Beaumont Bridal Inspiration
Christmas Romance for Southeast Texas Newlyweds
The first thing you’ll learn about Christmas as a Southeast Texas married couple is that it all moves pretty fast (except the traffic around Dowlen from Thanksgiving to about January 3rd).
One day it seems like Christmas is two months away and then it is over.
As early as possible, have a short meeting with your spouse about expectations for this holiday season.
It’s not uncommon for a Southeast Texas bride to look at Christmas as a series of beautiful moments that recalled later will provide a movie of a perfect holiday season that she’ll want to relive over and over in her mind or in photos.
It’s not uncommon for a Southeast Texas husband to look at Christmas as a series of tasks that must be completed in a timely and orderly fashion – make sure there is money for the Christmas presents, pack the car efficiently for an obligatory trip to in-laws, cut down (or put together!) the Christmas tree, rake leaves before relatives visit, assemble the children’s Christmas toys.
A quick conversation can help you get on the same page for the perfect Southeast Texas Christmas.
Often, the biggest thing that will help both of you enjoy the holidays is not making too big a production of each thing, so there is time left for you to enjoy your SETX holiday season together.
You won’t remember a lot of your gifts.
You won’t remember a lot of the carefully prepared dishes that accompany the meal.
You will remember any quality time you squeeze in together.
Here are a few tips used by other Southeast Texas couples to help keep Christmas fun, manageable, and romantic.
- We all know Southeast Texas married couples fight over money more than any other single item. Christmas bills can be a big source of fuel on the fire. Break Christmas shopping into digestible monthly amounts and pre-shop throughout the year. Does your husband like
hunting? Any Southeast Texas guy can tell you the best prices on hunting gear at Academy are January and February. Walk in with your budget for that monthand ask for help, “My husband prefers duck hunting and I have $50 – can you show me some clearance items that he’d like?” If you know one of your favorite stores is having a big sale, hand your husband his budget and tell him, “Gaudie and Company is having a big sale and write your sizes on the envelope you give him with his budget.” If there is a particular salesgirl who knows what you like, get them together to maximize his chances of success. Whatever budget you agree to, sticking to it can really help keep you in harmony much better than any extravagant gift that pushes you over budget. If you Christmas shop early, Christmas wrap early – the time saved from not needing a marathon wrapping session Christmas week will be a huge blessing and stress reliever. For your presents, hand your husband the wrapping paper, tape, and scissors and take a walk or visit a neighbor. - Give and take on spending time with each other’s families. If you always go to one set of in-laws or the other, it is going to lead to strain on the marriage. Even if he doesn’t care (or notice), his mom will – and then he will hear about it. Even if he doesn’t really care about visiting his
family, he’ll be worn down by their comments of, “Didn’t you spend last Christmas with her family?”, “Well we were just hoping this year would be the one when you loved us enough to visit…”. A little give and take or a fair rotation system will help keep things smooth. - Plan holiday meals. Chances are one of you doesn’t care what you have to eat on any give holiday and the other cares a lot. We all know lots of Southeast Texas brides landed their spouses in part thanks to their skills in the kitchen. Whether you cooks or he cooks, have the discussion early so your Christmas meal (whether it be glazed ham or chicken fried venison) is harmonious.
- Don’t neglect the bedroom. Everything you do to prepare for this Christmas is going to take longer than you expect. Cleaning the house will take longer. Christmas shopping will go on forever. When you get the presents home, you’ll need to wrap them. How on earth are we out of Scotch Tape? Another trip to the store. Even if your husband really helps out, cooking takes a long time, “What? We have to have dressing and stuffing? Seriously?” Getting ready for Christmas can take so much time that there is no time left to enjoy it. At some point you have to draw a line in the sand and take charge. Hand your husband the candles and matches and tell him you’ll be in there in five minutes. Be ready babe. Hey, it’s the perfect Christmas present for both of you. It won’t put you over budget. You’ll both be away from your in-laws. Assembly is minimal and something you’ve both practiced before. Unless you’re really lucky it will be one of your least time consuming holiday projects.
We hope you have enjoyed today’s feature Beaumont Bridal Inspiration: Christmas Romance for Southeast Texas Newlyweds.
Merry Christmas to all of our Southeast Texas Newlyweds.
We wish you many years of love and romance.
- Daryl Fant, Publisher SETX Weddings
- (512) 567-8068
- SETXWeddings@gmail.com
