More Tips on Navigating the Holidays While Polyamorous

Written By Leanne Yau

Holidays can be a stressful time for many, especially if you're polyamorous and doing it with multiple partners. So here are a couple of things to think about if you're doing that this year.

Firstly, which of you are out to your family? Which of you are not? If you're spending time with family, how are you going to navigate that? Are you going to be spending the holiday separately, with family that you're not out to, or are you potentially going to be coming out to them? And if so, are you going to come out to them with all of you present? Or are you going to let your family know ahead of time that you'll be bringing multiple partners so you can set boundaries and expectations for how you would like to be treated when they're actually there?

Secondly, think about holiday traditions. Are there particular things you do on particular days, and will you be able to fit all of that into your schedule? There's a lot of logistics involved with polyamory, and the holidays are no exception. So make sure to have a chat ahead of time about what you want to do on which day and whether you'll be able to fit it all in and try and find a compromise wherever you can.

Thirdly gifts, polyamory can be expensive, and so not everyone can afford to get multiple gifts for multiple people in the same time period. Talk to your partners about what your expectations around gifts are, if you want them at all, if you want to do like a Secret Santa type of thing, you know whether you just want to go for a big meal together and celebrate together as a sort of gift. There's lots of ways to navigate this situation, and it's important to find something that works for everyone.

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Leanne Yau
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