Falling in love during the holiday season could feel like a fairy tale, a scenario worthy of the most beautiful Christmas romantic comedies. But sometimes, once the magic of the holidays has passed, your enthusiasm wanes and your love at first sight ends. It is a classic scenario which even has its own name: snow-globing.
Imagine if your Christmas shopping trip turned into a romantic comedy. While you are buying the gifts to delight your loved ones, one of your packages falls out of your basket. A charming stranger picks up the gift. Your eyes meet, it's love at first sight!
Then begins an idyll, you live the Advent period like a fairy tale. This person, still unknown a few days earlier, is your soul mate, of this you are sure. But after the holiday season, the magic deflates like an undercooked soufflé.
You have experienced what specialists call the "snow-globing" effect, which consists of getting together during the holiday season, covering Christmas and New Year's Day. The term "snow-globing" comes from the decorative "snow globes" in which our favourite Christmas characters are locked and cheerfully shaken by children to cause a snow flurry inside.
According to this phenomenon, the magical holiday season brings with it a feeling of nostalgia and a need for comfort.
Single people turn to the first person to come and create a relationship that seems perfect to compensate for their loneliness.
According to a study conducted by Happn in 2019, 45% of single French people feel pressure to be in a relationship during the family reunion at the end of the year.
Psychiatrist Gary Brown, writing for Cosmopolitan US, explains that "feeling embarrassed about not being in a relationship can be so painful that some people think they find in romance a solution to avoid having to feel the pain of loneliness."
Communication with your new partner is essential, whether verbal or non-verbal. The important thing is to understand what he or she expects from this relationship. You will then be able to realise if their expectations are consistent with yours.
As the holiday season arrives, you can also watch your loved one's behavioural changes. If their attitude changes drastically, this sign can alert you to the true intention behind this relationship. For example, whether he or she goes from distant behaviour to a desire to see you every night during the Christmas period may worry you.
Finally, the best way to test your relationship and its "snow-globing" effect might be to take a step back: spend the holidays with your friends and family while staying in touch with your partner and get back to them from January 1 to see if the passion is still there.
