In your marriage, the holidays may be something you fear due to stress. If you are on the flip side and don’t have issues during the holidays, you are a minority. Each holiday has it’s own set of traditions, customs and even seasons. Regardless of the traditions you keep for whatever the holiday, parts of your childhood or even region you live in can affect what you do during the holidays.
You can cut down on the stress this year doing a few things to make the holidays more enjoyable.
1. Set limits
Don’t try to do everything. Limit you and your spouse/family to one big event and maybe a few little ones. Some couples choice one side of the family for Thanksgiving and the other side for Christmas. Talking about the things you like and dislike about the holidays is the start of doing only the things you like.
2. Create New Traditions
After you got married, there were traditions you were use to that made it feel like the holidays and once kids came along, you made new ones for them. Combing the two can be overwhelming to continue and regardless of what the rest of your family may think or want you to do, you have to set the tone for your family. Don’t be afraid to talk about your expectations during the holidays with your spouse. Unmet expectations in marriage causes so many longer lasting issues and you can avoid them by simply being honest. Be compassionate about how you handle it and don’t dictate only what you want but make the holidays you want to remember by allowing equal banter/input.
Hopefully, these ideas will help you be able to enjoy the holidays and not be wishing they were over.
The Marriage Playbook
~where marriage is going~
