Too Tired For Your Partner?

I see it so many times -- people are stretched so thin.  They volunteer for everything and have nothing left for the people they love - especially their partners.

If you are too tired to enjoy your relationship when you and your partner have time to be together, then it is time you reevaluate what you are doing. Do you volunteer for the PTO or coach every thing under the sun?  Do you play softball all summer long or have to be involved in every fundraiser in the community? Do you find yourself telling your partner that you are too tired to stay up with him/her during the evening or that you just need to relax and chill during your time together?  If this happens time and again, you seriously need to view this from your partner's perspective.

 How do you think your partner feels if he/she asks you to watch a movie with him/her and you tell him/her you just need some sleep.   Yet, the three nights before you were out raising funds for the humane society, playing a softball game, and attending a committee meeting.  What about passing on a night of intimacy because you have to get up early the next morning to play golf with your friends?These are the type of events that can really hurt a relationship.  Nothing is wrong with doing any of these things, but when you can't make time for your relationship because of them you are not only affecting your partner, but your relationship as a whole.

I am assuming that the two of you are together because you love each other.  With that bond comes the respect that you owe to each other.  Do some planning and figure out the best times for the two of you and then don't let things get in the way of your love.  If you are repeatedly too tired to be with your partner, what you are really saying to him/her is, "Our relationship comes after all these other things I am doing."  Don't be that person.  Put stock in your relationship and move it up on your priority list.  You will be amazed at the difference this can make.

Learn about other cultures this Christmas.

We here in the United States are pretty secure in our view of Christmas so much so that we actually don’t know how other cultures view Christmas. One thing that is hard for me to understand is what do people do that live in warm climates during Christmas. Obviously they don’t go sledding or make snowmen. I think it would be a wonderful thing if the two of you picked a country and did some research on how the celebrate Christmas. Maybe you can pick a place that your ancestors hailed from? Find out what kind of dishes they eat, how the view Santa, what the weather is during the holiday, and traditions that the have handed down from generation to generation. Who knows maybe you will find something you like and start it as a tradition in your house. Try to put some of the culture you learn about into the two of your Christmas this season.

Stealth Wrapping

We all know that certain things come in a certain shape of box. For instance jewelry comes either in those cube style boxes or the long slender ones. DVD's and video game are a distinct box of their own. Even when we were kids we could tell a clothes box from the good stuff. Now if you want to mask your present to throw your partner off track, just mix up these boxes a little. For example if you purchase a necklace for your love grab an old DVD case off the shelf that no one will miss and tape the necklace inside the box. They will most likely guess you got them a new movie instead of the present that they will just adore. Another easy thing to do is to wrap your present inside a larger box. Say you got your love tickets to the next football game then wrap the tickets in a normal size box and then rewrap it in a much larger box. Don't be afraid to throw in sound effects either, things such as marbles, uncooked macaroni, or even rice help throw the person off the trail. Another thing you can do is chance the weight of the present but bricks or rocks inside to make it seem like something that would be heavy. If you object is to large to wrap say like a bike or a sofa a great way to put it into a present is to take a picture of the item and then use the above mentioned ideas to wrap up the picture, then have the item in the garage waiting. Surprise and anticipation is the key to having a wonderful Christmas morning so be sneaky, very very sneaky.

Give, Give, Give....

During this time of season we really think about needy people ones that are in our lives and ones that we know nothing about. Sometimes I tear up hearing about a child that doesn't have enough to eat or that hasn't any parents at this time of year. It's hard enough to make ends meet and get everything done we need to do but can you imagine not even having the means to complete the most basic tasks, like brushing your teeth? I know this holiday I am going to put a little extra effort into giving. Go out and when you pick up your basic needs such as toothpaste, pick up an extra tube and drop it off at the homeless shelter. Cleaning out your closet for new Christmas clothes take them to a place that gives them to the needy. Volunteer you time to help serve dinner at a shelter and make donations to organizations that need funding. This way when you are snuggled up with your sweetheart in your nice warm house you will get an even better feeling by knowing that you helped someone less fortunate. Get your partner involved and your kids if you have any, you won't believe the wonderful feeling it gives you to help someone that is down on their luck. Believe me you will see the appreciation in their eyes. Then don't forget about this feeling the rest of the year.

Make sure when you partner wakes up on Christmas they are just as excited as when they were a kid.

Remember the wonderful feeling when you were a kid and you woke up on Christmas morning. You would run out of bed with your feet barely hitting the floor. Now we might not be able to get each other that excited about Christmas but you can make it a fun festive day for the two of you. If you have any children in the house you shouldn't have any problem. Watching them is excitement enough. If you don't have any children in the house then you need to make plans to have a wonderful day together. Get up early and make a wonderful breakfast together. Then Shower and slip into some warm comfy clothing and exchange gifts. Then you have the rest of the day to enjoy. Maybe a nice walk on Christmas day would be good or relaxing with some hot cocoa might be your thing. If your social creatures invite some friends over to play board games or watch movies. The point of the day is to make it special not like all the other days of the year. Make sure to set some time for the two of you to get a little closer during this wonderful day, make love, snuggle, and sleep in each others arms. Now that my friends is a very Merry Christmas.

Take a Moonlight Drive.

During the Holiday season a very romantic thing to do is to take a late night drive and check out all the Christmas decorations. Only at this time of year will your drive be filled with houses decked out in lights or festive holiday themes. If you check around a bit you might find a local park or zoo that might have a small charge for a wonderful light display. I know just about 20 minutes from our house a park has a light show that is a must see for us and our children every year. Make a little challenge of it and mark you favorites, rate them from best to worst so that next year you can return as most people find this a competition any way. You can usually find the same houses decorated each year if you can remember where they are. Sometimes you will find whole neighborhoods dressed in lights while other times you might just find a diamond in the rough out off a back road. Ask around your friends and sometimes they can lead you to some of the more wonderful light displays. The most wonderful part about this activity is that no matter how big your family is everyone can enjoy it. If it is only the two of you or is you have four kids it can still be just as wonderful listening to them get excited looking for lights.

Make your bedroom as festive as the rest of your house.

When we decorate for the holidays we sort of forget about our bedroom. Mostly because the average house quest doesn’t venture into our personal room for anything more then a quick glimpse. Within your relationships however the two most important people are the ones that spend the most time in there. Break out some extra lights and decorate your headboard, put some tinsel around or even some fake snow. We spend so much time decorating the rest of the house, that we forget that our bedroom is a great place to have fun and play a little. Imagine the blinking Christmas lights flashing the next time the two of you make love or what you could do with the extra festive pillows that you have put on the bed. While the holidays are suppose to be shared with family and friends it is also a great time to reconnect with your partner.

Shop with planning, Love with passion

The holiday season can be pretty crazy at this time of year. Everyone is out trying to get their shopping done before the big day. This is the exact reason you have to have a shopping plan in place before you head out. Roaming around the store not knowing what you are going to get is like wandering lost in the jungle. The time is now to get your strategy planned out by first of all deciding or at least have an idea of what you are looking for in the store before you enter. Check the Internet to find the best presents, you can even find some web sites that will give you suggestions for that hard to buy for person in your life. If you can find a floor plan of the mall or store you will be shopping it get it and study the areas you will need to hit during your shopping trip, backtracking and roaming are only good for wasting time. Once you get to your shopping destination stay focused it is easy to get off track and start looking at things that you won't be buying. Follow your path and grab and go on your way around the store, then hit the cashier and exit the store. When you follow your plan this will free you up to spend more time with the people that you are shopping for. I would much rather spend time snuggling with my wife and watching Christmas Movies or even just our tree then running around a store frantically.

Make a date out of picking out your own Christmas Tree

A great thing to do spending the day together is going out and picking out your own Christmas tree. Make sure you get to cut it down yourself, load it up on your car and take it home to decorate. The two of you (and kids if you have them) will have a great time tromping through the woods or Tree farm to find just the right tree to fit in your house. Don’t just pick the first one that looks good spend some time thinking about it plus this gives you wonder time to duck behind a tree for a quick kiss or two. Once you find the perfect tree cut it down and load it up on your car. Now you have more fun ahead as you get it home and start decorating it. Make it an event make some hot chocolate or maybe even a couple of drinks or a bottle of wine to enhance the event. Once you finally get done you will have the satisfaction of sitting down and watching the lights blink all over this wonderful symbol of not only Christmas but of your love and team work.

Great Holiday Gift Idea : A Weekend Get-Away

Sometimes the holidays can be a little trying, if your partner gets overwhelmed by the holidays or if you just want to escape during the winter months a Weekend get-away is a great present to give. Go ahead a pick a weekend and book your room and find things to do around the area. It can be in a large city or a quiet country cabin what ever floats your boat. Once you have the date set and have made all the arrangements, find a brochure on the location and wrap it up for you sweetheart. Put some weight in the box or some old clothes to throw you partner off a little bit. You can place a note inside explaining the trip or you can just let them guess as they pull out the brochure. A skiing weekend or maybe a trip to a warm spot like the Caribbean would get your partner jumping up and down on Christmas day. Don't have a lot of money then search the Internet for cheap hotel rooms, their are several sites that offer discounted hotel rooms such as priceline.com I get a email each week of hotel rooms for $39 at different location, their is no catch it is just the hotels trying to drum up business during these tough times, so why not take advantage of it. The best part about this is that your partner will have no idea about it and those are the type of gifts that usually get the best reactions.