Love at Christmas

You know how they say traditionally Christmas is spent with family? What happens when the love of your life comes into play?

Do you opt to just be jolly with your family, and have them follow suit with their own traditions? Do you invite your significant other to be a part of the festivities, or do you ditch your Christmas customs altogether to start anew, for two?

We asked a few of our seasoned female readers how they've celebrated or plan to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year, since gaining a new addition to their hearts. Here is what they had to say:

My boyfriend and I have been together for over five years now and we normally celebrate separately during the Christmas season - he goes to be with his family and I go with mine. For us, Christmas time means family time.

- S.T., 27.

nnn

We both love Christmas and we have our families to blame for that. So when it came to celebrating, we thought why not have our Christmas cake and eat it too? My family has a small dinner gathering on Christmas night, while his family hosts a family reunion every Boxing Day. This is perfect timing since it's never on the same day. And while it's hassling to travel from parish to parish during the season, it's all worth it to spend that time together with our families.

- H.D, 30.

nnn

When we started as a couple, we would literally attend about three dinner spots in Kingston, raid people's pots, then link up with them for a party during the season. Now that we have since married and migrated last year, we went to just one family, since we were unfamiliar with our new surroundings. Now that it has been a year, we've decided to keep it low-key and make this upcoming Christmas just about the two of us. It will give us a chance to reconnect since work has us busy leading up to the big day.

- Z.C., 33.

nnn

The very first Christmas I had with 'Bae' I made him lobster and so much more, and it was then that he told me that he had never had food like that, let alone Christmas, so he was extremely grateful. It's amazing what we take for granted. So since then, we've always tried to make dinner and spend time with our blended families. Because we are adventurous, and we'll both be working, our girls (daughters) will be staying at a resort with other family members, to keep them occupied and entertained. We will join them for dinner on Christmas Day, then head back to work.

- J.T., 26

nnn

Christmas is a big deal for my family as well as my husband's family. And this will be our first year spending the season on our own. So we've decided to fuse the traditions that we know and love, like the big festive feast, tree decorating, and carolling, while adding new ones, like watching the snow, attending events and just making different yet priceless memories together.

- R.K., 28.

krysta.anderson@gleanerjm.com