Hopefully you were able to get a jump start on Valentines last week. Now you need to bring it on home. Finish strong and pull out all the stops to make it the most romantic ever: notes, cards, presents, dinner, time... Remember it really is the thought that counts.

Photo by Brigitte Tohm on Unsplash

Get a head of Valentines Day and buy a bouquet of flowers for your sweetheart. If you deliver them late this week, they should still be pretty and make your bride feel special leading up to the big day.

Photo by Lizzie on Unsplash

Communication is the key to any relationship, particularly marriage. When things are not going well, communication is usually the first thing that breaks down. Keep the communication lines open.

One thing that has worked well for us is to share the best and worst thing that happened during the day. This is great to do before you go to bed and also works well with your children.

Try it each day this week, see what differences it makes in your relationship.

Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash

Sign up for a marriage retreat in your area. This is a great time to step away from the stress of daily life and focus on the most important relationship we have on this earth. https://www.eventbrite.com/ has a list of retreats all around the country.

Photo by LaShawn Dobbs on Unsplash

As the year comes to a close, take some time with your family to review the past year: accomplishments, failures, good times together, things you wish would have been better, etc. 

Have each person come up with what they want to do differently in this coming year. Discuss a plan on how you are going to accomplish this.  Write them down and put them on the refrigerator or bathroom mirror to remind yourself throughout the year. 

I don't know about you, but 2023 had a lot of difficult challenges for us. Let this year be the beginning of a new adventure.

Photo by Nik on Unsplash

Gather friends and family and have a good old fashioned game night. Pick out some favorites and try some new ones.

Photo by Nik Korba on Unsplash

One of our favorite holiday activities is to go searching for Christmas lights. We like to just drive around, but you can also check out commercial places in your area. Take the family out for an evening to enjoy the holiday.  Play some Christmas music and see what you can find.

 Photo by Juliana Malta on Unsplash

Pick an old or new classic, grab some popcorn, and gather around to enjoy a Christmas movie together. We watched my all-time favorite "White Christmas".  I still remember the first time I saw it on our family black and white TV and seeing Bing sing "White Christmas" for the first time.

Psychologists say that we each need at least ten hugs a day. Intentionally take time to hug your wife and children multiple times each day, before you go to work and when you get home.

Affection with no ulterior motive is important to keep our marriage healthy and romance kindled.

Men tend to shut down or run when things get challenging. Confrontations or intense emotions are sometimes hard for us to process. This week focus on building bridges instead of putting up walls when faced with difficult situations in our marriage.

The next time your wife gets emotional instead of running away build a bridge, reach out and pull her close. If she needs to confront you about something, instead of getting defensive take time to talk through the issue. Tearing down walls and building bridges is a key to building a healthy marriage.