Don’t Forget Your Significant Other This Holiday Season – Four Tips for Staying Connected
The holiday season can bring so much stress and running here and there. In-laws are visiting, you’re visiting in-laws, and everyone is trying to make sure that no one in the family feels overlooked. But the irony here is that the holidays are supposed to be a time to reconnect with family and loved ones. That’s why we do so much visiting and hosting; but when it gets hectic you don’t really get a chance to connect at all.
And where does that leave your relationship with your spouse or partner?
Here are four tips for staying connected with your significant other this holiday season.
1. Make Your Own Holiday
There’s no hard and fast rule that says you have to open gifts on the 25th of December, or that you have to have holiday celebrations right on the date of that holiday. Why don’t you and your significant other plan a time together when it’s not a date of a party, or a date when you’re getting ready for one?
Look at your calendar and plan your night together before or after the holidays – sometimes after is the best. After all, that gives you something to look forward to in order to combat the post-holiday slump. You won’t find many parties being thrown on the day after New Year’s or the weekend before Thanksgiving! So choose an off-date for your time together.
2. Keep Out-of-Town Visits Short…and Stay in a Hotel
Many couples visit in-laws or parents during the holidays, and if those family members live out of town, travel and visiting time can be real strains on your time together with your spouse or partner. You can ease the burden and spend more time with your partner if you stay in a hotel instead of staying with family. Yes, it’s an added expense; but it really helps to be able to get away in the evenings and prepare to see your family the next day rather than having them right in your space 24/7.
Also, try to keep out-of-town visits short, no more than 2 or 3 days, to avoid everyone getting tense and your relationship with your spouse coming under strain.
3. Build on Memories
How did you and your partner spend your first holiday season together? Is there a possibility that you can go back to that same place for a special time, even if it’s just for a few hours? Building on memories can be a great way for couples to re-ignite their relationship and stay in touch during the holidays.
4. Don’t Let Guilt Get to You
Some couples get the guilt trip from their families about how and with whom they choose to spend the holidays. One of the big keys to staying connected with your significant other this time of year is to be firm with your holiday plans. If you want to spend Christmas or New Year’s or even Thanksgiving at your own home, that’s your own choice. Your significant other and you can grow closer by developing traditions of your own.