RAYAH HARLEY, 31, lives in Chichester, West Sussex, and works in online sales
I DO scrooge men at this time of year. The most recent one was a couple of days ago, but I’ve probably done the same thing for the past three or four Christmases.
It’s not just that I don’t want to buy them a present, I think that this time of year makes you evaluate your relationship. It’s a time of year that’s about family, thinking about what’s worked out during the year and what hasn’t, and where you want to be in the New Year – and who you want to be with. You look at the person you’re with and think ‘Do I really want to spend Christmas Day with you?’ and, yes, I suppose, ‘Do I want to put my hand in my pocket and buy you a present?’ If the answer is no, well you know what you have to do…
The man I scrooged recently was someone I’d met on Tinder and had been dating for a few months, seeing each other about three times a week but it just wasn’t working for me, so why drag it out?