You can learn a lot about your partner by spending the holidays with their family.

• If you’re spending the holidays with your partner’s family for the first time, be polite and thoughtful without trying too hard.
• Ask your partner beforehand about family members you can befriend.
• It’s also a chance to learn more about your partner’s relationship with their family.

Spending the holidays with your partner’s family for the first time can be an opportunity to get to know important people in their life, partake in new traditions, and grow even closer. It can also be stressful to feel like you’re being evaluated with every move. The holidays can be notoriously difficult times, even for the best of families.

INSIDER spoke to relationship experts to find out the best ways to make a good impression while still feeling like yourself. Here are eight tips for meeting your partner’s family over the holidays.

Bring a gift.

Don’t show up empty-handed. Susan Winter, relationship expert and bestselling author of “Allowing Magnificence” and “The Cure for Heartache,” recommends bringing something tasteful and simple, such as a bottle of wine or a bouquet of flowers.

“Any kind of gift that’s thoughtful — food, wine, flowers — is very safe and much appreciated,” she said. “It’s a generous gesture that will buy you a lot of traction.”

Find someone you click with.

Finding points of connection with a relative can help you feel more comfortable. If one of your partner’s family members works in the same field as you or shares one of your TV show obsessions, seek them out.

“The lovely thing about families is that there’s always someone cool to talk to,” said Winter. “Your partner should have tipped you off as to who this person is. There should be someone with whom you resonate with there, other than your partner.”

Continue reading: https://www.insider.com/meeting-parents-boyfriend-girlfriend-partner-holidays-advice-2018-11#bring-a-gift-2

If you are still stressed out about spending the holidays with your partner’s family, book a consultation with Susan today!