Christmas is supposed to be a time of good cheer, but as many couples know, the festive season can sometimes be anything but!
In the quotes below, other couples talk about the issues they face during Christmas:
Spending Christmas apart
‘We don’t see each other much over Christmas as he’s got a lot of shift work. It’s hard not seeing him. But then I remember that it’s not his fault that he has to work these hours, so I can’t get angry at him. To make up for the time we spend apart, we set aside some time and do Christmas in January instead.’ Lucie (Essex)
‘This year we won’t be spending Christmas together. It’s a bit sad, yeah, but no big drama! If he could afford to come home with me then he would, but flights were really expensive. Anyway, we’ve already given each other our Christmas gifts.’ Yannick (London)
Family
‘Both of our families try to make us feel guilty for not spending Christmas day with them. Rather than risk upsetting everyone, we just have Christmas a few days early.’ Clare (Portsmouth)
Christmas presents
‘He's not been great in the gift/important occasion department. When I've received little or nothing from him for Christmas he has mentioned that he buys me presents all year long,’ Anonymous Couple Connection Forum user.
‘She has wanted an Actifry but because we have a young family and are saving for a wedding, money is very, very tight. This last week I came around to the idea and said that it would be a good idea to get one for xmas. She then accused me of being controlling,’ Anonymous Couple Connection Forum user.
Cultural differences
‘My partner was brought up as Muslim. He doesn’t practise the religion, but he doesn’t celebrate Christmas either. I was quite upset about it during our first Christmas. I really wanted him to come to my mum’s house and spend Christmas with my family. But then I thought, if he doesn’t even celebrate Christmas, the magic of the day will belost on him and I’ll just end up in a mood.’ Alice (Perth)
‘He comes from Hungary where they celebrate Christmas on the 24th, not the 25th. So when we spent our first Christmas together I found the whole process of celebrating a day early really weird.’ Cal (London)
