Christmas is a very special time to propose to your loved one. They might be hoping for an exciting present, but chances are that they won´t be expecting to unwrap a piece of wedding jewellery. It´s the perfect opportunity to produce that ring by sneaking it into their gift pile – just imagine the look on their face when they openjew the package!

Of course, you will need to be fairly confident that they won´t react with horror at the thought of uniting with you in holy matrimony, and that instead they will fling their arms around you with a joyful shout of ´Yes! Of course I´ll marry you, darling! ´, especially if the proposal is to be made in front of an audience. The humiliation of seeing the look of joy on your prospective mother-in-law´s face as her daughter snorts ´You must be joking! I´m dating you because it might be good for my career´, or ´Oh, did I forget to tell you? I´m immigrating to Outer Mongolia and marrying a Himalayan goat herder´ would crush any man´s interest in marriage forever.

The proposal will be most effective if the recipient has absolutely no idea of what is to come. It would be best not to share the plan with other family members, as they might get so excited that they unwittingly give some indication of what is to come. The prospective bride or groom should also be careful to avoid giving any hints themselves, and would be wise to avoid jewellery shops altogether when in the company of their better half (just in case the latter decides to drop some heavy hints, which would rather ruin the surprise element).

It might, in fact, be best to make the proposal in a quiet moment at some point over the Christmas holiday, not necessarily on the day itself. Maybe the smartest move would be to take your partner away for a romantic Christmas break, the great advantage being the absence of her fearsome mother (assuming her mother isn´t a charming lady who thinks she couldn´t possibly do better than you for a son-in-law). In the setting of a posh country hotel, or the azure Caribbean seas, many women would be lulled into such a happy mood that they would be more receptive to a proposal than if it took place in front of their drunken Uncle Bob. Why take the chance …