Nothing tests a new relationship quite like stuffing, side-eyes, and your uncle explaining how “they” are controlling the weather. Ahh, yes, the holidays.
Tawkify surveyed 1,000 Americans about holiday dating timelines, and the headline is brutal. More than 1 in 4 people, 26 percent, said they brought a partner home for the holidays and later regretted it, according to Tawkify’s Holiday Dating Timeline Survey. If you have ever watched a new partner try to decode your family’s inside jokes while someone loudly asks what their “intentions” are, this number feels right.
A lot of this comes down to basic timing. In the survey, 39 percent of respondents said couples should date for at least six months before doing the holiday intro. Meanwhile, 1 in 10 said one month is enough. Tawkify also found millennials were more likely than Gen Z to sign off on the one-month timeline.
That pressure is clear in the data, too. Nearly a quarter of people, 24 percent, said they felt pushed to bring someone home before they were ready. The problem is that “home for the holidays” carries a loaded meaning. Tawkify found that 72 percent think bringing someone home makes the relationship “official.”
It’s Not You, It’s Your Weird Family
Then there’s the family factor, aka the part you cannot control. In the survey, 20 percent said they felt judged by their family based on who they brought. More than a third said their family told embarrassing stories, and 23 percent said relatives asked awkward or inappropriate questions. A full 32 percent even agreed that introducing someone too soon can “curse the relationship.” Cursed sounds crazy, but also, maybe?
Holiday stress makes everything just a bit spicier. The American Psychiatric Association has noted that the season can be stressful for many people, with common triggers like finances, family conflict, and grief. Add a new partner to that pressure cooker, and you can see why 12 percent admitted staying in a relationship longer than they wanted, just to get through the holidays.
So, if you’re newly in a relationship, maybe sit out the first round, wait til next year. Bring a dessert. Bring a buffer friend. And stop putting so much pressure on your relationship status at the holidays.
The post Think Twice Before Bringing a Date Home for the Holidays, 26% Regret It appeared first on VICE.
