I imagine Santa must get some unrealistic requests from kids leading up to Christmas Day.If a small child hops up on his lap and asks for a pony, I am sure Saint Nick can explain it’s pretty hard to get that animal down the chimney. It must be tough for the Jolly Old Elf to keep up with  popular gifts in this ever-changing world.One gift that would no doubt melt every heart and make the giver a hero is an adorable puppy to cuddle up with in front of the fireplace on Christmas morning.

While you have that visual in your mind, you are probably also seeing what that scene would really look like.As tempting as it would be to give the family a gift of puppy love, the holiday season is not the time to bring a new energetic pup into the home for the first time. The reality of getting a dog in December should be pretty obvious. December is usually a frantic, hectic, and sometimes chaotic time, with jammed schedules of kids’ Christmas concerts, shopping, baking, prepping, entertaining, having company and decorating.And we all know puppies love to chew and destroy anything they come into contact with. Puppies need to be house-trained and require calm, regular routines. For most people, calm and regular routines are not a part of Christmas. Imagine you receive a brand new cashmere sweater and a box of chocolates under the tree. As you finish thanking the gift-giver, you suddenly turn around and see your sweater all chewed apart and the box of chocolates in piles of goop, mixed with thread from your sweater that may have come out of both ends of the little pooch.New pets are also expensive. They need food, vaccinations, training classes, beds, crates, etc. When you are trying to manage the Christmas bills on top of new pet expenses, you may become a little resentful of the new family member.

You may be wondering what this puppy tale has to do with matchmaking. Well, as it turns out, a lot.If you suddenly want to meet someone brand new in the middle of December, just so there is someone under your mistletoe on Christmas Eve, that may be the wrong reason. Some people also want to meet a potential match just so they have someone to bring to their holiday staff party, while others like the idea of having someone special to be with on Christmas morning.  This all sounds great, but — as with the puppy — many people have cookies to bake, kids coming home from university, turkeys to stuff and last-minute gifts to get. It it probably not the best idea to meet someone new during the most hectic time of the year. Of course, there are people who don’t celebrate Christmas, and those who do on a much more simple level, which is an exception.  

There is absolutely nothing wrong with being single at your staff party, or being single at Christmas, or being single on New Year’s Eve. We have all been there. And, sorry to be a downer, but we will most likely all be there again as most couples do not die together. So, if you are in it for the right reasons, great, but if you are inviting a new fellow over on Christmas morning to meet your family around the tree, be forewarned he may rip into those chocolates and drop them on that cashmere sweater. contact me. I would love to treat you to an eggnog latte and arrange a date with a single, happy, wonderful person in January. That would be an ideal time to start a new relationship. Tell Santa you would like a matchmaking membership. He can email me at holmes@wheretheheartis.ca.