December 2, 2009: Holiday Hassle or Holiday Heaven?
"If this is ‘the most wonderful time of the year’ then why have we been arguing more then ever?"
December has just begun and we have already heard this from several of the couples we work with. Holiday hassles can wreck havoc on even the best relationships. The stress is endless - shopping for gifts, spending money, planning family visits, overindulging, sugar highs, weight gain, too much alcohol.
So how can couples leverage their relationship to create holiday heaven?
- Take the time to plan as a team. Create a strategic plan and set goals for shopping, spending, decorating and visiting.
- Make “to do” lists and set time frames to achieve the tasks. Build in extra time for delays.
- Divide the tasks into chunks. Decide what each of you will do and what you can delegate.
- Build in rewards for the two of you - dinner out, a romantic evening, a couples’ massage. When you achieve each goal you’ll have something to look forward to.
- Support each other in “not” overindulging in eating and drinking.
- Create holiday traditions just for the two of you.
- Plan something fun for New Years!
Staying connected as a couple during the holiday season will turn your holiday hassle into holiday heaven!