This semester has been a nice change of pace for me compared to others. For the very first time, I’ve had a steady girlfriend during my college tenure.

Although I never felt deprived by not having a relationship during the holiday season in prior semesters of college, I now get the chance to experience how it will shake up the usual holiday traditions.

A big difference to note is the fact that you have developed an extended family through your significant other’s family. I love my own family, but everyone tends to repeat the same stories.

It’s an interesting change in conversation once they see you’ve brought someone along with you. This means you’ll get an opportunity to spend the holiday celebration with a different set of people that have different traditions and methods of celebrations, notably what food is being served, from the family you’ve known since birth.

Some students come from large families and some have smaller families, and it’s always interesting to see the contrast between the two when you’re used to one or the other. This time of the year is a good time to show off your better half to the family for the first time.

Hopefully your relatives treat you like an adult and don’t treat you like an 8-year-old who’s brought a date with them to a family outing, but God love ‘em if they do treat you like the perpetual child. Remember it’s just for a few hours and not a lifetime.

Taking your college sweetheart to this sort of outing is also a good test of their character. It’s a good opportunity to learn how they are around children and how well they adapt to the situation of not knowing anyone. Learning about their sense of humor is important to take note during the outing. To me, it’s kind of a turnoff to see someone not willing to participate in a conversation with others. It’s not a preferred or welcomed sort of guest.

Hopefully you won’t be stuck to each other like Siamese twins throughout the entire outing, and give the partner a chance to let loose. My girlfriend has no problem with me participating in our yearly tradition of tossing around the football, while she stays inside and chats with everyone else.

The holiday season is a special time for you when you’re in a relationship, and it is a fine time to see if they are truly the one for you.

It’s also a good memory to recall if you happen to be married later on in life.