Are you currently living with your significant other? Do you two rent an apartment together, are living with his/her parents, or rent a room, or a home with one another? Are you wondering what can you do to make your romance continue to grow now that you live together? It's the start of a new year. Maybe 2018 is a journey where you find yourselves finally living together. Congratulations! 

Whether you want to: 

1. take a step into honing traditions with your significant other, or 
2. want to revitalize the sense of seeding the value of family in your home, or
3. are here to vicariously read & day dream of this stage in life, welcome friend.
   
   Come read and chat with me after in the comments below.

Traditions Matter: Create Your Own Together

Did you grow up in a dysfunctional family where traditions weren't celebrated? Holidays such as Easter, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas were a tradition you never took part in while growing up with your family? Don't fret! I was in the same boat. 

I didn't decorate my first Christmas tree until my high school best friend invited me to join her family in picking out a tree, decorating the tree, and putting the angel on top with her sisters when I was 15 years old. After that I never relived that experience again until I moved in with my spouse (who was my boyfriend at the time). My husband's family values traditions and they celebrated every holiday as he grew up. Mine never did but I always really wanted to. Moving in together was a perfect fit.

Why do I believe traditions are important? They create a fixed time that happens once a year where you have space to bond and grow with your significant other. This you do on an every basis but Holidays create a theme, a concept to revisit (lessons), and so on.

Where do you start? How can you start? 

Are you a bit shy creating traditions and need some ideas? I want to happily share a 2017 year in review of how we decorated our home during the holidays. Specifically for Thanksgiving and Christmas. 

You can decorate while still on a budget!

This year my husband was too occupied with work to be able to go with me to get a fresh pine tree. I ended up going to Walmart and buying a fake tree. I took advantage of the rollback they had at my local Walmart and got a 6 foot and 5 inches tall white tree (with no lights) for $40 (instead of $80). I didn't set up my tree until December 5th.  

I got my ornaments at a local thrift store: they were way cheaper that way than buying them new at the store. I got ribbon at Dollar Tree (silver with glitter) to wrap around the tree. I opted out of lights because we dealt with the #lilacfire so I passed just to be safe. Since we were on a budget this holiday season I didn't buy an angel to put on top. They were $16-$20. Instead I got a 99 cent Christmas hat and plopped it right on top of the tree.

My table cloths and dish sets also came from a local thrift store. I looked way in advance to buy them though. I actually bought this dish set in February 2017. I got 4 main plates, 4 small plates, and 4 soup plates for $6.00. Not bad? Since the color is red it works well for Valentine's Day and Christmas. The table cloths were a total of $3.50 for all three. 

In The Spirit of Tradition: Don't Forget Your Neighbors

I ended up baking cookies from scratch for my neighbors and gifted them with a box of a dozen each December 1st. It's a nice way of saying hello to those who live among you. A great way to establish a sense of community and a motivation to neighborhood watch each other's house. Pinterest is the way to go when you want to make cookies from scratch.

Thanksgiving Table Setup 

When you move in together sometimes people might want to gift you housewarming gifts whether you host a party or not. Ask family and friends for household items. You'll need them when you first move in together. I got these dishes and cups from my parents. All the other little stuff on the table are thrift store finds that were all for a total of under $10.

Now my husband's mother is not the best at making a turkey, it always comes out dry, but at least she sticks to the concept. I like getting Albertsons prepared Thanksgiving Meals. All you got to do is thaw out your fully cooked turkey and toss it in the oven. That's what I did 2017. If you don't know how to marinate and prepare a turkey it's fine! Look into your local grocery to see if they sell prepared holiday meals. Usually they are between $45 - $65. Not too bad. 

What do you think? Do you agree that growing tradition in your home is important when living with your significant other? What are your plans to do together and celebrate this 2018 year? 

I personally feel that romance pops up naturally when you take the time to decorate your home to fit the theme of the holiday. It's a perk for you and your spouse. A change of environment that's not only healthy but positive. 

Happy New Year, Friends!

My cats loved the holidays with us. Surprisingly they didn't knock down the Christmas tree this year. This is Bunta and Lil D. Our fur babies. They actually like snuggling and holding paws when they nap on the couch. It's so cute. Just wanted to share this picture with you.

Other Relationship Articles Written By @camposmusing

Military Marriage: Marrying Someone in The Military