Dating Tips for the Holiday Season

I was just interviewed on a radio show to talk about dating tips for the holiday season.  It’s a popular topic this time of year because the holiday season is typically festive and filled with lots of social events. But the holidays can be a bit challenging for singles. If you’re single during the holidays it’s important to stay positive and say yes to holiday parties. Don’t start feeling sorry for yourself just because you aren’t spending the holidays with the love of your life.

 



Look on the bright side. If you're single during the holiday season you won't have to dress like this.

Holiday Dating Tips for Singles

Sure, there are lots of family-oriented events during the holiday season. And, yes, Aunt Mabel might corner you at a family gathering and ask you why you still aren’t married. But look at the positive side: the holidays are filled with social events that offer opportunities to meet someone new. Be open to meeting someone special and you’ll find yourself having fun. Follow these tips:

 

Holiday Dating Tip #1: Go Old School

You know what they say about the holiday season, right? It’s the most wonderful time of the year! This season is also the most old-fashioned time of the year, and that goes for everyone whether you’re single, dating, or married. The most popular Christmas song is White Christmas, by Bing Crosby—a  song that was recorded in 1942. There is no other time of year that you’ll hear a 70-year-old song on the radio. So keep that in mind, and lean toward behaving like an old school man or old school woman during your dating and social activities during the holidays.

 

Holiday Season Tip for Singles #2: Dress to Impress

The holiday season is a fancier, more formal and more festive time of year. So dress nice. Leave your crappy clothes at home and wear your grown-up clothes. Throw that old sweatshirt and frayed sweater in the laundry and leave them there until after New Year’s. Be classy, not trashy if you want to stand out and attract new love during the holidays.

 

This outfit sounded like a good idea after 12 glasses of eggnog. Can you spell E-P-I-C  F-A-I-L?

Holiday Dating Tip #3: Use Your Best Manners

Again, think Old School. Maybe saying “Yes Ma’am” and “Yes, Sir” is going a bit too far—but maybe not. If you’re a single person meeting your boyfriend’s or girlfriend’s parents for the first time, it’s really hard to be TOO polite. And the same thing goes for meeting someone on a first date. During the holidays, we just expect people to be nicer, friendlier, and have better manners.

So guys, DO NOT wear mistletoe on you belt buckle thinking you’re going to get some action. That’s an epic fail during the holidays.

 

Holiday Dating Tip #4:  Don’t be a Schmuck—Spend Ten Bucks

The holidays are full of parties—office parties, cocktail parties, dinner parties. Whether you’re a man or a woman, show up bearing a gift. Small and thoughtful is best. Poinsettias. A bottle of affordable wine. Homemade cookies or sweetbread. A small holiday décor item. Be a wise man (or woman) and play the role of Santa’s little helper. Spending 5 or 10 bucks keeps you from looking like a schmuck. And generosity is VERY appealing to singles of both genders.

 

Holiday Season Tip for Singles #5: Relax and be Your Best Self

The holiday season is a great time to relax, enjoy yourself and stop trying so hard to impress the opposite sex. If you’re a man, leave your tired old pickup lines at home. If you’re a woman, leave your slutty clothes in your closet. This is the time to be comfortable within you own skin in a comfortable, natural way. There is nothing more appealing than that. (And this holiday dating tip works all year long.)

 

Relax and enjoy the holiday season whether you're single or part of a couple.

 

Bonus Holiday Season Tip for Single Women

Ladies, DO NOT dress up your dog in a cute little Santa outfit, thinking that’s a great man magnet. You might think, “That’s so cute!” But men think, “Look at the crazy lady who dressed up her dog like Santa Paws.”

Double Bonus: The Holiday Season is a good time to remember:

Babe Magnet Rule #14

Babe Magnets are confident and sure of themselves. Even if they have to fake it.

Babe Rule #1

Be the Babe. Make him earn your affections. You’re worth the effort.

(NOTE: For more dating and relationship tips, read The Babe Magnet Rules of Dating Over 50: 101 Tips for Meeting, Winning & Keeping a New Love by Chad Stone.)

 

Have a terrific holiday season!

 

 

Holiday Dating Survival Guide

The Holiday Season is the most wonderful time of the year. But maybe not so much if you’re single and your mom, Aunt Gertrude, best friend, and maybe even (if you’re single again for the second or third time) your kids are bugging you about still being single.

“Have you found anyone nice?” they all ask.

So what do you say in response?

Here’s my Holiday Dating Survival Guide, which offers some great holiday dating tips that will get you through the holiday season with a smile on your face—and maybe even a new sweetheart in your life.

Stay Positive

Singlehood is not a disease. You are not afflicted with a contagious virus, so don’t beat yourself up over being single during the holidays. Don’t think of being single as a misfortune. Don’t let anyone bring your mood down.

Say Yes to Holiday Parties

Even if it’s probably going to be primarily a couples event, put on your best smile and your festive holiday clothes and go to the party. Go simply for the adventure of it. Decide in advance that you’re going to have fun. You never know, there might be a great single man or woman there for you to meet. If so, and you’re outnumbered by couples, you might find yourself bonding over your singleness.

Deflect and Distract

When someone nosy asks about your love life, deflect and distract. If you don’t want to talk about yourself, just say something like, “There’s no news on that topic yet, but stay tuned to CNN for further developments.” Then launch into a summary of your latest accomplishments at work, or ask a question about them.

Be Open to Meeting Someone Special

Because there are so many parties and social events during the holidays, it’s a good time to meet someone. In fact, this is a great time of year to meet a new love. There is romance in the air and mistletoe hanging everywhere. Take advantage of it, and strike up a conversation with that cute guy or that adorable babe over there. But use your best manners, because the holiday season is an old-fashioned, old-school time of year.

Leave the Cheesy Pickup Lines at Home

The best ice-breakers are light-hearted and spontaneous. Talk about your favorite-- or least favorite-- Christmas songs. Compliment a person on her holiday dress or his holiday sweater. You could even say, “Hey, it looks like we’re, the only singles here, so the rule is we have to talk to each other. My name’s Chad, what’s yours?” Almost anything said with a genuine smile can be a great opening line.

Invite Someone to a Holiday Party

A holiday party offers a great opportunity to get to know someone better. If you’re dating someone now but you haven’t yet crossed over into full couplehood, a holiday party can be a great bonding experience for the two of you. Tell your date ahead of time who is going to be at the party and what kinds of things they might talk about. If it’s a family event, warn her (or him) about the family members who are likely to ask the most intrusive questions. You might even want to establish a “rescue sign” that you can flash from across the room if your date needs you to rush over and be her knight in shining armor.

Use Your Very Best Manners

 The Holiday Season is the best time of year to dress up nice, say please and thank you, and use your very best old-fashioned manners. You almost can’t be too polite—even if it borders on corniness. We all get a little mushy and nostalgic during this time of year, so remember to arrive bearing gifts for the host/hostess and genuine compliments for everyone!

There’s more dating advice and tips at www.middleagedbabemagnet.com. If you have any single people on your holiday gift list, Confessions of a Middle-Aged Babe Magnet by yours truly, Chad Stone, makes a great gift! Clickhere to buy it.