There are some hesitations however, when students begin relationships around this time of year. Yes, the hot chocolate runs, ice skating dates and holiday movie marathons are nice spent with a crush, but this time of year, these seemingly harmless dates can often complicate relationships.
Alyse Ellsworth, student, said she is nervous about what direction her relationship will go during this holiday season.
“I recently started dating a really nice guy, but I’m not sure what to expect with Christmas coming up,” Ellsworth said.
She began dating her boyfriend three weeks ago, but said “things have been getting pretty serious.” Ellsworth worries about what kind of gift she should get her boyfriend and if she should expect to meet his family around this special time of year.
“I want to get him a really nice gift, but I don’t want him to feel weird or feel like he has to get me something nice too,” Ellsworth said. “We haven’t really talked much about it, which makes it even more confusing.”
According to Ellsworth, she has narrowed her gift ideas down to cologne and a tie. Both, she said, are nice without appearing too serious.
She is also anxious to find out whether or not her boyfriend will introduce her to his family.
“With it being Christmas and all, I really want to meet his family,” Ellsworth said. “I always spend it with my family, so I hope he wants to let me spend it with his.”
Another student, David Price, said the key to relationships around the holiday season is communication. Price reflects on his relationships that ended last Christmas due to miscommunication.
“I thought we were a lot more serious than she did, and that’s what messed it up,” Price said.
According to Price, he wanted him and his girlfriend to buy each other meaningful gifts and spend time with each other’s family, but his girlfriend was not on the same page.
“I bought her an expensive necklace and she gave me a DVD,” Price said. “It’s not that I care that she get me an expensive gift, but we were just really off on where our relationship was.”
Looking back, Price wished he would have asked his girlfriend prior to buying her gift what she thought about their relationship. He thinks this would have cleared up any confusion and prevented the uncomfortable reactions that came when she opened her diamond necklace.
Melissa Lindsey is a senior at Utah Valley University studying communication with an emphasis in journalism. Contact her at lindsey.mml@gmail.com
