Rather than feel lonely at Christmas, remember that the festive period has a lot of dating potential. Maybe you’ll find that ‘love actually IS all around’! It’s the perfect time to get out and meet people (especially if you’re intent on getting a kiss for midnight on New Year’s Eve). With all the build up to the season, there’s a plethora of special Christmas date ideas to keep you entertained.

The season leading up to Christmas is an exciting time of the year. Not only do we celebrate the birth of Jesus but it’s a great time for all kinds of treats – festive markets, hot chocolate and marshmallows, gingerbread, seeing family, twinkly lights and pantomimes. Despite cold weather in some parts of the world, it’s a heart-warming time of the year, and it’s very worthwhile looking for ways to make the most of Christmas and feel connected with others, whether you’re single, dating or in a relationship.

It’s that time of year again – a time of TV adverts portraying happy families, couples and children gathered around tables of food or brightly lit Christmas trees surrounded by gifts; a time of parties and gatherings and people making plans. It’s a time of year that can be tough if we’re single, triggering and isolating – a season that sometimes accentuates our aloneness and reminds us of the things we don’t yet have. Unless, that is, we can hold onto hope. Unless we can expect for a brighter future. This is the message of Advent – a time of preparation, preparing for a celebration, preparing for Christ’s arrival, for the light to come and break through the darkness.

A recent survey commissioned by Christian Connection, in partnership with the Greenbelt Festival, has revealed the positive impact that online dating sites and apps, like Christian Connection, have had on bringing together people of faith in the UK.

The words of Shakespeare “The course of true love never did run smooth” still ring true for many who are looking for love, and can feel especially meaningful if you’re wondering ‘Can I find lasting love online?’. Most of us would be happy to accept a few bumps along the way, if we knew the road led to a happy ending! With online dating now one of the most popular ways to meet a partner, it’s fair to ask whether first connecting online is a route to finding lasting love. Here are just some of the reasons we at Christian Connection believe it is, and what we’ve learned about how to make the most of the opportunities online dating offers.

Picture this: you meet someone, and you really like them. You get talking and your feelings for them continue to grow. But as your relationship develops you find that they don’t seem to be as committed to you as you are to them. You’re still talking regularly but you’re not sure if they like you as much as you like them, and although they claim to be interested, they don’t seem to be showing it by their actions. You might be facing a one-sided relationship.

There is often a seasonal flavour to dating. Summer dates bring with them a delicious sense of freedom from being outdoors, winter dates give the cosy sensation of being inside on a cold day or embracing the chill. But how about times of year with variable temperatures and hours of daylight? Here are five ideas for dates you can try during the ‘in-between’ seasons, including some great Autumn date ideas.

After the first meet ups with someone new have gone well you might start thinking about introducing your date to friends – or even start double or group dating. It can be rather daunting for everyone involved! You both want to make a good impression on your friends and get the valued ‘seal of approval’ all round. I gave my now-husband a baptism of fire after we got together – the cast of the musical tour I was performing in desperately wanted to meet him and surrounded him at stage door very early on in our relationship. For my introverted husband this was completely out of his comfort zone, but he knew how much it meant to me. He totally embraced the occasion and came through with flying colours! Meeting the people who matter to you won’t always be so intense – thankfully! – but how can you make introducing your partner to friends or going on double dates as fun and relaxing as possible?