Keep Your Marriage Strong During The Holidays
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Holidays mean family gatherings, outings, holiday parties and goodies. It’s the time of year that we focus on Christmas lists, shopping for the perfect gift, cookie baking, and decorating, In all the chaos of the season, focusing on your marriage may fall to the bottom of the list.
Watch any holiday movie and the theme always centers on remembering and being with the ones you love. Here are six ways to keep your marriage strong and happy during the holidays.
- Make Time for Intimacy
When you re stressed out and overcommitted, sex and intimacy may be the last thing on your mind. It may, however, be the very thing you need. Make an effort to touch and be close to your partner. Give your spouse a massage or spend time holding hands and giving long intimate kisses. Hop in the shower together. Sex is an essential way of connecting with your spouse that will keep your marriage strong.
- Spend Time Together
It seems like the last thing you have time for this holiday is a date night, but your marriage cannot do without it. Forget about your to-do list and carve out time for each other. Go out to dinner or a holiday show, drive around with hot cocoa looking at Christmas lights or just spend an evening in watching a movie and cuddling on the couch. You both need one-on-one time to reconnect and enjoy each other’s company to keep your marriage fresh.
- Appreciate Your Spouse’s Efforts
With the hustle and bustle of the holidays, it is easy to forget that our spouse does a lot of regular chores and duties around the house. Wouldn’t it be nice to occasionally be thanked for those efforts? Let your spouse know how grateful you are that he “swept or shoveled the walk” or that she “cooked a delicious meal”. Acknowledging and thanking your spouse helps them feel appreciated and keeps your marriage bond strong.
- Talk & Share with Your Spouse
Making your partner a priority means making time each day to share your thoughts and feelings with them and listen to theirs. Put away the cell phones, hide the to-do list and stop your busy activities for at least 10 minutes each day to focus on your partner.
- Pay Your Spouse a Compliment
Even if you’ve been married for years, it is still nice to hear our spouse pay us a compliment. Everyone wants to feel like his or her spouse is still attracted to him or her. Part of keeping the spark in a marriage is to let your lover know that you still think they are just as attractive, smart, funny or sweet as they day you first met.
- Say “I LOVE YOU”
People never feel as loved as when someone tells them so. While we may say I love you with a peck on the check before we go to bed at night, which seems more routine than with genuine feeling. Focus on why you love your spouse and make an effort to make sure they know it. Tell them “I love you because you’re always there for me.” Put a little note in their brief case or purse that says” I LOVE YOU”. Send them a text message during the day that says, “ I’m thinking about how much I love you.” Love is the foundation of every strong and happy marriage, so say it.
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