December 10 | Your Future Married Life & Avoiding Holiday Stress!💍

December 10, 2021

top trending topics

💍 Create a strong marriage when you prepare before you say, "I do!" 💆 Do you tend to gravitate toward self-care or self-comfort? 🚫 If you're needing to set some boundaries with in-laws, look no further. 🗣️ Yes, even happy couples argue! 🎁 Make a little time this season for a festive Holidate Night.

tips & tricks for growth

avoid that dreaded holiday stress

While we can mostly agree that the holidays are some of the most wonderful times of the year, it’s easy to get caught up in trying to make each one the “best” holiday ever. A lot of holiday stress comes from that expectation. Although we all want to avoid holiday stress, it usually shows up in different ways. It may look like wanting to purchase the perfect gifts, decorating your home immaculately, or preparing the food that everyone loves. Let’s face it, stress happens! But there are some ways you can try to avoid it. These things can help you navigate the season with more peace:

• Create and utilize healthy boundaries

• Examine your priorities

• Focus on presence, not perfection

• Choose to see the positive

find your compassionate side

Compassion is where empathy meets action. It’s the difference between caring and showing care. You want your spouse to know you can feel their pain, and you’re willing to do something about it. And studies show that you’re better off for showing compassion whether your spouse acknowledges it or not.

Do you want to be more compassionate toward your spouse? Sure you do! We've got you covered with some tips to help:

• Put your energy into understanding. Compassion starts with listening for understanding. Listen, not for how you can fix it or be right, but to understand your spouse’s thoughts, emotions, and desires.
• Step outside of yourself. Things affect people differently. You may not react to disappointment, pain, or betrayal the way your spouse would.
• Never forget: your spouse is human, too. We all have our imperfections. Treating a spouse as though they shouldn’t make mistakes will block compassion.

what we're lovin'

This week's picks come from Chris Gregory, husband to his wife of 23 years, Jodi, Dad of 3, and the Development Director here at First Things First. Take a peek at his recommendations for this week because they are just THAT GOOD. Check 'em out 👀: 🍪 Have a cookie decorating contest with other couples! If you need a good recipe check out Holiday Butter Cookies. No agenda, just have fun decorating cookies and laughing with some friends. 🎲 Can’t travel during the holidays? Play Ticket to Ride. This is a great game about train travel. While playing you can talk about all the vacations you want to take in the future or check out Outside Online. They have great pictures to inspire you to do something fun. 🎬 Talk about your favorite Christmas movies and why you like them. To make it even more memorable try quoting your favorite lines from classics like National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation or Elf.

share the love

Know a friend who would love reading all the relationship goodness we've packed in here? Go ahead and share it with them!