Christmas is a holiday you don’t want to spend alone. If you are in a romantic mood and want to spend xmas with someone special, we have compiled the most original and romantic ideas for Christmas in this seasonal video.

Are you ready for our special tips? Here they are….

Romantic Christmas idea no.1: Ice skating
Take your partner on an active date. Winter is the best season for ice skating. What can be more romantic than holding each other’s hands and enjoying the xmas mood.
(Psst, a special tip for the ladies: If you want to get more intimate with your date, pretend you don’t skate too well. I’m sure he will be more than happy to support you.)

Romantic Christmas idea no.2: A romantic city break
Go on a city trip to one of the most romantic places in the world: Paris, Rome and Vienna are the perfect locations for a Christmas date. Spice up your date with fun activities, like asking people for directions to places that don’t exist using funny accent or buy and give away Christmas candies to random people.

Romantic Christmas idea no.3: Movie night
If you are in a mood to stay at home, choose a few romantic movies, light candles and cuddle up in a warm blanket with your beloved. But remember: even if you are feeling cosy and warm, falling asleep in the middle of the movie is not the best idea.

Romantic Christmas idea no.4
For those who want to stay at home, but want to do something more active, you can spend time together decorating the Christmas tree and wrapping Christmas presents, making delicious Christmas cookies.
You can even prepare home-made punch for Christmas dinner. It will make your Christmas date warm and cosy.

Romantic Christmas idea no.5
And last, but not least… Does your date like chic and glamorous events? Then surprise your partner with a ticket to a Christmas ball, opera or a concert. Practice your dancing steps at home in order to avoid any incidents and bloopers on the dance floor.

If you’re still looking for someone special to share a romantic Christmas with, then register now at be2 and find your perfect match for Christmas. Success is guaranteed!

Online matchmaking has become established and is proven to be successful. „We met through the Internet“ is no longer an unusual love story. But if you can find Mr. or Mrs. Right online, why not try looking for Mr. or Ms. RIGHT NOW? After all, not everyone who is single is necessarily looking for a serious relationship. Many singles enjoy their freedom while they can, with one night stands, erotic adventures and by living out secret sexual fantasies. If you want all that – and more – but without commitment, you can find your match through a Casual Dating site.

Casual Dating works just like online matchmaking, with a science-based questionnaire. Only that instead of matching members according to their potential for a happy and long-lasting relationship, a Casual Dating site matches singles according to their sexual preferences.

Casual Dating, just like online matchmaking, takes the hassle out of finding the right partner: you don’t have to browse endless profiles, but are introduced to singles who are a good match in bed – people who are the right age, live near you and share your sexual preferences.

All members of a Casual Dating site have one thing in common: They want sex without the commitment. That doesn’t mean they don’t want a relationship in the long run. Maybe now just isn’t the right time for them to get involved with someone, maybe they just want to experience different things before settling down with a partner, or maybe they just want to release some pent-up sexual energy at the end of a long-term relationship.

be2 helps you find the love of your life – a Casual Dating site helps you find the right person to share a passionate moment with. All you need to do is decide which type of encounter you want right now!

You can test be2’s matchmaking service here, free of charge!

OR

Find out if Casual Dating is right for you at C-Date

If you have ever been to a wedding in a foreign country, you probably know that wedding customs and traditions are often very different from one country to the next. We put together a list of some interesting wedding customs and traditions from all around the world.

Did you know….

International Wedding Traditions and Customs

• Cuban weddings are famous for various festivities. The best known is probably the money dance. This is when all the men who dance with the bride have to pin money on her dress to help with the expenses of the honeymoon.
• In India the groom wears white clothes, the bride a red sari. They exchange flower garlands and toe rings. Before entering the temple, they go around a sacred fire seven times and they invoke the gods to grant them a happy life. The groom marks the forehead of his wife with a red dot (poddu); she will erase it after her husband’s death.
• The red color plays a key role during the wedding festivities in China. Red is considered to bring luck. In addition, this color symbolizes love, prosperity and happiness. That’s why everything is red: the bride’s dress, the accessories, the wedding invitations, the gift wrap, etc.
• During the wedding ceremony in Spain, the groom gives his bride 13 gold coins, to show his responsibility for her and his trust. The bride gives these coins back, to show her commitment to support him. This is an ancient tradition, where the 13 coins symbolize Jesus and his 12 apostles. 

• In Denmark, there is a traditional wedding custom of cutting off the toe of the groom’s right sock during the feast. No other women will be attracted to a man wearing a sock with holes! However, the Danish like to kiss a lot. So as soon as the bride leaves the room, all the female guests acquire the right to kiss the groom on the mouth. The same practice applies to the bride, of course!

Food is one of the ingredients of life that brings people together wherever they are from, whatever their religion and culture. It is one of our main needs in life and we need it in order to survive and thrive. Besides being a necessity, a good meal can also make us feel good or impact our mood in other ways. Positively mood-altering food is called “Happy Food”, a term used to describe food that gives us a happy feeling, due to higher levels of vitamins and minerals that impact the production and release of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that makes you feel good.

How to have a great date with Happy Food?

If you are planning a date, you could consider having a dinner at home and treating your date to a self-made happy meal. The most obvious choice for a first date is an aphrodisiac meal, but if you want to make your date feel happy rather than sexy, we suggest a different menu…

Choose the right ingredients for your romantic dinner and a “happy” ending will be assured. In order to make it a happy date for you, we will give you one of our easy and tasty recipes in order to boost positive date feelings. With a candle, nice music and our proposed Italian meal, your dinner date will surely become a success!

What are the effects of this dish?

Whole grain pasta is high in folic acid and helps increase serotonin levels. Moreover, meatballs or sauce made with lean beef are great sources of protein, selenium and B6, the vitamin that facilitates serotonin production. Try serving this Italian favorite alongside vitamin-packed spinach, broccoli or a leafy green salad. All are believed to be powerful mood-enhancing foods. With the classic Italian dessert, tiramisu, in the end, your stomach, mind and date will all be happy!

Spaghetti with Vegetables and Lean Meatballs Recipe:

1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup soft bread crumbs
1 large egg, slightly beaten
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
8 ounces uncooked penne pasta
3 cups frozen Italian vegetable mixture
1 jar prepared spaghetti sauce
2 tablespoons freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
1. Heat the oven to 190°C. Combine ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, onion, salt and pepper in a large bowl and mix lightly but thoroughly.
2. Make little balls of the meat and cook them in boiled water.
3. Meanwhile cook the pasta according to package directions. Approximately 6 minute before pasta is done, stir in vegetables. Drain; keep warm.
4. Combine the meatballs and spaghetti sauce in large saucepan. Cook, uncovered, over medium-low heat 6 to 8 minutes or until heated through; stir occasionally. Serve over pasta and vegetables and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
We wish you a very happy and successful date!

This year’s wedding season got off to a grandiose start with the big Royal Wedding and the nuptials of Kate and William were seen by many as something other couples might aspire to. A survey of singles now shows that a dramatic white wedding is not a big dream for the majority.

Most of the singles who took part in the survey want to get married eventually. In fact, only 20% would not marry if they had a choice. However, the numbers who wanted a white wedding are much lower. Despite 78% of respondents saying that they dream of marriage and 44% saying they expect their wedding to be ‘the best day of my life’, most singles describe their dream wedding as an intimate affair, with “our closest family and friends, a fancy dinner and a small celebration”. Only singles under 25 are keen on the big white wedding, while all other age groups prefer something quieter.

Over 65% would only marry if they had found “the One”. Obviously, that level of caution might be related to the fact that 85% of respondents think marriage changes a relationship.

Whatever their opinion on marriage or ideas of a dream wedding, an online matchmaking site is a good place to start looking for the right partner to marry. A recent Which? survey found that over one in five singles who used online matchmaking went on to marry somebody they met through the internet.

>>>Do you want to get married? Find the right person for a happy and long-lasting partnership now!

Want to look good online to increase your chances of finding a partner through an online dating site? We asked singles looking for a date through be2 how to show off your best side online. Your online dating profile picture is one of the most important determining factors that can make or break a successful profile on an online dating site. Almost a quarter of singles searching for love through be2 agree that the profile picture is the most important factor when deciding which singles to contact online.

If the profile picture is so important, why do so many singles skimp on that aspect of their online dating profile? In a recent survey of 2,218 singles registered with be2, 50% of photos submitted by singles to be2 were deemed insufficiently attractive. We aren’t talking about the looks of the person in the picture, just the quality of the photo itself.

Many singles undersell themselves with their profile pictures, even though they could present themselves so much better. Particularly for Premium Members, it’s a question of getting the most out of the service. Our be2 customer service sees a lot of bad profile pictures and gives advice to customers on how to improve their profile with a nice picture. Here, be2 UK customer service agent Caylin Giles explains some of the biggest mistakes they come across:

Top mistakes in bad online dating profile photos.

• Looking stiff
  “Generally, when taking your profile picture it is good to get someone else involved, and to do it in a public place. Photos of users alone in their rooms don’t always give the best results.”
• Barely visible
  “In a good profile photo the subject should take up at least 50% of the photo and should be the main focus of attention.”
• Uncomfortable pose or situation
  “Often the key to a good profile photo is to capture yourself in a natural pose doing something you enjoy. This has two benefits. Firstly, people tend to come across better if they are not posing for the photo but have been captured at a ‘natural’ moment. Second, by telling other users about a type of activity that is important to them users may prompt and enquiry. “
• Out of date
  “Our most active customers keep their photos relevant, posting new pictures when they have come back from holiday, when they have a new hair cut or even with the changing seasons. “

>>>Update your profile photo now or join be2 and get your own attractive profile free of charge!

First dates are always cause for excitement. Mostly, that’s a good thing: those first-date butterflies are an amazing feeling and they let you know that you are preparing for something special. On the other hand, you don’t want to be too nervous before a first date, either.

The best way to play down first-date nerves is perfect preparation. And what better way to prepare than finding out what singles consider good dating etiquette? We asked singles looking for a date through be2 and found out…

The 4 top rules of dating etiquette

1. Dating Etiquette Rule: Let the man pay
   There are situations where singles should go with the times and there are situations where it pays to be old fashioned. First dates obviously count as the latter. Funnily, men are more willing to pay than women women are prepared to accept: 30% of the male singles who took part in the survey think the man should pay on a first date, while only 10% of single women feel the same. 56% of women would insist on splitting the bill. The most diplomatic (and romantic) solution to this dilemma is for the man to pay and tell the woman that she can pay next time. This avoids the awkward situation of splitting the bill and also leaves a nice opening for the next date. Amazingly, under 25s are the most old-fashioned in when it comes to splitting the bill on a first date: they are almost twice as likely to let that the man pay for the date.
2. Dating Etiquette Rule: Be fashionably late
   Obviously, standing someone up on a first date is a massive no-go. But that doesn’t mean you have to be overly punctual either. Over 80% of all singles in the survey would not mind their date being late for their first date. In fact, 69% would just be relieved they had shown up at all! However, watch out for different attitudes according to age groups: over 55s are twice as likely to complain if a date is late for a first date.
3. Dating Etiquette Rule: Dress appropriately
   What to wear on a first date depends on many things, mainly on the time and location. We have given advice on what to wear on a first date before. The main thing to keep in mind is that your outfit matters – and that you are unlikely to find out from your date whether or not they actually like your choice of clothing. 15% of singles would say something if they didn’t like what someone was wearing on a first date.
4. Dating Etiquette Rule: Be flexible
   Remember that a first date is about getting to know someone in a relaxed atmosphere. You don’t want to force yourself to do something you don’t feel like doing, but that doesn’t mean everything has to go your way. Most singles are quite happy to go along with a suggestion, even if it isn’t exactly what they would have chosen to do. Nearly three quarters of single women would go to a film they didn’t like, as well as more than half of the men who responded. Overall women proved to have the more accommodating attitudes than men, but under 25s would be less willing to see a film they didn’t like.

>>>Haven’t found your partner for that special date yet? Brush up on your dating etiquette here and then find your date at be2!

One thing we love about Facebook is that it really does bring us closer to our friends and loved ones, especially if they are far away from us. It allows us to show our friends how we feel about them with one simple click and find out how they feel about us just as easily.

Now, there’s a new Facebook app that is as simple as it is beautiful:

The Give a Heart app lets you give a heart to your facebook friends with just two clicks – and send a little bit of love to those people that are special to you! Here’s how it works…

1. Go to the Give a Heart app and choose the heart you like best. We think the candy hearts are best for someone you are dating, the heart made of rosebuds is ideal for your boyfriend or girlfriend and the cactus heart is a great tongue-in-cheek sign of love for a friend.
2. Select the friends you want to send the heart to. You can repeat the process as often as you like, if you want to send different hearts to different people.
3. Click on the big pink button “Send heart gift” and you’re done. When your heart has been sent successfully, you will see a message that reads “Congratulations, you successfully sent (your friend) a heart gift!”
4. Repeat and give more hearts to other friends by clicking on “Send a heart to another friend”!

Here’s what your gift will look like on your friend’s wall:

If you ever want to return to the app to give hearts again at a later point, you will find the link that takes you directly to the app on the left sidebar next to your newsfeed (underneath your profile picture, about halfway down the page).

Now, whether it’s Valentine’s Day, a birthday or an anniversary, you know how to show your friends you love them: Give a Heart!

Some laws are so strange and funny they make us scratch our head.

Especially when it comes to sex and relationships, you would think that what goes on in people’s bedrooms would be private and that the state doesn’t need to get involved in anything that happens between two consenting adults.

Well, think again, because as we discovered, if anyone has ever thought of doing it, there is probably a law regulating it!

Seriously, who comes up with these laws?

Especially when it comes to sex and relationships, countries all over the world seem to be having a contest: who can come up with the strangest, weirdest, most absurd laws?

You’ve probably never even heard of the majority of these funny 15 sex and relationship laws, so we put them all together in one handy infographic!

Next time you are travelling to Virginia and get in trouble for having sex with your socks on, don’t say we didn’t warn you!

Have you heard of these laws before or do you know any laws about sex and relationships that are even weirder? Let us know in the comments…

If you enjoyed this list, you can share it on your homepage or blog. Simply copy the code below and paste it into the HTML-code of your site:

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The royal wedding is one of the most anticipated events of the year and it will be a pretty hard one to outdo. But it seems that some singles are at least willing to give it a try and are aiming to do their best to make their own wedding dream come true. Activity amongst singles searching for love through be2 has been on the rise ever since the royal engagement was announced, particularly amongst those singles who are interested in marriage. Are British singles hoping to follow Kate and Wills down the aisle?

2011 is already shaping up to be a boom year for proposals and weddings, not just in the UK, but all over the world. As media coverage of the royal wedding increases, thousands of couples make their own wedding plans. The effect on singles can be determined by the numbers logging on to matchmaking sites, hoping to find their own prince or princess.

The rise in be2 membership numbers is most pronounced in the UK where new member numbers in the first quarter of 2011 are nearly double those in the same quarter in 2010. In particular, the number of singles searching specifically for marriage at be2 has grown by over 50% since the engagement of Prince William to Kate Middleton was announced in November.*

Royal weddings have a grand tradition of being good for the wedding business. Charles and Diana, William’s parents, were married in 1981, a year that saw a higher number of weddings in the UK than any year since. Let’s see if Kate and William will do the same for the marriage statistics in 2011.

>>> It’s never too late to start planning your own fairytale wedding. Find your prince or princess now at be2.

*Over 7,000 people visited a marriage-themed be2 page in the UK in February and March 2011, compared with around 4,500 for the previous four quarters.