Spending the Holidays Together as a Coupl

            With Winter Holidays just one month away, it’s the perfect time to start planning. Choosing between spending time with your family and spending time with your partner has never received an easy answer.

Even since you were little, there hasn’t been a Christmas without you decorating the house and anxiously unpacking the presents found under the three. Years had passed and you now find yourself leaving your parent’s house in order to settle for happiness in two. Christmas is by definition a holiday of the full family and less a holiday for lovers. Don’t be surprised to encounter opposition when you inform your family that you have different plans this year.

However you put it, traditions are the binder of societies and nations. During military conquest, disposal of local traditions was the cruelest form of oppression imagined. The vast majority of people share the same sensibility towards keeping traditions unchanged. Any disturbance is perceived as a bad sign threatening unity and continuity. Traditions related to Christmas Holydays are probably the most prominent in Western Culture. So the next time you feel your mom’s disappointment when you tell her over the phone that you won’t be home for Christmas you will probably better understand the mechanism that kicks in.

A couple will always face the threat of temporary separation during winter holiday. The two families will make any efforts to repatriate their children. When calls begin to come, it is always better to give an immediate and clear answer. Delaying things will only increase disappointment and make things harder to accept.

After you are done with the least pleasant task of informing the two families, is time to plan how you will actually spend the holydays. I hope I am not the first to tell you this, but if you preferred to enjoy Christmas in a location where it hasn’t snowed from the last Ice Age, it’s a bit too late to book something at a decent price. But don’t despair, there are still options. There is nothing more romantic than a cabin in the woods, at the foothill of a mountain, far away from civilization. You’ll have all the time in the world to cuddle next to a fireplace. Forget about traditions. You’ll eat and rest for as much as possible. There is nothing more rewarding than full time dedicated to your partner, with no worries about rushing to the office or taking care of the kids. If you form a couple which shares a passion for winter sports, a weeklong escape to a ski resort is just the vacation you need in order to refill your energy levels. Who said anything about traditions? If you are young enough, another age will come for you to rediscover them

If you aren’t good at planning on the last minute or your budget for travelling has reached its limit, there is always the option to stay home for the holydays. Every city, either big or small, receives its Christmas decorations and undergoes a change to the better. Snow and cold keeps people indoor at later hours, transforming your usual streets in the perfect scenery for a romantic walk. When you are tired of enduring the cold, you just need to reach for a local pub serving mulled wine and gingerbread. Don’t forget about carols echoing from your local Christmas market. Staying in your city could help to enhance your couple life by repairing all the lost time during the year. You are also spared from all the agitation that usually accompanies your departures. The end of the vacation is easily endured if did not spent it in a really special place. Last but not least, remember there are many friends around with which you can hang up. Most certainly someone is hosting a New Year’s Eve party and the two of you can come along.

After all, a great holyday for a couple is not something you see on the posters of your local travelling agency. You can learn to enjoy the simple things and be grateful for the most important thing of all – the person next to you.