My partner and I are big holiday fans. We love the movies, the songs, the stories, the decorations, the treats, and everything. But December is also his busiest month, and I’m certainly not sitting home watching Christmas movies and eating those during-Christmas-calories-don’t-count cookies either. So it can be easy for us to miss out on a lot of the together time that we want to have because of how busy we are. A couple of years ago we were gifted an Advent calendar, and not one of those that has pieces of chocolate in them, but one that requires more than 10 seconds of your time. Opening a “door” each day became a really positive way to spend just a little bit of time and do something very seasonal together. We haven’t done it the past few years, but (don’t tell him!) I got us one for this year and I’m excited to be able to connect in that way again this holiday season.
Maybe you don’t have even the extra 5 or 10 minutes each day to do an Advent calendar together or don’t want to buy one each year (if it costs less than a date night does, it’s worth it, especially since you may not have as many date nights this month because of all the holiday gatherings). If that’s the case, maybe you divvy chores up that can be done in the same room, like one of you cleaning up the kitchen and doing the dishes while the other does the cookie baking and treat making. Or folding the laundry together each day to Christmas music. Or getting in a little exercise and walking the dog together while you talk about holiday plans and memories. Or one of you doing work on the laptop/tablet while the other decorates the Christmas tree.
The point is that there are many ways to get all that needs to be done this month completed while still getting in some quality relationship time. It may not look like it usually does but that’s even better because not only is so much else different during this time of year, it’s also good to give your relationship some refreshing too from time to time. Of course if you can find time to get out and do couple things during the holidays, especially those that give you two time to connect and be, and not just those that are filled with other people, that’s great too. But I know how fast December gets full and busy, so it may be better for your relationship if you work on finding 5 or 10 minutes to really connect each day rather than trying to fit in big, committed events and activities. How do you and your partner connect and spend time together during the holidays?