With Valentine's Day coming up, many couples are in the last-minute planning stages of a romantic weekend getaway or a candlelit dinner. They’ll exchange a few dozen roses to celebrate the occasion, along with the many chocolate-covered strawberries and sweet tarts that have come to symbolize the occasion. Then, just like that, Valentine’s Day will be over and we’ll lose the spirit of the day. We get swept back into the fast pace and stress of our daily lives and lose sight of what made Valentine's Day so special: a pause to remember and acknowledge the gift of having a caring companion with whom to share our joy. I get it! It's so easy to live life as two ships passing in the night, with our busy work schedules and other demanding responsibilities. It's easy to take one another for granted as we move through the hustle and bustle that life brings. The problem is, that hustle and bustle can have a detrimental effect on your romantic relationship. So this year, try scheduling a monthly date or two to keep things fresh and help you and your loved one stay connected.
Here are a few ideas to keep you celebrating Valentine's Day all year round:
March - Meditate Together
March 20th is the first day of Spring, also known as the vernal equinox. During our equinoxes, the length of day and night are nearly equal, representing balance - an important characteristic of healthy and happy relationships. Consider introducing into your relationship, a joint practice that can bring you both a greater sense of balance – meditation. Just 10-15 minutes each morning will help you start the day in alignment with yourselves, the universe and each other. For added intimacy, try holding hands while you meditate together.
April - Enjoy a Movie Night
For many of us, the month of April is defined by stormy clouds and those oh-so-vicious showers that promise to bring our May flowers. It's difficult to want to leave your home for any reason, even a date night with the one you love. So, find a way to formalize that evening of cuddling at home. Order a movie “on demand.” Pop some popcorn. Make some of that comforting hot chocolate everyone loves and snuggle on the sofa. Don’t forget to set your phones to “Do Not Disturb."
May - Have a Picnic in the Park
As mid-May comes around, we finally begin to see the bloom of Peonies and the many other beautiful flowers that color Spring. There's perhaps, no better time, to take a stroll through a garden or bring a picnic to the park. Pack a light meal - sandwiches and fruit. Bring a fluffy blanket and make sure that you've got your favorite playlist synced to that phone. It's a great time to watch the ducks reinvigorated by their lake, to sketch the shadows of a tree or maybe even just read the paper.
June - Watch the Sun Set
Just as the vernal equinox ushered in Spring, the summer solstice too, brings with it a change of season. This time, we celebrate the arrival of hotter days and a sun more intense. Then, on June 21, the duration of sunlight far outweighs that of darkness and we enjoy the longest day of the year. Why not commemorate it by watching the sun set with your significant other? Dine at a restaurant with a view, drive to a pier and cuddle in the car or set up a romantic candlelit tea tray beside your living room window.
July - Feel the Fireworks
Fireworks have come to symbolize a combustable passion that is now often associated with love. And with the amount of fireworks that go off in celebration of our nation's independence, July seems the perfect time to pay tribute to the fireworks in your relationship. Plan to be in view of the fireworks on the night of July 4th and with all the passion your soul can muster, engage in the most passionate, most explosive kiss you and your partner can pull off for as long as you can hold it. Trust me, its impact will last far beyond its duration.
August - Go Camping on the Beach
With summer coming to an end, the beach will soon go back to being just a fantastic view for many. It will be almost a year before it sees us back in for a dip, or finds us atop its seas in paddle boats and Kayaks. So why not say good-bye the right way? Spend a night camped out beachside with your mate. Let the sand beneath your tent adjust to your body's contours and the majestic rhythms of each wave lull you to sleep.
September - Take a Class Together
It's back to school for all of the kiddies; why not for the two of you? With such enthusiasm about education in the air, use this as an opportunity for you and your partner to learn something new together. Take a cooking course, a dance class or even an introduction to massage therapy. You will expand your mind. You can support each other. Just think of all of the fun you'll have.
October - Dress Up for One Another
One of the Fall's biggest holidays is Halloween - a day most famous for its costumes and practice of “trick-or-treating.” Yet, whether you celebrate this day or not, dressing up for your partner can still be a fun way to make an October date-night more interesting. Go the route of full-on fantasy attire or simply choose to have dinner in the dress attire of your favorite era. Whether you opt for skimpy nurse and doctor outfits or emulate the Downton Abbey dinner guests of the Crawley family, it will all prove just as fun.
November - Make Each Other Thank You Cards
With Thanksgiving amidst, it's the perfect time to focus on the many things for which you feel grateful. And if you’ve chosen to spend your life with your partner, I’m guessing that he/she is definitely one of them. So take the time to let him/her know, just how appreciative you are for the safety and security that you feel in the love that you have for one another. Fill a card with this and more and spend a Saturday morning reading your cards to the other over a nice breakfast in bed.
December - Kiss While the Ball Drops
A kiss under mistletoe is a great way to keep the romance alive through the holiday season. Feel free to hang mistletoe all over the house, making sure to heed its tradition each time you're both below it. Still, there's probably no more memorable time for that sweet lock of lips than midnight ending December 31and bringing in January 1. New Year's Eve makes a great date night for couples. It rings of great excitement and stability.
January - Try Some Winter Sports
Don't let your relationship go cold just because the weather has. Winter is a great time to get warm together. Get that blood rushing through your bodies with some fun winter sports. A night of ice skating, a weekend of skiing or maybe just an afternoon of making snow angels outside your home, can help a cold snowy winter be the backdrop for a deliciously warm romance.
February – Collage Your Pics
By the time Valentine's Day rolls back around, it will truly serve as what it should have always been, just another excuse to date the one you love and show him/her just how much that love means. For a great gift, collage together pictures from each month’s date night activity and frame it or scrapbook it for your sweetie. The memory of a year’s worth of Valentine’s Dates is sure to be the best gift of all.
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