Your first holiday alone with just you and your spouse once the kids have all grown and have lives of their own can loom in front of you with an emptiness you cannot imagine. While it is only natural that you miss these large family gatherings you do not have to let the empty nest syndrome spoil the holiday for you and your spouse.
In fact, with a little planning and imagination this holiday season could be a wonderful way for you and your spouse to reconnect spiritually and romantically. Just think of all the possibilities!
Instead of a holiday filled with days of cooking and preparing to feed an army in which more than likely you were worn out and in need of a vacation by the end of Thanksgiving weekend you can now spend a wonderful relaxing day with your better half.
Why not take this time to recreate some of the romance the two of you so enjoyed before the kids started arriving. Plan an intimate candle-lit dinner for two. Something elegant yet simple. You can now set up a table in front of the fireplace or in the bedroom and allow yourselves to simply enjoy being together.
You can take the weekend get-away trip the two of you have always talked about. Imagine the two of you in a little rustic cabin by a still lake, enjoying a nature walk holding hands, sleeping late, and eating what and when you feel like it.
Perhaps, a 5 star motel is more to your taste, with a large king size bed, and a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner ordered sent to you room. The two of you basking in the luxury of having your meal served to you and no clean up afterward.
Maybe, there is a soup kitchen that you always wanted to go serve at over the holidays but family commitments made it difficult.
Perhaps, your idea of the perfect Thanksgiving or Christmas is to simply spend the day in bed, eating cold cuts and watching old movies on television.
Whatever your dream has been now is the time to make that dream a reality.
The main thing is to not dwell on yesterdays holidays but make new traditions that you and your spouse will enjoy, secure in the knowledge that sooner or later your children will once again come streaming home bringing spouses and grandchildren to fill up your home with laughter and noise.
So, take advantage of this wonderful holiday when there are just the two of you. Tell yourself it is time for you to enjoy the holiday that for so many years you have made enjoyable for others.
