Take, for example, gift giving. Christmas gives us the opportunity to buy gifts that demonstrate how invested we are in meeting our partner’s needs. A person who is fully committed to his or her relationship probably already knows what those needs are and so can find a perfect gift fairly easily. A person who is less committed to the relationship, however, will find looking for perfect gift less of a pleasure and more of an unwelcome chore.

While it is too early to know what gifts we will receive, it is not too early for gift givers to wondering why they are spending time looking for a gift when they don’t see themselves with that person in the future. After all, why send a costly signal that you are committed to a relationship when that is not, in fact, the case? Maybe, it is just easier to end the relationship now and skip the hassle of trying to impress.

Christmas is also a busy time of year for socializing with co-workers, friends and family—meaning that social conflicts are inevitable. Being in a committed to a relationship generally entails attending social events together, even when your friend’s party sounds like it will be more fun than spending the evening at your romantic partner’s obligatory office party. However, not going to your partner’s party sends him or her a fairly clear signal that you are not committed to the relationship.