Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsChallengesAssessing Where Things StandHoliday ArgumentsGift-Giving TensionManaging Holiday Stress

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Challenges

Assessing Where Things Stand

Holiday Arguments

Gift-Giving Tension

Managing Holiday Stress

Close

Holidays can be a stressful time for new couples. Having different hopes, expectations, and demands can add strain and affect your moods. You might want to be together during these special days. Or conversely, you might expect you’ll be with your own families or making separate plans.

This article explores the challenges new couples face, how to deal with not knowing where things stand, what new couples argue about, why the gift-giving issue brings tension, and how new couples can manage stress during the holidays.

What Challenges Do New Couples Face During the Holidays?

The main challenges that make it tricky for those embarking on a new relationship during the holiday season involve stress, anxiety,fear, family dynamics, and communication challenges.

Relationship Questions to Ask Your Partner to Take Your Connection Next Level

How to Deal With Not Knowing Where Things Stand

You’re Not on the Same Wavelength

One person in the couple might assume the relationship is more serious than the other. Reality check: If you don’t make and protect time to spend together, you can’t bevulnerableand authentic with your special person, and if they don’t make you a priority, the relationship might not as be serious as you think it is. It is important to be mindful of your assumptions and expectations and to communicate clearly and openly with your partner.

Uncertainty About Spending the Holidays Together

Is so, then you could invite this person to your family home. If they decline, they still might care about you, but it might be too early for them to formally meet the whole family.

Lack of Communication

You’re not sure you’re invited to their office party after you invited them to yours. Nor do you know if New Year’s Eve plans will involve being together.

You clam up because you don’t want to show that you’re concerned. Summon the courage to drop the facade to be honest and speak up! Lack of confidence may prevent you from communicating about this, but why remain in limbo and discomfort of the unknown? Open and courageouscommunicationcan foster a closer, more supportive and trusting relationship.

As you can see, reducing your stress level and opening up communication can help with these challenges. It’s okay to not be completely comfortable figuring out what’s going on in a new relationship, but you are always allowed to honestly voice your questions for clarity, accuracy, and planning in response to actual instead of assumed information.

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What Do Couples Argue About in New Relationships?

Hot-button issues that usually come up when you’ve been dating for a short time usually revolve around these issues once November and December come around:

Why Gift-Giving Brings Tension

In a fairly new relationship, you don’t know how the other person will approach gift giving. They might feel compelled to purchase something expensive as their family spends big for the holidays. Or they might feel that’s the best way to show you how much they care.

Though it may feel awkward at first, it’s good to share philosophies in advance if you’re in the dark about how to handle gift giving with this person.

If you don’t feel that close, comfortable, and connected yet, don’t overdo it and break the bank for this person. One approach is to clearly and honestly communicate about your budgets and agree to set a financial limit on how much you will spend on each other. That way you can avoid a potentially awkward situation if you bought your special person a gift certificate for their favorite neighborhood pool and beer hall while they bought you a weekend package at a luxury spa in the mountains.

We know that in gift-giving,it’s the thought that counts. Yet, problems withreciprocityare common. We worry about whether or not we got our special someone the right gift. Or we feel like we have to get our special someone a better gift after we open their present for us. Reciprocation anxiety can be burdensome and may be alleviated or resolved with clear and honest communication.

How New Couples Can Manage Holiday Stress

We view the end-of-year holidays as a happy and joyous time, butholiday bluesdo sometimes appear. One person in a new relationship might feel sad, lonely, or overwhelmed. You can predict that there will be lots to do, so here are ways that couples in a new relationship can try to keep stress at bay:

Nurturing close relationships and being with those you love during the holidays is important for both your physical and mental health. A study on relationships during a major holiday found that feeling socially connected and focusing on growth was linked strongly to a person’s well-being. Participants who saw even one other person face-to-face during COVID reported significantly higher levels of satisfaction, focus and well-being.

While navigating a new relationship during the holidays may bring challenges, it can also be rewarding and wonderful. Getting through this time successfully can help you grow even closer to your new partner, and help create new memories that will last deep into your relationship.

2 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Sesame Care.Holiday 2021 Stress Report: Increase in Anxiety, Depression & COVID-Related Stress. November 2021Vaughn LA, Burkins PG, Chalachan RD, Judd JK, Garvey CA, Luginsland JW.Feeling Socially Connected and Focusing on Growth: Relationships With Wellbeing During a Major Holiday in the COVID-19 Pandemic.Front Psychol. 2021;12:710491. Published 2021 Aug 26. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.710491

2 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Sesame Care.Holiday 2021 Stress Report: Increase in Anxiety, Depression & COVID-Related Stress. November 2021Vaughn LA, Burkins PG, Chalachan RD, Judd JK, Garvey CA, Luginsland JW.Feeling Socially Connected and Focusing on Growth: Relationships With Wellbeing During a Major Holiday in the COVID-19 Pandemic.Front Psychol. 2021;12:710491. Published 2021 Aug 26. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.710491

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Sesame Care.Holiday 2021 Stress Report: Increase in Anxiety, Depression & COVID-Related Stress. November 2021Vaughn LA, Burkins PG, Chalachan RD, Judd JK, Garvey CA, Luginsland JW.Feeling Socially Connected and Focusing on Growth: Relationships With Wellbeing During a Major Holiday in the COVID-19 Pandemic.Front Psychol. 2021;12:710491. Published 2021 Aug 26. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.710491

Vaughn LA, Burkins PG, Chalachan RD, Judd JK, Garvey CA, Luginsland JW.Feeling Socially Connected and Focusing on Growth: Relationships With Wellbeing During a Major Holiday in the COVID-19 Pandemic.Front Psychol. 2021;12:710491. Published 2021 Aug 26. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.710491

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