• pregnancy & baby
• parenting
• horoscopes
• health
• beauty
• food & drink
• diet & fitness
• more ivillage
  • • Travel
    • Entertainment
    • Home & Garden
    • Relationships
    • Work & Money
    • Shopping
  • • Competitions
    • Dating
    • Quizzes
    • Newsletters
    • Kalimocho.co.uk
    • Wii Fit Plus
  • 

Rekindle your love life this Christmas

The intensity of the long Christmas break, an empty wallet and numerous family visits can put pressure on any happy relationship. Psychologist and sex expert Dr Pam Spurr looks at six ways to make your love life festive and saucy this year

By the time you have used your energy on work parties, school events, preparing food, buying and wrapping gifts, there is very little time left for the pair of you.

It only takes a little bit of thought and creativity to protect your relationship from seasonal stress and to enhance your romantic and sexual enjoyment. Unfortunately, many couples assume their relationship can survive anything. But seasonal neglect and pent-up frustrations means that more couples break up in January than any other time of year.

1. Dangerous liaisons for your diary
At the end of November, or early December, liaise over your diaries and mark in some special dates together. I recommend two, or ideally three, blocks of time that you treat as proper dates with each other. These can be evening dates or any time on a Saturday or Sunday morning or afternoon. Once you've agreed them, protect that time together.

On each of these 'dates' you're both barred from discussing the stresses and strains of the Christmas season. Instead, pretend that it's like your first few dates where you were finding out about each other. Give each other permission to flag up if you start droning on about Christmas problems.

Also, mark the '12 Days of Sex-mas' in your calendar! This is for the small things that end up giving you a big result in the romance department. On each of the days leading up to Christmas, write down one little flirtatious or seductive thing you're going to do. Brainstorm now! For example, arrange to meet your lover for some grown-up Christmas shopping where you both choose some sexy underwear and adult toys. Or you might send them a particularly loving or sexy email one day or surprise them with a dinner-in-bed one night.

read more:  1 |  2 |  3 | next printer friendly send to a friend