New boyfriend and Christmas

[VelvetVoice]

We will be nearly 7 months together at Christmas time.

I don’t celebrate nor buy gifts / cards to anyone, not even my daughter.

He does celebrate but with his family who lives abroad so he travels there every year.

I don’t know what to do? I’m sure we will have dinner together before he leaves but I don’t want to be in a situation where he gives me a gift but I have nothing to give or vice versa.

Also he got everything he could possibly want / need and is very particular about the things he buys for himself so I’d probably gift him an ‘experience’ but which? Most ‘experiences’ you take somebody with you so would it look like I want him to take me therefore gifiting myself?

Should I bring this up and how?

This isn't a big deal, so just talk to him about it.

I'd imagine you're on the same page, but you won't know til you talk about it.

How would you start the conversation?

I would just make sure he knows that you don't celebrate Christmas and don't give gifts that time of year. He should then realised that's a no gift situation.

This doesn't have to be a big deal but communication is key, if you can't communicate and set expectations that could be a bigger issue in a relationship. Just tell him casually you don't do Xmas gifts and so you don't expect him to get you anything. If he says Xmas gifts are important you could compromise with a small inexpensive token present.

Don't worry about experience gifts - DP and I have taken each other to fancy restaurants for each other's birthdays for the whole of our relationship. Yes, we also benefit from it and no, that's not a problem.