After a completely packed wedding season (and musical before that) that has kept us constantly on the move for the past 9 months, Michael and I got a completely welcomed and needed day together yesterday!  Each December, we make sure to find one day, our December Date day, to spend together doing some holiday things and making some memories. And we just happened to pick the first snow of the season yesterday- it truly felt like a magical day.  So we wanted to share a few things we have learned about this tradition over the years, and a few things you can do with your spouse to enjoy the holidays!

1). Pick a store that you want to avoid like the plague except for once a year…and go this day. For us, that means THIS is the day we go to Toys R Us. I say the day, because it is the only day of the year. No offense to that place, but it is just not an enjoyable place for us- usually overstuffed, overpacked, understaffed, and a bit difficult. But we have found that going on our date day WITHOUT kids is the best option for us!

2). Make sure to go to Menards to pick up the next 100 lb bag of dog food. Because then you can ALSO convince your spouse that even though you are 100% holiday decorated…there is always room for a little bit more!

3). For us, there is always a meal out to really bring the “date” portion. This time we went with a quick lunch at a favorite Mexican restaurant in town…but the real #3 is ICE CREAM. Because for the Gums, ice cream is always a necessity.  While we have our favorites, when it comes to dessert, we don’t have to be picky! So we always make sure to plan the day so that lunch is early, and there’s always time for ice cream!

4). Furniture shopping or looking at houses (from the outside!).  We may be alone in this…but we just love these two activities and 1 or the other often makes it into our date days!

Ok so you may have noticed…these don’t really have anything to do with the holidays, even though they are almost all always involved in our December Date day. But the thing is…that is the point. Because these days are so fun for us, and they are just filled with ordinary activities and errands.  Things that we sort of  have to do, but we love doing them because we are together. And that is the point of this Marriage Mondays post.  Finding the joy and fun in the normal activities, the things that make up the “busy” of this season.  Even if it means going to your least favorite store of all time for the one time a year. 😉 It can be easy to get caught up in the stress of the errand running and shopping and crowds.  But with my arm in his, any regular outing can be an adventure…and I hope this for you too!  And with Christmas music playing in the car and peppermint hot chocolate at some point (if you can handle it WITH the ice cream ;-)), it feels extremely festive as well!

Happy December, friends!