Tis the Season to Flirt
The holidays can be a weird time for singles on the dating scene. With holiday shopping, and holiday parties, and holiday hanging out with friends, there’s way more going on than usual, and not enough time to do it all.
Some singles go into hibernation, taking themselves off the market so they can deal with the added engagements and pressures. Some even break up right before the holidays so they don’t have relationship issues to deal with amidst all the stress. (Of course, New Years will bring a flurry of resolutions, with people racing to be in a relationship by Valentine’s day.)
The holidays don’t have to be like this. A few years ago, I was lucky enough to meet someone and start dating in early November. It was great. She joined me and my family for Thanksgiving, then she and I enjoyed a wonderful Christmas on our own. Romance during the holidays is awesome – cooking for two, snuggling by the fireplace, ice skating, keeping each other warm on cold nights. But holiday relationships are atypical, for me at least.
Even though the holidays may not be an ideal time to start dating, it’s a great time to flirt. If you’re out shopping, you can flirt with customers and salesclerks. If you’re grabbing drinks, you can flirt at the bar while you’re waiting for friends to arrive. If you’re at school concerts and plays, you can flirt with other single parents. (Though, perhaps you shouldn’t flirt in front of your ex.)
Holiday flirting may not lead anywhere. Besides being busy, if you’re on your way to Grandma’s, you’re not going to bring along someone new for everyone to meet and scrutinize. (Unless you’re Michael Phelps dating a strip-club waitress.)
But that’s all the more reason to get out there and flirt. There’s nothing to lose. It’s simply a chance to keep your social skills finely tuned until you need them in the New Year. And if flirting does lead to dating, think of those romantic holiday nights you’ll enjoy.
I’m already pretty flirty, but there are days I’m not around single women, or I’m too pre-occupied to strike up a conversation. And so I’m making this intention: to flirt with some woman every day in December. (Real life flirting – email innuendos don’t count.)
Care to take the flirt-a-day challenge with me?
If nothing else, flirting might put a smile on someone’s face. Including yours and mine.
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- How to Ask a Teacher Out
- Dirty Text Message Jokes
- Hot, Sexy, Confident
- How to Start Dating a Single Dad
- A Holiday Custody Schedule That Sucks
- Flirt-a-Day Update
- Barroom Savvy
- Holiday Hookup
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Comment by mama llama
| December 1st, 2008
Sounds like fun, Dads. I look forward to hearing of your flirting fun! I will not join you on your quest, however; I just don’t have a lot of flirt in me.
Be well, Dads.
mama llama´s last blog post..December
Comment by Savored Life
| December 1st, 2008
I’ll join you on your “Flirt~a~Day Challenge”. FUN! :D
Savored Life´s last blog post..MondayNESS ~ 12/1/08
Comment by debra
| December 1st, 2008
Ah…the holiday freak out and disappearing boyfriend…I know it well…and find myself back in the mood to flirt!
I think it’s that ‘nothing to lose’ attitude that makes flirting more effective. If you’re flirting, knowing you don’t have time to follow through right now, you’re giving off a more comfortable, relaxed attitude. It’s like Mom always says….love will find you when you aren’t looking and don’t have time!
Count me in on the Challenge!! We’ll get to hear everyone’s hilarious stories that result though, right?!
Comment by Cathouse Teri
| December 1st, 2008
I’ll be a flirt until I die. Holiday or no holiday. Single or unsingle.
Cathouse Teri´s last blog post..The Land of Oz
Comment by Mad Cartoonist
| December 1st, 2008
A Flirt a Day! How wonderfully European!
I may join you soon…my relationship with Mr Perfect is not going well.
He’s lately turned from Mr Perfect & Fun to Be With into Mr Clingy who’s always Whining and Visibly Anxious about our Relationship because I don’t want to spend all my time with him and sometimes I just want to be with my kids without him (how could I!??!). We’ve talked and talked about it, but his vision of togetherness just isn’t something I aspire to.
Is it considered the height of nastiness to break it off before the holidays? Or would it be better to do the deed before he gets me some ridiculously over-the-top gift that makes me feel guilty?
Problem is, I’m not sure I can handle his expectations of super togetherness over Christmas. Thanksgiving weekend alone about sent me around the bend.
Comment by Single Mom in New England
| December 1st, 2008
Awesome holiday idea! Spread the cheer!! I’m up for the flirt-a-day challenge!!
And Mad Cartoonist – I would break it off with him before the holidays – I think he is probably already expecting the impending boot and he might appreciate the honesty– Just my 2 cents! Then you can flirt without guilt! :)
Comment by Wendy
| December 1st, 2008
I would so love to get in on the flirt a day challenge…but in my line of work, where the clients are mostly couples and the rest of my life is spent at home, I think I would wind up either fired….or arrested for inapporpriate flirting with one’s own son, which is wierd for a multitude of reasons.
Never one to shun a challenge….I will try. I guess I do
sit next to many a vehicles on my way to said job or son’s school. Maybe a little car to car flirting??
Wendy´s last blog post..The cost of that bargain was incredibly high
Comment by T
| December 1st, 2008
Yep! I’m right there with ya!
Of course, I’m with Teri. I flirt every day…
T´s last blog post..Relationship beliefs continued…
Comment by QTMama
| December 1st, 2008
I didn’t want to spend the holidays without someone either! So, off to Vegas and Irishman I go.
However, the flirt a day? Count me in! ;)
QTMama´s last blog post..The Fever of the Boogie
Comment by Katherine (SOLO dot MOM)
| December 1st, 2008
I’m in! Flirt-a-day… I think I can handle that! :)
Katherine (SOLO dot MOM)´s last blog post..A Simple Thanksgiving
Comment by Laura
| December 1st, 2008
ooh what a totally cool challenge!!
Like T and Teri though – flirting is part of most days for me :) But I am not always conscious of it – so maybe that needs to be the challenge!!
Laura´s last blog post..Monday Awards
Comment by dadshouse
| December 1st, 2008
Mama Llama – if you aren’t the flirty type, that’s all the more reason to force yourself to flirt once a day! Do it until it comes naturally. All it takes is a simple comment. Compliments are an easy way to go, especially if you mean them. Sass is even better. Sounds like Cathouse Teri and T are experts (somehow I’m not surprised!)
Wendy – I LOVE when a woman in a car flirts. Whether I’m on my road bike or in my car, it totally gets my blood going when a woman returns my flirty glance.
Debra – yes, there will have to be a reckoning of stories. It’s almost 10am, and I haven’t flirted yet. I gotta get my butt out there…
Comment by Single Mom Seeking
| December 1st, 2008
I LOVE it! You should see the big smile on my face…
I’ll give this a shout out, okay?
Single Mom Seeking´s last blog post..Holiday contest winner and online auction for Depot Dad
Comment by Amy Nathan
| December 1st, 2008
How does one flirt if there aren’t single men around? I’m not the flirt-with-married-men type.
Amy Nathan´s last blog post..Second short post on the first
Comment by dadshouse
| December 1st, 2008
Amy – part of the challenge is getting yourself into situations where there are other singles. Head to a coffee house. Look around in the grocery store. Part of the idea is to have your radar up! You’ll find them.
Comment by Honey
| December 1st, 2008
Flirting is a communication style…I think I “flirt” with both sexes all the time! It’s great!
Honey´s last blog post..Confession: I can only get off with my vibrator!
Comment by Cathouse Teri
| December 1st, 2008
I think the challenge is to just keep in a constant flirty state of mind! I can’t be bothered with finding out if someone is single or not. Flirting is harmless! Everyone likes it. Married or not. But flirting with a man while he is with a woman is not okay. That’s dang tacky. Flirting is a personal exchange that goes nowhere. That’s my take on it, anyway.
I also flirt with women, by the way. And not just gay women. When I say everyone likes it, I mean EVERYONE. It just makes the seriousness of life less stressful. That’s all.
If you want to watch flirting at its best, check out an old western and watch how the cathouse women do it. It’s also good to see how they interact with women, and also how they behave when NOT in the cathouse.
Cathouse Teri´s last blog post..The Land of Oz
Comment by Ames
| December 1st, 2008
I agree flirting is harmless. It’s a light ego boost and for someone attached can be a great fan to the flame at home.
Flirting is more of a lifestyle than action and can become 2nd nature. Remember as a teenager the epiphany when you realized darn—if I don’t talk to boy/girl I can’t get said boy/girl?
Comment by Vinomom
| December 1st, 2008
I seriously have zero opportunities to flirt! Maybe I’ll make it my goal to flirt once a day with my BF ! Even that might be tough. What happened to my flirt mojo? I think I used to know how!?
Vinomom´s last blog post..Memoir Monday
Comment by Kevin
| December 1st, 2008
Count me in, though I’m kind of like Vinomom…I dont have that many opportunities to flirt. I don’t like mixing business with pleasure (or even pretending to), and the ladies who serve my Starbucks are nice and all, but I wouldnt flirt with them. Still, I’ll keep my eyes open..
Kevin´s last blog post..Fort Worth Turkey Trot: I won my age group
Comment by Victoria
| December 1st, 2008
One flirtatious moment a day? Eeeeeeasy! Except for the fact that I spend a lot of time working at high schools. Those days are a little harder– then it’s more avoiding high school boys who are trying their flirting talents…
Victoria´s last blog post..Thanksgiving Trot + Trails
Comment by PT-LawMom
| December 1st, 2008
Sounds like fun! December isn’t a great month for me (final exams, etc.) but I will enjoy reading others’ experiences and might try it on my own in January.
PT-LawMom´s last blog post..Purity
Comment by dadshouse
| December 1st, 2008
Cathouse Teri – great advice! I will have to rent some Westerns. (Did you know John Wayne’s real name is Marion, and he played fullback for USC?)
Everyone else (besides the flirty T, Laura, and Teri) – I feel your pain.
Dad’s House flirt update, as of 4pm PST: on the way to my daughter’s varsity soccer game, I went to a Starbucks that always has tons of attractive Russian women (don’t ask my why they all hang out there). Wouldn’t you know, the place was nearly empty! The cashier looked like she was in high school, and the barista looked like a grandma. (I know, I know, age shouldn’t matter. But in this case, for me, it did.) I am 0-for-0 on the flirt meter today.
Luckily, my day isn’t over yet…
Comment by dadshouse
| December 1st, 2008
DAY 1: Safeway checker asks me for my club card or phone number. I respond: “You want my phone number, eh?”
Close enough!! Hey, I was making up for the lack of Starbucks Russians.
Comment by krn
| December 1st, 2008
So funny how you turned that into a flirt. LOL! Oh wait, I think I hear something…..is that your phone ringing? ;) Well, you’re so irresistable I bet the checker simply had to call! < —- That’s my flirt of the day.
What a fun challenge, I’m in. Can’t wait to see what happens tomorrow when I flirt up close, in person. I actually have someone in mind for that already.
Comment by Cathouse Teri
| December 2nd, 2008
I was down on my knees at work, putting some books on the shelves. A man came in, handing out his business card to drum up some business in the copy machine business. He lingered long in handing me his card and kept giving me that playful look of hey-I’d-like-to-know-more-about-you. I was still on my knees when our brief conversation was over, so I ended with, “Is there anything else you’d like me to do while I’m down here?”
Oh yeah! I think that’s PAST a flirt. (I have no idea why I’ve never been slapped with a sexual harrassment charge.) :)
Seriously, though ~ it’s true that people of foreign origin can often be found at Starbucks. My daughter hangs out at one in L.A. where she is friends with a German woman. Some young men came in and were tossing about obscenities like they were going out of style! So the woman looked at them and said in her thick, very even Deitrich-style accent, “Watch your f%^king language.”
Cathouse Teri´s last blog post..The Land of Oz
Comment by Single Mom Seeking
| December 2nd, 2008
There are NEVER men at my kickboxing class, but last night, a hottie was in the back of the class. I was putting a bunch of mats back in the closet and he said, “You’re the mat girl?”
I didn’t hear exactly what he said. I replied, “Did you just call me a bad girl?”
He laughed.
I’m 99 percent sure that he has a girlfriend…. but hey, Dad’s House, we’re one-for-one!
Single Mom Seeking´s last blog post..Video: When and how do you introduce your boyfriend to your kids?
Comment by Leah
| December 2nd, 2008
You guys are cracking me up! I love the flirty stories. I am going to have to find an opportunity to work my atrophied flirting skills. :)
Leah´s last blog post..The “Poof” Phenomenon
Comment by dadshouse
| December 2nd, 2008
Day 2: Saw a woman (okay, a hottie, at least in my book) with a toddler, and I asked: “Are you the mom or the nanny?” She was the mom (unfortunately, not single). Major flirt points scored.
I have to admit – I’m finding it extremely hard to put myself in environments with single women! A different coffee house today was full of men. Where do the single women hang out? The mall?
Comment by Lance
| December 3rd, 2008
There are PUA challenges out there very similar, such as 5 approaches per day for 30 days challenge. I actually did a “going out” for 30 days straight challenge, by myself, where I forced myself to go out and attempt PU’s every day. It did wonders for my game. Definitely a turning point.
Lance´s last blog post..In Sickness…
Comment by Attainingme
| December 3rd, 2008
I love this idea. I am a few days late . . . but will join in this challenge!
Attainingme´s last blog post..I have a new appendage- it’s called loneliness
Comment by NewWrldYankee
| December 3rd, 2008
Being an American in Europe, apparently anything we say is flirting, and then some! LOL But don’t rule out email innuendo, too. Sometimes a virtual compliment or flirt can make my day!
NewWrldYankee´s last blog post..Why Being an Expat May Mean You Are Crazy
Comment by Mad Cartoonist
| December 4th, 2008
Dads: Oh, good lines! Never heard the one about the nanny before.
But of course the statistics probably suggest that dateable people of the opposite sex are probably going to be married 70% of the time. I wonder what the true stats are, actually? Guess it depends on your definition of “dateable”…
I’ll try the dating challenge…..but it will be uphill work out here!
I’ve found that flirting with construction workers gives them waaaay too much encouragement, so I’m not going there. Students are out. That leaves the Scientology prosetylizers, Morman missionaries, and, of course, the IT guys. Hmmm…
Comment by mama llama
| December 10th, 2008
Okay, does online from across the country with a long-ago ex count? :) Gotta love Facebook. And he did call it “flirting”, although he said it would be better in person…
Dude, memories! But it was a flirtatious attempt at the very least. Thought you’d get a kick out of my ineptness.
Be well, Dads.
mama llama´s last blog post..My letter V