This holiday season, millions of Americans will worry about finding the perfect gift, mastering the favorite family recipe and preparing for the joys of holiday travel. But according to the dating experts at Match.com, America's singles aren't stressing about the holidays. In fact, they really enjoy everything that comes with the holiday season -- from the shopping, to the parties, to the mistletoe.

"It's encouraging to see that singles are optimistic this holiday season," said Kristin Kelly, senior director of public relations for Match.com. "Yes, there are the trappings of the season to fret over -- like presents and office parties and New Year's Eve plans -- but for the most part, America's singles take the season in stride and relish in the festivities -- confident that they have a resource like Match.com making it easier than ever before to meet and build meaningful relationships. It's a great time to be single."

Match.com polled more than 1,200 singles nationwide about their holiday plans, traditions and expectations for the season. Following are just a few highlights of the survey results:

   *  Single women are feeling more optimistic about the holidays than
      single men.  Forty-eight percent of the single women surveyed said
      they are very optimistic that they'll enjoy the upcoming winter
      holidays, up from 44 percent last year.  Only 36 percent of the single
      men surveyed said they were very optimistic, down from 42 percent last
      year.

   *  Of the singles who say they find the holidays stressful, Christmas
      stands out as more challenging for men while New Year's Eve is more
      challenging for women.  But both men and women agree that Valentine's
      Day is the most challenging or stressful holiday to celebrate as a
      single person.

   *  Two-thirds of singles say they don't feel any extra pressure about
      being single during the holidays.  However, of those singles who do
      feel extra pressure for flying solo -- men are more likely than women
      to feel pressure from their mothers.

   *  When choosing a gift, it's not the price tag, but the thought that
      counts.  Best bets -- a framed photo of the two of you or a CD/MP3
      with all "your songs."

   *  Company holiday parties can be fun but watch out for those
      embarrassing moments.  Singles say their biggest fear is enjoying too
      much holiday cheer (27 percent), followed closely by spilling wine on
      someone else and getting spinach stuck in their teeth (both at
      16 percent).  And, while 2 in 5 single men say they'll cruise a
      holiday party for dates, only 1 in 5 single women will do the same.  A
      good strategy: stand near the mistletoe.  That's where 42 percent of
      singles say they'll be casually positioned.

   *  Singles will be spending New Year's Eve in small groups with their
      friends.  Of the two-thirds who will make New Year's resolutions --
      single women want to lose weight, single men want better jobs and more
      dates -- almost half say they'll see their resolutions through to
      2006.

   *  Just in case Santa really does know if they've been naughty or nice,
      an overwhelming 96 percent of singles say they plan to volunteer
      during the holidays.

   *  And if they've really been nice this year, America's singles hope
      Santa will bring them Mr. Rugged Outdoors Guy (for 32 percent of
      women) and Ms. Girl Next Door (for 37 percent of men) as their ideal
      holiday match.

According to Match.com's Kelly: "For nearly a decade, Match.com has been helping singles find love during the holidays and all year round. The best holiday advice we can give singles is to relax, party smart, give more than you receive, and follow your heart."

About Match.com

Match.com is the world's biggest online dating and personals property, according to the September 2004 global ranking of the Personals category by industry-leading independent measurement firm comScore Media Metrix. Match.com operates leading subscription-based online dating sites in 32 countries, in 18 languages and spanning six continents. The site has more than 15 million members globally. Since its launch in 1995, Match.com has led the way in providing adults worldwide with a fun, private and secure environment for meeting each other and finding meaningful relationships. Based on resignation survey data, Match.com calculates that more than 200,000 Match.com members met the person they were seeking on the site in 2003 alone. Match.com powers online dating on MSN across Europe, Asia, the United States, Australia (NineMSN) and Latin America and is the premier provider of personals for Love@AOL, offering the Match.com service across AOL.com and AOL.co.uk. Match.com is an operating business of IAC/InterActiveCorp (NASDAQ: IACI).

SOURCE: Match.com

CONTACT: Emily Golin of Mullen, +1-978-468-8950, emily.golin@mullen.com,
for Match.com; or Kathleen Roldan of Match.com, +1-415-913-3136,
kathleen.roldan@match.com

Web site: http://www.match.com/