What do you think about the gift of online dating for the Christmas Holiday Season? Is this a good idea? I think it can be but take some time and think about whom this might be a good gift option for. You shouldn’t start handing out gift subscriptions for online dating to just anyone. You might want to consider …

… do you know this person well?

If you do and maybe even the topic of trying out an online dating service has come up in conversation then this could be a great gift idea. I would only recommend giving to a really close friend or relative. Otherwise the gift may seem a bit on the personal side. You don’t want to be telling someone that you don’t really know you really need help in this area. Remember that if it is the thought that counts, you don’t want them to get the wrong idea about what you are thinking about them. You need to use a little tact in this area.

Where can you find online dating gift memberships?

Well, many of the large online dating sites offer gift subscriptions or memberships. These allow you to purchase usually a one, three, six or twelve month plan. Remember though that the longer the plan you purchase the worse the gift may come off when received. I would probably choose the three-month option, as it doesn’t seem overly long. It does take a little while to get used to how the process works on a given online dating site, so a one-month subscription may be on the short side.

Perfectmatch offers a link on their front page to buy gift memberships. I have read that Yahoo! Personals was going to be offering a gift program but can’t find any information about it on their site. Other online dating sites also offer gift options. They don’t always seem to be readily apparent. So you may need to look around a bit.

For me though, I would suggest a gift subscription to eHarmony as this is one of the online dating sites I presently use myself. I have yet to “find the love of my life” using it but many have and it could be just the right gift for that person who needs a gentle nudge into the world of online dating. It is easy for someone new to get overwhelmed with a large site like Match.com where you can search through thousands of profiles. At eHarmony you are only able to converse with people the system matches you with. They also have a good-guided communication process to help you get connected with your matches. This makes it an ideal gift for someone new to online dating as well as it being a very well known site.

Give someone the gift that has the potential to keep on giving, the gift of love and companionship. What a great Christmas gift that could be?