Women Say: The Holiday Season Edition!

I didn’t want the entire year to go by without another dosage of our Men Say vs Women Say series, so here is one more for 2016! Hope you all enjoy your Holiday Season, and I will see you for the “New Year, New Me” post. Kidding!!!!

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Get to know the ladies:

Relationship Status:

• Vanessa: In a relationship
• Nadine: Married
• Brittany: In love
• Chele: Dating

Tis the season to be:

• Vanessa: Unapologetically Dope!
• Nadine: Broke
• Brittany: Reflective and Grateful
• Chele: Grateful. For absolutely everything.

One thing you want for Christmas?:

• Vanessa: My first watch
• Nadine: There is nothing I really want for Christmas but Kate Spade had a crazy sale so I bought myself a wallet and purse with Greg’s money.
• Brittany: nothing (read “ring”)
• Chele:  Chanel #5 L’Eau perfume.

Ideal way of celebrating New Year’s Eve:

• Vanessa: Drinking the blood of Christ (Alcohol) and spending time with positive people
• Nadine: At home relaxing, kid-free.
• Brittany: Celebrating the year with people you love.
• Chele: Bringing it with a glass of whiskey in hand and surrounded by my loved ones.

ONE // Dating in the midst of the holiday season can be quite stressful to some. When do you think is an appropriate time to invite your significant home for the holidays (or vice versa?)

Vanessa: When you both are ready. Two holiday seasons have past and I have yet to take my man home for the holidays. We honestly don’t give a damn about that stuff lol. But, if I want to spend a long period of time away with my family, I would definitely invite him.

Nadine: If we are officially together, I have no problem bringing a significant other home for the holidays, whether we made it official the day before or 6 months prior. If you are officially my boyfriend, you are welcome. Situationship participants need not apply, if you have no title, you have no business around my family.

Brittany: My boyfriend and I have been together for 2 years, and this is the first time he will be meeting my whole extended family. I relocated from MA to VA earlier this year and this will be the first trip home with him since my move. The timing couldn’t be more perfect. I come from a large family. We are loud, loving opinionated, and crazy in all the good ways.  He comes from a smaller family so I got a hotel to avoid overwhelming him. 

Chele: I’d bring my significant other home after we’ve become exclusive and solidified what we are to each other. My family isn’t meeting “just a friend” or someone whom my feelings are up in the air for. If I bring someone home for the holidays, we’ve locked a relationship down. You can’t be eating my grandma’s caramel cake or playing spades with my uncles if you’re not my boyfriend. I’d want to meet his family under the same circumstances.

TWO // And gifts? Is there a cap on how much you are willing to spend? How do you go about buying a gift for a significant other or a potential significant other?

Vanessa: I love gifts. Especially when I don’t have any particular gift requests and I still get something nice. Theres a cap on how much I’m willing to spend because I don’t have a money tree but, not because I don’t think he deserves it. I still get him pretty dope gifts though. 

Nadine: I don’t have a cap but I will say that I have never spent more than $500 on a significant other’s gift. I try to get thoughtful gifts, like something he may have mentioned he needed or something I notice he needs. Thankfully, I no longer have to worry about that since the husband and I have a no gift policy for Christmas.

Brittany: We are practical. We are not extravagant gift givers. We tend to lean towards experiences like couples massages, weekend trips to another state, or practical gifts like things we need. 

Chele: I like to think you can’t put a price tag on a gift that would make your significant other smile, however, I do because I have other priorities. So yes, there’s a limit as to how much I’ll spend. I try to listen and watch for hints to get an idea of what he may want. My go to gift is usually cologne, but I feel like that’s getting played out.

THREE // What about other holiday celebrations such as Kwanzaa? Is this a tradition you recognize or celebrate? Why or why not?

Vanessa: No. Why? Because I am Haitian. Why not? Because I am Haitian.

Nadine: I don’t celebrate Kwanzaa. I was raised celebrating Christmas and barely enjoy that so adding another holiday celebration to the mix is a no from me dawg.

Brittany: I’ve celebrated Kwanzaa with my family in the past. It is something I would love to continue to celebrate when we have children.

Chele: My family has never celebrated holidays such as Kwanzaa. It was never something my mother presented to my siblings and I. But knowing what I know about it, I think its pretty dope and it may be something I consider doing with my children in the future.

FOUR // Let’s switch it over to New Year traditions. It’s currently “New year, new me” season on social media. Do you believe in New Year’s Resolutions?

Vanessa: I do. I think people who are serious about it, really feel like they use a new year to get a fresh start. I have never had “serious” resolutions that I was genuinely passionate about sticking with. Hopefully I can grow up in 2017 and make some lol.

Nadine: I don’t ever really make resolutions and if I do I’m usually not being serious. If I want to do something, a new year isn’t going to be what motivates me to do so. I’ll do whatever it is I want to do in my own time and at my own pace.

Brittany: HAHA! I hate seeing the “New Year, new me” memes. Resolutions have a bad rep. No one sticks to them. As I’ve gotten older I’ve changed my way of thinking. New Years for me is a  “reset” time. A resolution is good if you are goal oriented and stick to it religiously, but I look at it as a reset time to refocus. I make a list of things I’d like to accomplish and a game plan for each. 

Chele: I do believe in New Year’s Resolutions. I’m always going to root for people bettering themselves. However, I also believe that you can make your mind up to do something different and go for it at any point in the year. Don’t wait for a new year to roll around, if you want something, go for it now!

FIVE // If you do believe in resolutions, what’s one goal you have for yourself in the New Year? If not, what are you most excited about for the upcoming new year?

Vanessa: This year I am excited with continuing to grow. 2016 is the year I learned so much about myself and realized how much I am actually maturing. Most of my old habits have died and my positive habits are becoming part of my personality. This upcoming year I just hope for no set backs and ultimate growth! Happy New Year!

Nadine: I’m most excited about a couple items from when I was young, dumb and reckless falling off of my credit report in 2017.

Brittany: I’m most excited about taking my career to the next level. I relocated this year taking a decent job but not one I see longevity in. I’m excited to transition back into a creative role. I’m also excited for the harvest. 2016 was a year of growing pains, transitions and sacrifices. I believe the New Year will be a harvest time.

Chele: I’m starting graduate school in August and my main goal will be maintaining a 3.5 (or above) GPA. I’m excited about it, I’m ready and I look forward to working towards moving up and flourishing in my field of work.

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