight Dec. 31.
Taking an informal poll of South Florida guys brought mixed results. One
said the timing depends on whether you want to remain friends with your ex.
Several said after the holidays, one guy in hopes that his girlfriend wraps
herself in a big red bow as a gift on Christmas Eve. Several said before, to
save money and drama.
One guy advised to stay apart through Valentine's Day (which creeps up on us
almost as soon as our New Year's Eve hangover ends). "If you're lucky her
birthday is in-between and you save tons of money."
What do you think -- and what's your experience? E-mail me and we'll discuss
the topic again in a few weeks.
Source: http://www.sanluisobispo.com/524/story/206228
| 
