Can a Christmas fling become the real thing?

With the holiday season fast approaching we can’t help feeling excited about the endless parties, dates and snowball fights that might lead to love. There’s something about the season that makes everything seem a little bit more romantic, from the Christmas lights, to roaring fires and cuddling up while it snows outside – and sometimes it can be like you are starring in your own Christmas rom-com.

Have you ever been on holiday around Christmas time and met someone? You have a laugh together under the mistletoe and suddenly you find yourself not wanting the romance to end? Can a Christmas fling become the real thing?

One of my friends, Kate, went skiing last year in the Alps and while on the slopes was knocked over by a snowboarder. After much swearing as she heaved herself back upright, she locked eyes with a French guy – who took her off for some mulled wine – and they embarked on a passionate affair. Meanwhile my mate James did a ski season and had a never-ending list of women falling at his feet. A girl he met then, is now his wife.

We asked dating coach and celebrity psychologist Jo Hemmings (www.johemmings.co.uk) what she thinks of this age-old issue of the holiday romance.

“One of the problems is you go away and you’re in a different frame of mind. You may go for someone that you wouldn’t ordinarily go for,” she says. “I think that you only know when you get home and you make the effort to maintain the relationship whether it stands a chance and if it had legs.”

However, despite the negative press, a holiday romance is not always doomed, Jo reveals.

“Sometimes it is when you are back in you normal environment when you think ‘actually this can work’. The great thing is that on holiday you meet people you would never meet in your everyday life and this can be a really good thing. If you keep your wits about you – and you are willing to go that extra mile, then it can work.”

What about when distance is involved?
“I think this is not a bad thing – and it has been shown that long-distance relationships often make people communicate better. With Skype and things like that, it is easier to have a long-distance relationship than ever before. Just keep your holiday antennae on and accept that a holiday romance may not always last.”

What do you think? Have you had a Christmas holiday romance that has lasted? Tell us @lovestruck