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Match.com: 63% of Singles on
Santa's "Naughty List"
(onlinedatingmagazine.com -
December 12, 2003) Santa
is making his list and checking it twice, and according
to a December 2003 Match.com poll
of more than 9,000 singles, 63% said that this year
they have been naughty, not nice.
As people across
the country map out their holiday gift-giving plans,
online dating site Match.com surveyed
more than 1,000 single adults living in the U.S. to
find out the latest in gift-giving trends. Thirty-seven
percent of men and 29% of women said they plan to spend
$100 or more on the Christmas gift they will give to
the person they are dating this year, while only 10%
of men and 15% of women expect their dates to spend
$100 or more on gifts for them this year.
When asked
how much they expected the person they are dating to
spend on them for Christmas this year, 51% of singles
said that it's not about money so the amount doesn't
matter, down from the 63% of singles who reported this
last year.
In the November research, 3% of singles
said they would break up with someone who gave them
a cheap or thoughtless Christmas or Chanukah present,
18% were unsure and 78% said they would not break up.
"Whether they are feeling naughty
or nice, holiday gift giving can be challenging for
singles who are only casually, or very recently, dating
someone, as a gift can be perceived as an indication
of the
depth of romantic attraction one feels," said
Trish McDermott, Vice President of Romance and resident
dating expert at Match.com. "It
is not as important to spend a
great deal of money on a gift as it is to understand the message that an inappropriate
gift -- whether overly expensive, insultingly cheap
or in any way distasteful -- could potentially send
to the recipient."
Still, for some singles, the
countdown to Christmas may be more daunting than
exciting, as the November Match.com research
indicates that Christmas rivals Valentines Day as the most challenging and
stressful holiday to celebrate as a single person.
Match.com's Guide
To Appropriate Gift-Giving For Dates
* Even
if you are only casually dating someone, any invitation
to your date's home, or to the home of your date's
friends or family for a winter holiday activity,
requires a gift. Bring along candy, alcohol, a winter
floral arrangement or any other small yet thoughtful
gift.
* If you are casually dating someone, even if
you are each seeing other people, and make a date
specific to one of the gift-giving holidays (attending
midnight mass together, lighting the menorah, decorating
a Christmas tree), then a gift is in order.
* Domestic
appliances, lingerie, sexual toys and gift certificates
are generally holiday gift-giving no-no's for a
romantic interest. The perfect holiday gift for the
person you're dating should compliment his or her
unique personality and should convey selfless, intuitive
consideration for your date's wants and needs.
* 'Tis
the season to be appropriately sentimental, romantic,
warm, affectionate and merry. Consider making a gift
for your romantic interest, writing a short
story, painting a picture, building a jewelry box
and giving a gift of your time and emotional and
creative energy. Most singles say they would prefer
something meaningful and homemade over something
generic and impersonal purchased at a store.
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