Once you hit a certain age, you quickly realise that the festive season is less about who popped the button of their pants after Christmas dinner and more about who popped that all-important question on Christmas Eve.

Whether you have any intention of tying the knot with your other half, you can be damn sure half your Facebook friends were expecting a big announcement at some stage between December 24 and January 2 especially if you guys have been dating a while.

While you may laugh at the thought of your fella getting down on bended knee the rest of the year around, there's something about Christmas that allows you indulge the notion, imagine the picture-perfect moment… and then it doesn't happen.

If you've spent the last few days silently stewing over the fact you got a stressball instead of a solitaire and don't quite know how to cope with the deluge of emotion you're experiencing right now, don't worry – we've got your back on this one.

(No, they're not exactly subtle, but that's not how we roll.)

1. Splash out on a pair of designer gloves… and refuse to take them off inside the house.

"Ah no need to, babe. Sure, who'd want to be looking at my bare, old hands?"

2. Throw the remote against the wall and storm out of the room every time Don't Tell the Bride and Say Yes To The Dress come on.

"What? There's nothing wrong. I just have a sudden urge to use my stress ball."

3. Spend an afternoon creating a thoughtful collage for the friends in your life who did get engaged this Christmas.

"Don't mind me, I'm just excited to share in their happiness. Pass the glitter there babe, would you? Six months he spent planning it, would you believe? Six months."

4. Answer 'quiet' in a terse manner before shooting your bloke a look any time the pair of you are asked how your Christmas was.

"What?! It was quiet. Really…bloody… quiet."

5. Ruin a night out by insisting you have to go home to use the bathroom because the pub toilets are jammers.

"They're all engaged babe."

6. Avoid any conversation about the future because if he can keep you on your toes, then you sure as hell can do the same.

"Dinner? Next Saturday? Can't say for sure if I'll be around. Week after? Ah, who's to say at this stage?"

Are you planning a proposal? Know someone that is? SHEmazing! would LOVE to hear from you here – and help make it moment that your loved-one will remember always.