3 Ways to Keep Your Marriage Warm THIS Winter

Written by Bethany Bartholomew

If you’re lucky, you’re living somewhere that the weather stays a nice temperature most of the year. Or, if you’re like me, you’re dealing with snow and cold temperatures and wearing two pairs of socks inside your winter boots just to stay warm on the short walk between the parking lot and your office building.

But no matter where you are living, you and your spouse can be keeping each other’s hearts warm this winter.

Yep, it sounds cheesy. But love is a warm emotion after all.

Here are just a few ways to keep that love alive over the next few freezing months.

1. Serve each other.

​We hear a lot around Christmas time especially that there’s no better way to show love than to serve. And service really is a good way to say, “I love you.” Why not stretch out the service through all of the winter months? And for the rest of the year too, of course. Have fun finding different ways to serve your spouse. Give her a foot rub. Help him plan a fun date. Give him a cookie. Give her a cookie! Do whatever you do that makes your spouse happy.

You can even plan out what service you want to do for your spouse. It’s okay. That’s not breaking any rules. Ask your spouse what service would be most helpful for you to do for them today, and then do it. Your spouse might surprise you with something like, “Actually, can you just wipe that one water mark on our bathroom ceiling? I can’t reach it.” Random. Yes. But you’d never know if you didn’t ask. So have fun and take that adventurous and sometimes surprising step by asking, “What can I do that would be most helpful for you today?”

2. Serve others together.

Who doesn’t like running up to a door, leaving some pumpkin bread, hitting the doorbell, and running away as fast as you can so the person opening the door doesn’t know it was you? Or how about helping your neighbor shovel snow? Or knitting hats for newborns? There are lots of ways to get out there and serve the community, especially in the winter months. And sometimes it just takes a basic knowledge of online search engines to find opportunities in your area. You may want to check out JustServe.org. Make a list of some of your favorite service activities, some projects that relate to your favorite hobbies, or some opportunities you’ve found online that completely surprised you. Make a goal to get through all of the things on your list this winter. Or even just some of them. A little bit can still make a big difference.

You can make this a family and friends event too. Get your in-laws involved. Or go on a double date with a couple you’ve been friends with for years but haven’t talked to in a while. Grab a group and go! More often than not, putting several heads together means more ideas and more opportunities. Maybe someone has a friend who knows somebody who heard about something that had to do with this other service opportunity somewhere nearby. However you hear it through the grapevine, or however long that grapevine might be, go ahead and give it a try! There are tons of fun ways to warm hearts and make a smile, especially in the winter months.

3. Serve up some romance.

Emotional warmth is incredibly important to feeling close to your spouse. And serving each other and serving together are good ways to share that emotional warmth. Showing love for your spouse this way can actually be quite romantic. And this doesn’t exclude other loving things you do. Feel free to write love notes, sing songs, make yummy desserts, etc. You know best how your spouse feels loved, and you can do those loving things any time of year.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt to scoot a little closer together either. It is winter after all. You have the excuse to get a little closer, and a little warmer, together. So snuggle up and get cozy! Play footsies. Take a steamy shower or bubble bath together. Hold hands in the car. Be the big spoon at night. Steal a kiss or two or three—or more. Do whatever it is you do to be romantic and share a little warmth this winter.  

Photo Credit: Caitlinn Mahar-Daniels

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