Christmas is the most meaningful season for Christians because it celebrates the birth of Jesus and gives them unlimited opportunities to share His love in special ways.

With all of the added stressors that come with the holidays, along with Black Friday sales, media hype and the race to outdo the neighbors with the biggest light show on your street, it’s easy for spouses to drift apart instead of draw closer around Christmas.

Celebrating Christmas this year can be an inspiration for many things, including some important ways to improve your marriage. If your relationship feels a bit rocky at times, or if you’d just like to give it a tune-up, you can improve it Christmas-style. Just remember these important elements of the holiday and how they can relate to you and your spouse:

Christmas Is about New Beginnings

The honeymoon period of most marriages is an exhilarating time. You and your spouse are both excited to finally be joined as one and to start your lifetime journey together. As the glow wears off, things can settle into a routine that makes you wonder where the excitement went. Worse yet, it might make you wonder if you truly made the right choice.

Jesus represented a new beginning when He was born to Mary on that cold winter night in a humble stable. He came to give a fresh start to humanity by teaching a new way and ultimately sacrificing Himself for mankind’s sins. Use that as an inspiration to breathe life into your marriage.

Are you holding grudges against your spouse because of sins, big or small? If so, improve your marriage Christmas-style by using this season as a time to let them go and rekindle some of the excitement that led you to commit to marriage.

No one is perfect, and God doesn’t expect us to be, so how can we expect perfection of our spouses? Make allowances for human foibles and move forward with a clean slate.

Christmas Is about Faith

It’s hard to imagine what Mary, an innocent virgin, thought when an angel approached her with the following message:

And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. —Luke:1:30-31

Joseph had to be shocked, too, when he learned in a dream that his bride-to-be, Mary, was expecting a divine child. Initially, when he learned of the pregnancy, he planned a quiet divorce until God sent a him a message:

But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. —Matthew 1:20

Surely this young couple’s relationship was initially rocked by such an earthshaking event, yet both had enough faith in God to go along with His plan for them. If Mary and Joseph could have that much trust, then surely you can do the same for the bumps in your own marital road.

Improve your marriage Christmas-style by believing that you can overcome problems by working together and following God’s plan. He created Eve to be a partner to Adam because He knew it wasn’t good for man to be alone. If you have faith and work with your partner to preserve the bond that God created, your marriage will blossom.

Christmas Is about Miracles

God has performed many miracles, and Christmas commemorates the ultimate miracle: the birth of our Lord and Savior. When we believe in God the Father and His Son, we know that miraculous things can happen at God’s behest, even when it feels like there’s no hope.

Your marriage might be rocked by something major, like bankruptcy, infidelity, or even the death of a child. You might feel like you can never be happy with your spouse again, but don’t just throw in the towel. If you and your partner still love each other and really want to work things out, turn your problems over to God and watch Him work a miracle.

Of course, you both have to be willing to let Him work in your lives. You have to be honestly willing to overcome a terrible tragedy, betrayal or other hurt and to commit to your spouse wholeheartedly.

You’ll also have to do your part by praying together, learning to communicate, talking to your pastor, seeing a counselor, or taking other positive steps. If you have that willingness, God will do His part. He’ll help you heal and get back to a healthy relationship.