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3 Free Gifts You Can Give Your Partner this Christmas
I love the holidays! But not everybody does. The holiday season can stir up reminders of tough times, abuse, trauma, and scarcity for many, which can, in turn, have a negative impact on the present.
My wife, Angie, and I have had to face some of these ghosts of Christmas past in our marriage. This weekend I learned that the song “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” was a powerful trigger for Angie. She grew up with a grinch who always stole her Christmas, and that song — which to me was just silly and slightly annoying and infinitely overlook-able — always signaled to her that the most miserable time of her family’s year had arrived.
Initially, I had a hard time understanding her feelings about Christmas. My formative experiences were so different than hers. I grew up in a home filled with excitement and joy during the holidays, so in building a new home together with Angie, I went in with all those expectations. Over the decades, we have had some intense conversations and therapy about our various memories of the Christmas season. Because of that work, I’m thankful to say, we have been in a great place now for years.
With that in mind, I wanted to give you three things you can do to enrich your relationship over the holidays.
