Curtin Uni sexologist says couples should pick quality over quantity with gifts

Curtin University clinical fellow and sexologist Amanda Lambros said couples should think quality over quantity when it comes to gifts and to make positive social decisions.

“Christmas comes at an interesting time; it’s the end of the year, when people are tired, often overwhelmed and sometimes people simply tell others how they feel in an unfiltered or unedited way – all this mixed together can create tension during the holiday season,” Dr Lambros said.

“To avoid this and to allow the holiday season to be as smooth as possible, take time to rest and recharge.”

Dr Lambros said establishing personal boundaries was a good way to manage issues that notoriously arise over the Christmas table.

“Be clear with yourself and what your intentions are during the holiday season, don’t allow others the opportunity to upset you – you are responsible for your feelings – set clear boundaries and limitations that you are willing to deal with and stick to them no matter what,” she said.

Meddlesome families remain the most common complaint during Christmas time, something Dr Lambros said should be |ignored.

“Typically this occurs when one or more family members uses a little too much liquid relaxant and allows some of their thoughts to become spoken words that might not be appreciated by |others,” she said.

“When this occurs, you need to think about the comments as water off a duck’s back and let those comments slide because it is truly not worth it. Alternatively remove yourself from the situation so that it doesn’t escalate.”

Dr Lambros recommended balancing family time and couple time.

“The best way to manage couple and family time during the holiday season is to be sure to schedule the balance into your calendar and have clear boundaries set as to when you will need to pull away from family and move closer to the couple to make the balance work as much as possible,” she said.