Dear Blog Readers,
Merry Christmas! Here is part of my Christmas letter that I sent out to family and friends this season. I couldn't leave you out! Enjoy!
As a recently married couple, my husband and I have been amazed at all of the things we’ve been learning about marriage
and about each other. We thought we’d
share a few of them with all of you, either as a quick review or preparation
for the future.
Lesson #1: Work as a Team
The first team member’s duties
are to cook a fabulous meal. Experiment
or try a new recipe. Try utilizing some
of the leftovers in your fridge. The
second team member’s job is to support the cook. Stand by the annoyingly-nearby smoke detector
and wave a newspaper in front of it to stop the alarm, which may go off at the
rate of every twenty seconds. Repeat as
needed. Remind the cook that the alarms
have nothing to do with the quality of the food.
Lesson #2: Celebrate Each Other’s Strengths
For example, you’re putting up
the Christmas lights together for the first time. Husbands are really good at cleaning the cob
webs off of the eaves. Wives are very
good at pointing out if he missed one. On
the flip side, wives tend to be good at writing thank you notes. Husbands are very good at signing them.
Lesson #3: Be Understanding
When your wife buys six rolls of
wrapping paper, be understanding. It is her first Christmas away from her
family, and the wrapping paper makes her happy.
When she buys 20 gift bags, seven spoils of ribbon (what do you need
ribbon for anyway?), three packets of tissue paper, and gift wrapping tape, be
understanding. Okay, she likes to
decorate her presents. When she buys a
plastic container to hold the wrapping paper rolls, be understanding. At least she’s putting things away. When she buys a metal rack for all of that
ribbon, be understanding. And when she
buys enough presents to use all six rolls of wrapping paper, be…well, just
smile and say, “That’s great, honey.”
Lesson #4: Leave Little Notes for Each Other
It’s really sweet to come home to
your favorite drink in the fridge with a little note that says, “I love you!”
on the top. It’s also really sweet to
wake up to breakfast in bed with a handwritten note telling you how wonderful
you are. It’s also really sweet to come
home to a sticky note on the front door that says, “Ha! Beat you home!” (Racing is not endorsed.)
