We are now in the midst of what many consider the most wonderful time of the year. Whether your celebrations are based on religious rituals or family traditions, one thing is for sure, there will also be plenty of stress in your life. Young couples may find this time more challenging than both their single peers, and older more established couples.

When two families come together for the first time, it is the fortunate and unusual couple that can successfully merge two families together without someone’s feelings being hurt. To make things more complicated, today’s families may include divorced parents, step-parents, new siblings…. oh, and let’s not forget about our close friends, known as our “family by choice”.

So, where does that leave us? With lots of decisions to make. But, let’s not forget the most important decision – to set aside time to spend with yourself and your new relationship. If you want your new relationship to work, you must, I repeat, you must find time for just the two of you. If your new life includes children from past relationships, that will make your decisions even more important. Set limits so your family or your partner’s family time does not intrude too much into your new family time. Make your partner feel that he or she is first in this relationship.

The trick is to set priorities early in the season and balance time spent with all. It’s important to let your family and friends know you still love and care about them. That said, you’ve started a new family that needs and deserves your time, too.

December, 2007