The holiday season is for kids, right? Well…sort of. No matter what or how you celebrate, it’s a time for family, children, good friends and your partner! It’s such a busy time of year that many couples confess to hardly seeing one another until the new years rolls around, never mind having any meaningful time together.
So how do you cater to the kids and fulfill their joy of the holidays, without forgetting your partner? Here are some tips:
Schedule date nights
Make an effort to plan some time alone, even if it means locking the bedroom door and snuggling and chatting together for a couple hours while the kids play video games downstairs.
Spice it up
Make sure at least one of your gifts to each other has some sexiness involved, whether it’s lingerie or a hotel night together. Not all holiday gifts have to be given and unwrapped in front of the kids!
Don’t divide and conquer
Plan to do at least some of the necessary holiday tasks together. Wrap gifts, do holiday baking or shop together as a team.
Have lunch together
It’s something most couples rarely do, so find a time when you can meet halfway between your offices, or steal away for a quick meal or coffee on a weekend while the kids are at extracurricular activities or play dates.
Leave notes for one another
Cute sticky notes on the bathroom mirror, lunch box notes, or sexy notes in their underwear drawer — use your creativity on the place and message to let your partner know you’re thinking of him or her even if you can’t spend much time alone together.
Give the gift of time together
Give experiences instead of things as gifts. Even family experiences can provide time for you and your partner to talk and hold hands.
Stay cheek-to-cheek
Have a family holiday music dance party and dance close with your partner.
Get physical
Yes, that kind of physical when you can, but even with kids along, you and your partner can ride the same toboggan or hold hands while you skate together.
Mistletoe everywhere!
Surprise your partner by secretly hanging mistletoe all over your house so you have to stop and kiss constantly. Your kids will pretend to be grossed out, but they secretly love seeing their parents show affection.
It’s all in the art
Make something artsy or crafty together. Ever see the movie Ghost? That pottery wheel scene is hot and sexy as well as sweet and intimate. There’s something about bonding and creating something artistic together with your hands, so lay down some newspapers, get out the glue gun and make a holiday decoration or homemade holiday gift together. Even if the kids are there with you working on their art or craft project too, the holidays can still be a time to ensure your partner is not forgotten.