How to Woo Your Beau’s Family this Holiday Season
Holidays are stressful for everyone, right? There are linens to press, dishes to make, and entertaining to do. Who better to spend these special times with than your significant other? Meeting the parents during the holidays is an exciting, often anxiety-filled event for you and your partner, so the BSB team is here to help you make the most of the experience. Here are some tips on how to make the best first holiday impression on your mate’s family:
- Ask your partner questions. Christmas at your house may not look like Christmas at their house. Be sure to “study up” on their family by asking about family dynamics, traditions, and taboos. This way, you won’t be surprised that they sing a song before saying grace, or that Grandma expects you to fix his plate. Also, use this time to make sure you’re both on the same page. Maybe your significant other told Mom that you two met in the librarytrjh instead of at that frat party freshman year.
- Speak to everyone when you enter a room. This custom is often overlooked and under-valued. Greeting your partner’s family with a smile and a jovial hello could be all you need to receive a glowing familial review.
- Offer to help. When you’ve been invited to someone’s home, it’s just good form to offer your assistance. If this is your first time visiting, most hosts will say no. But if you’ve been around your significant other’s parents before, you could be drafted to carry out a number of tasks. Extending your help shows kindness, and might keep you from being asked to do something you aren’t comfortable doing.
- Make a plate of small portions. Okay, so this sounds like we’re warning you not to overeat, but here at BSB, we encourage everyone to eat and live well. However, we also encourage politeness. You probably have an auntie whose potato salad is a requirement at every family function. Your partner probably has one, too. Those aunties probably aren’t sharing recipes, though. It would be a shame to fill you plate with foods you have no interest in eating.