Well I hate to say it, but I'd side with your wife. Pushing it out to January says a lot. I was a WOW player for a while and put off quitting that game for nearly a year at its worst.
I'm not suggesting giving up pinball, but a break might give you some insight to what you might be missing, if that's the case. Alternatively it might show no difference at all, but if your thinking only about pinball, and your wife's noticing, maybe some time off will help shape it into something healthy.
That said, there's always the Adam and Eve catalog. You can take up hardcore bondage and convert that basement into a dungeon, or just buy your wife something to distract her from your time on pinside or the gameroom.