The former Kaitangata couple now living in Balclutha celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary on December 23 and say it is the perfect early Christmas present to each other.
Mr Carson (88) and Mrs Carson (85) both hail from Kaitangata and still call the township home, even though they now live in Balclutha.
It was in the coalmining town the couple first met, through Mrs Carson's brother, who was a friend of Mr Carson.
The attraction was immediate, Mrs Carson recalled. "I thought he was all right," she laughed.
For his part, Mr Carson was smitten, too, and realised she was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.
After "going together" for about two years, the couple were married at the Kaitangata Methodist Church on December 23, 1943.
It was during the war and both came from large families, which put some financial pressure on at the time but the couple still managed to honeymoon at a Balclutha hotel and then travelled to Invercargill.
Mr Carson worked in the Kaitangata coal mines and later for the former Kaitangata Borough Council.
Both agree 65 years together is a long time but Mrs Carson said the time had just flown by. Although they get on very well together, both agree arguments are a natural part of married life.
But they counter those times with the fact that they have spent nearly every day together, apart from the few times either has been in hospital.
Mrs Carson said there was no set secret to such a long union, although she believed compromise could not be overrated.
"You can't take all the time; you've got to give, too."
They have one son, Kevin.
The couple plan to celebrate their anniversary on Tuesday quietly, although they say family members may have other plans to celebrate the anniversary and festive season.
