Happy New Year - How's your marriage?

As much as I love the holidays and the great excuse it gives me to celebrate, I am glad that they are over. The inside decorations are put away, I promise I'll take down the outside ones as soon as it stops raining, and I am looking forward to seeing everyone back at the office again (it was getting a little lonely).

It's January. And it's time to think about my marriage.

I'll explain: There was this study that was released right before Christmas, indicating that a quarter of British couples saw the holiday as the make-or-break point for their marriage. Granted, the study was funded by a divorce firm, so there are issues with that. But, if you think about it, holidays can be very stressful for couples: Being home together for extended periods of time, visiting with family and the celebration not living up to expectations.

A week later another study emerged claiming that the first week of January was the start of "divorce season" as couples make more inquiries about divorce in January than any other month of the year. The study claims that couples who come in the first week of January were usually only "holding it together" to get through the holidays.

Rather than get depressed by all this news, I thought I would look for ways to strengthen my marriage in the new year. Of course, I will need my husband's help with this, but it's definitely a cause near and dear to both our hearts.

Here are some things I've been thinking about:

• Our weekly lunch date. My husband and I are lucky enough to work a few blocks away from each other, but during the last few weeks, I've had to cancel these lunch dates. That has bummed me out big time. These need to stay on my calendar.
• Date nights. My husband and I don't go on enough dates. But we really need to take the night off from our son and do something fun as a couple.
• Getting away. Last year we took a large vacation as a family, but the year before that, we went to Jamaica - just the two of us. And every moment of it was wonderful.
• Making time for each other. This sounds much simpler than it is. But, I need to find time to focus on him in the evenings and do something we both enjoy (watching TV doesn't count).

I love my husband. He still needs to stay out of my kitchen, though.

Are you and your spouse up to trying something new in the New Year? Share it with me in the comments (as long as it is G-rated.)