{"id":11955,"date":"2025-12-09T01:25:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T08:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/2c4fec1f-9abe-11e8-99ad-ca52c1e5b2af"},"modified":"2025-12-09T01:30:57","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T08:30:57","slug":"home-for-the-holidays-2","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.boundless.org\/blog\/home-for-the-holidays-2\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Tips For Bringing Your Boyfriend or Girlfriend Home for the Holidays"},"content":{"rendered":"

When it comes to celebrating Christmas, in addition to the changes that take place in your own family over the years as discussed on this week\u2019s podcast<\/a>, there are some interesting dynamics when bringing someone home with you. And by \u201csomeone,\u201d I mean that \u201cspecial someone.\u201d Whether he\/she is your boyfriend, girlfriend or fianc\u00e9, this poses a significant change in family dynamics that can be difficult to navigate both for your family and your relationship.<\/p>\n

I was fortunate to have a great relationship with Krista\u2019s parents from the beginning. If you\u2019ve read any of my previous posts, you\u2019ll know that I pursued Krista for a long time before she finally saw the light. I don\u2019t know what you\u2019ve seen or experienced, but if someone just wants you in the \u201cfriend zone\u201d while everyone else, including her parents, thinks you need to be together, it can really keep her running in the other direction. Krista was already looking for reasons to run, and her parents pushing her toward me didn\u2019t help! However, once we did get together and eventually married, it made my transition into the family a pretty smooth one as I already had a good relationship with her parents; they knew me, I knew them, and we were all comfortable with each other and with Krista and me being together.<\/p>\n

Surviving the first holiday meet-the-parents<\/h4>\n

Even with the great relationship I had with Krista\u2019s parents, it was still a little awkward the first time we were a \u201ccouple\u201d around them, and it happened to be over Christmas break. I can remember walking into the house, seeing a different kind of smile and fielding a different set of questions. I also remember trying to figure out what PDA should look like. How close do I sit? Do I hold her hand in front of them?<\/em> No way can I be caught giving her a little peck — or is that okay because we\u2019re together now?<\/em><\/p>\n

Then there was the time issue. Do we go off on our own during the week or should we just be with everyone all of the time? Should I have some guy time with her dad and make sure he knows his daughter\u2019s in good hands? How serious will we get when talking about our relationship? Should I also have some time with her brother since I\u2019m dating his sister? I wonder how he feels about all of this? Should we become good friends? I wonder if everyone likes me and thinks I\u2019m good for Krista?<\/em> The questions went on and on.<\/p>\n

How to make it a merry (and less awkward) Christmas<\/h4>\n

There\u2019s a lot going on when you bring someone home for the holidays, and if you\u2019re like me, you can freak yourself out worrying about everything. Here are few things for both of you to keep in mind as you approach this potential scenario this Christmas:<\/p>\n

1. Just be yourself. <\/strong>I know it sounds clich\u00e9, but it really is important to just be yourself. Don\u2019t try too hard or try to be someone that you\u2019re not. If you\u2019re the special someone, this perspective will help you be a little more relaxed, natural and better able to actually carry on meaningful conversations and have fun with everyone. If you\u2019re the one bringing the special someone home, it will allow you to see this person as they truly are and how things might look with everyone in the future.<\/p>\n

2. Be intentional with your time. <\/strong>As you plan your time at home, be intentional about spending time with the parents, siblings and other family members, but don\u2019t make everything too serious and all about your future plans. When you have the opportunity, talk about the serious stuff, and if you\u2019re the special someone, talk about your relationship, what you think about their son or daughter and why this is a good thing. But make sure to have some fun, too, and let them see you as a normal person.<\/p>\n

3. Keep the PDA to a minimum. <\/strong>Depending on how long you\u2019ve been together and how much you\u2019ve been around each other\u2019s parents, cool it on the PDA. I have seen that this can make things more difficult or at least more awkward than they need to be. There are other times and places to display your affection!<\/p>\n

As was discussed on the podcast and now here, you want your time with family to be as enjoyable, encouraging and refreshing as it can be. I think it\u2019s important to be intentional and aware of the changing relational dynamics as you bring your special someone home, but don\u2019t forget that it\u2019s your family; they love you, and Christmas is about Jesus<\/a>, anyway!<\/p>\n

Copyright 2011 Jackson Dunn. All rights reserved.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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