Tips For Surviving Christmas With The Potential In Laws

So the festive season is well and truly among us.

Christmas is by far my favorite time of the year. Reconnecting with family members, unwrapping unwanted presents and stuffing your face with plates of food that would be considered a sin any other time of the year. Bliss.

This time of the year can also be a little daunting for some, especially if you are spending it with the in-laws, or it’s your first time spending it with your partner’s family. Not to fret. We have the do’s and don’ts this Christmas that’ll help you make a good impression on the potential in-laws.

Do – bring gifts! Do not show up empty handed. If your other half has a huge family then you can just buy something for the parents and the children. Opt for something inexpensive but thoughtful. A designer bag says ‘I’m trying to buy your love’. Studs for mum say ‘this made me think of you’. If this is the first time you are meeting the family, avoid buying presents for individuals. Otherwise, you run the risk of getting it terribly wrong. Go for a bottle of wine and a box of chocolates for the children

Do – Offer a helping hand. Don’t be the lazy guest just eating all their food and drinking all their wine. Help out in the kitchen, with the cooking etc. Why not bring a dish? Always opt for desert, cake, pies etc. You can’t really go wrong with desert, but if you get the chicken wrong.. oh boy.

Don’t – Drink too much. I have a friend who drinks before every nerve wrecking event and, sometimes, she tips the limits. You don’t want to be the drunk girlfriend who is talked about for years to come. Have a few glasses but set your limit and stick to it.

Don’t – Break the rules. If you are sleeping over, and you have to stay in the children’s bedroom while your partner sleeps in the living room, do not request that you sleep together and do not try and pull a fast one and attempt a quickie in the bathroom in the middle of the night. Be respectful and behave.

Do – Interact. Don’t sit there looking like a dear caught in the headlights the whole time. Confidence is attractive. Partake in the games, debates and jokes. Learn to be present without standing out.

Don’t – Spend the whole time on your smart phone. We are all guilty of being totally consumed in a whatsapp conversation or looking at what’s trending on Twitter, that you become so oblivious to what that looks like to those around you. To the 20 something year old its fine, but those that are not of the smart phone generation will find it rudely disrespectful.

Do – Remember your manners.  Please and thank you are your new best friends.

Above all, remember to be yourself. You are the apple of their offspring’s eye, so naturally they’d want to know what it is that their precious little boy finds so attractive about you…. And that’s you. So be the best you.