Give Her the Day

The presents are all unwrapped, the turkey has been eaten, the relatives have come and gone and the wrapping paper is put out with the trash. The kids are busy with their new toys, and it’s looking like life might be able to return to some semblance of normal. Now that Christmas is over, it’s time to take a deep breath and relax, right?

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I wonder if all the Christmas hype is really worth it. I’m not talking about the real meaning of Christmas, the celebration of Christ’s birth; that deserves celebrating. Nor am I talking about the idea of Christmas being a time of love and family. I love my family and I love to show them I love them. It’s always wonderful when we can get everyone together; something that’s getting harder and harder as the years go by.

No, I think what bothers me about Christmas is all the commercialism. I think I could enjoy it a whole lot more if Christmas hadn’t become the holiday of emptying out the stores, and emptying out our bank accounts too. So, when it is finally over, I am ready for that sigh and deep breath.

Day 65 – Nothing wrong with taking that deep breath, or even relaxing; but I’ve got a better idea. Since you’ve got today free before going back to work, why not give your wife one last present. I’m not talking about one of those presents that you go out and buy; and it’s really not something you can put under the tree. No, it’s something much more precious than that.

Why not give your wife the gift of time? I mean, give her the whole day; that kind of time. Take today, and give it to your wife, so that the two of you spend the entire day doing whatever she wants to do. You could even make her a little gift card or gift certificate on your computer, put it in an envelope and give it to her over your morning coffee.

After all the hustle and bustle of getting ready for Christmas, and all the work of cooking the Christmas meal, a day together might just be the medicine she needs to get to the point where she can take that deep breath and relax. So, spend some time together, enjoy yourselves, and relax.

Start the Weekend off Right

For most of us, the workweek may as well be spent with track shoes on. From the moment our alarms go off on Monday, through the kids soccer practice on Tuesday, and the ballet lessons on Thursday, how do we manage to find time for the dentist appointment, to talk with the kids math teacher; and, oh yeah, get some work in there too.

When the weekend comes, it seems like the whole world gives a huge, collective sigh of relief. But really, our all too often our weekends are just as hectic as the work week. We’ve got to mow the lawn, wash the car, do the grocery shopping, go to the kids game, wash the laundry, fix the broken screen door, and somehow still have time for the game. Oh, and don’t forget the relatives that are coming over for dinner on Sunday night.

How did we ever get so crazy? Even more important, how are we ever supposed to find time for each other in the midst of all this busyness?

Day 34 – I’d like to suggest to you that you and your wife form a new family tradition; one of starting the weekend of right. Take Friday night and make it yours. I know, there are a million other things to do; but this one is more important; we all need to invest time into our marriages.

It doesn’t really matter so much what you do in the time that you reserve for yourselves, what’s important is that you have that time. In fact, it’s so important, that I think you should put it in your planner, just like any other appointment. That doesn’t mean that you can never accept a dinner invitation on Friday nights, it just means that you only accept it if you both think it’s important enough to sacrifice your time together.

Friday nights don’t have to be expensive, but they have to be exclusive; it’s exclusively for the two of you. If you go out to eat, make the kids eat pizza. If you go to the park, to take a walk and throw bread at the ducks, don’t bring the kids with you. If you just sit over a cup of coffee and talk, make sure it is in a place where you can be alone. Oh, and, be sure to turn your cellular off.