Holiday Harmony Checklist for Your Relationship

Holidays can be the best of times and the worst of times. There are so many demands on our time, so much to prepare, so many people to please. It’s easy to see how tension can arise even in the best of relationships. The antidote to this is to prepare for the stress that may come and offset it by creating as much joy as possible.When you and your partner anticipate and foresee the positive and the negative that come with the holidays and wrap your arms around it, you have the key to creating a harmonious holiday season.Here is a Holiday Harmony checklist for your relationship that will help:

1. Balance your desires with extended family desires. You may not be able to please everyone and still enjoy the holidays yourself. Don’t try to do it all. Discuss with your partner what you need and want and make plans accordingly.
2. Anticipate and plan for difficulties you may encounter. You most likely know which relatives will bring up subjects to argue about, such as politics and religion.  Also, which relatives will be critical or negative and which ones may have a little too much eggnog. Be prepared, instead of letting them catch you off guard. Have a response prepared to end conversations you don’t want to have such as, “We’ll just have to agree to disagree” or “I’d rather not discuss that today.”
3. Carve out time for your own celebration. Plan time for just the two of you to connect and enjoy the holiday. Do something special for you as a couple. Plan a night alone for holiday romance and love-making.
4. Indulge but not too much. Most of us overindulge with our eating and drinking over the holidays. Limit your overindulgence so you don’t let yourself go too much. You and your partner can help each other in this regard.
5. Communicate. Talk with each other often about how you are feeling.  What’s working and what’s not working to make this a joyous holiday season? Stay in touch with each others' experience of the holidays.  Share the difficulties and the joy. Express your gratitude and love.

We are grateful to have you as part of our Relationships Work community and wish you and your family all the best for a warm and wonderful holiday!!We would love to hear about your holidays on our Facebook page.To Your Relationship,Lori and Bob Hollanderwww.RelationshipsWork.comSign up for our monthly eNewsletter, Radical Relationships, to receive more tips and articles from us about relationships.