A couple years ago, while my father and my mother-in-law were both still with us and we were taking care of them in our home, my wife was basically having a nervous breakdown about handling Christmas along with dealing with her shitty public school teaching job. Her biggest stressor? The meal, since she hates to cook. So, I decided it was high time I took that off of her, and I've been cooking Christmas dinner myself ever since. No help from her. Nothing. Even though our parents are now both gone, and we have our quiet little life with our two kids back, I still cooked dinner this year, and at one point on Christmas night she remarked, "I thought this was going to be a hard Christmas and I was going to be stressed, but this was the most relaxed I've felt in years." That made me feel good, it made the kids feel good, and rather than her wallowing in misery and missing her mother, we had a relatively Merry Christmas! I don't say all this to brag. Only that it is remarkably easy to make your significant other feel much better at this time of year if you simply pitch in and help shoulder the burden. And doing it before you’re asked is even better!!