Relationship Milestones: Celebrating Your First Holiday Together

Every relationship has its milestones — your first date, meeting each other's friends, meeting each other's parents, moving in together. But one of the most enjoyable milestones is celebrating your first holiday together. It's a defining moment in a relationship and one you will always remember. Here are some tips to make your first holiday celebration unforgettable.

Let the Past Meet the Future

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Traditions of the past, meet traditions of the future. Before spending your first holiday together, enlighten each other about past traditions you'd like to share while also establishing new traditions for your future. A great place to start is with food. What does your family cook or bake for this holiday traditionally? Call grandma for that delicious peach cobbler secret family recipe or find recipes online together and create your own traditional holiday menu. Here are some holiday food recipes to help get you started. Associate an activity with a specific holiday, such as hiking the day after Thanksgiving (helps burn off that pumpkin pie too), wine tasting on Valentine's Day or volunteering at a soup kitchen on Christmas Day. Find a balance between your old family traditions and future traditions with your significant other.

Get Festive

To make your first holiday together memorable, get festive. Throw a party. Start with decorating your apartment or home. Even if it is for Easter or the fourth of July, have an egg hunt in your home and mini-American flags along your walkway. Munch and sip on traditional food and cocktails such as corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick's Day and margaritas, grenadas or a chimayos for Cinco de Mayo. Don't forget festive music and movies to get you in the mood like Christmas favorites including "Elf," "Home Alone" and "The Santa Clause."

Don't Be Afraid to Host

Just because it's your first holiday together doesn't mean you can't host a party or get together at your place, as a couple. It's a great way to start new traditions and to have both of your families or friends over to share the holiday together. If you have a space together, this is a perfect time to invest in nice dishes and silverware for entertaining guests. Make it a tradition every year to host this specific holiday at your place.

Support One Another

Whether you decide to host a holiday or join the celebrations elsewhere, it's important to support one another through your first holiday together. Hosting family and friends over for a party can be a little stressful with the preparation that's involved and everyone meeting each other. Make sure to check in with each other throughout the whole process, helping each other out in sticky situations and putting in a team effort. Celebrating your first holiday together at the in-laws can be intimidating, so speak fondly about each other and never put each other down in front of others.

Enjoy Each Other's Company

At the end of the day, no matter where you celebrate or with who, the most important thing is marking the milestone this first holiday creates for you and your loved one. Don't forget to enjoy being with each other and make a toast with a classy cocktail for many more holidays to come.

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