How to Celebrate Your Anniversary – For couples, an anniversary presents a chance to reflect on a relationship and to celebrate the things that make it special. It’s also a great opportunity to make a big romantic gesture, and to remind the other party to the relationship that you still appreciate and love them!
The importance of celebrating an anniversary
It might not be clear why an anniversary should be any different from any other day. You might not have the mental energy needed to set the time aside and make the occasion a special one. What’s more, you might have other commitments to think about. If you have a family, then you might find that all of your attention is being taken up by your children – and that your relationship is taking a backseat.
If you feel as though the relationship is adrift, then an anniversary can present a chance to take stock of things, in much the same way as a New Year’s Day celebration.
Reconnect
The anniversary provides a chance to think consciously and deliberately about your relationship, and the value that it offers you. It’s also a chance to set aside time to reconnect. If you’re struggling to find a chance for a date night, then this occasion might provide time for a night off so that you can truly commit to one another’s company.
If you go about this the wrong way, then it might feel like an occasion to dread. Don’t view this as a troubleshooting exercise, or something that one party to the relationship is forcing upon the other. Instead, look at it as a chance to collaborate, and try to recapture some of what got you together in the first place.
Plan an outing
If you’re spending your anniversary at home, then you risk feeling like it’s not that much more special than any other day. Vary your surroundings, either by decorating and lighting a few candles, by dressing up, or by actually going out to a restaurant (or some other new and exciting place).
A change of scenery can help to inspire creative thinking, which means better conversation and a chance to see your other half in a different light. As human beings, we’re adapted to seek novelty – so, inject some of it into your relationship. If there’s a place you’ve always said you want to visit, then here’s a chance to make it happen.
Of course, the desire for novelty and excitement is part of the reason that surprise trips are so effective. Plan it well in advance, and make sure that the surprise is a pleasant one.
Give gifts
A big romantic gesture, as we’ve mentioned, can help to demonstrate your commitment to the other person. If you’re wearing, or using, a given gift over and over again, then you’ll also be continually reminded of the relationship, and what the other person means to you.
Pick out a practical gift, or one that they would want but never consider buying for themselves. Or, go for something dazzling. A pair of diamond earrings will tend to fit the bill nicely – but if you do this every anniversary, then the effect will tend to wear off.
Another idea is to look for a personalised item. Mugs that bear a special name, or an in-joke, might do just the trick. Framed family photographs might also work. If you have a creative streak, then you might even craft something yourself.
Poppy Watt