Neglect the memes about it being a superficial selection — presents are my love language. And I take them critically in my relationship with my accomplice. Whether or not I purchase or make a last-minute DIY present, it’s how I put my coronary heart out on show and say, “That is how a lot I really like you.”
Main as much as our first Valentine’s Day, I used to be overwhelmed by how essential and particular the day was. I hadn’t celebrated with a romantic accomplice in seven years, and I wished to search out one thing that may wow my accomplice and present him how deeply I valued our relationship. The place would I even begin to search for a present like that?
After I introduced my fears to my accomplice, we rapidly realized we’d each been feeling the identical manner. After which we got here up with a easy, sensible resolution to our downside: the theme. Form of like how every marriage ceremony anniversary has a present class, this may be a single phrase we’d give you collectively to information what we might purchase or make for one another. It might be absolutely anything: an inside joke, a standard curiosity, a reputation, a film, or a guide style.
That yr, we selected to go along with the theme “LEGO,” honoring our shared love of the childhood toy together with the extra symbolic want to maintain constructing on the muse of our relationship collectively. With a significant start line in thoughts, I got down to discover a present he’d love with out all of the guesswork or stress of aimless purchasing.
On Valentine’s Day, I fortunately handed him a pair of framed LEGO collectible figurines that had been custom-made to appear like us, together with a keychain made from two LEGO items that match collectively within the form of a coronary heart. He gave me the favored LEGO flower bouquet I had been eyeing for months, which was actually a two-part present, as we received to spend high quality time (his high love language) constructing it collectively later that day.
As time and holidays have handed, every theme has introduced us nearer collectively, allowed us to get to know one another higher, helped us mirror on what number of pursuits we share, and made giving presents thrilling as a substitute of hectic. It’s additionally made us extra artistic. After we celebrated our one-year anniversary final yr — for which the theme was “frog” due to our shared obsession with the amphibian — I crocheted us matching frog hats and he gave me an lovely new frog plushie for my assortment. We’ve additionally given one another intangible experiences like hikes and park picnics or, since our Valentine’s Day theme is “Italian” this yr, an intimate spaghetti-making dinner date.
The theme technique has perks each sensible and nostalgic. As a result of we choose a phrase we each love, there’s a decrease probability of shopping for one another issues we received’t find yourself liking or utilizing, which cuts out a variety of the ineffective spending that so usually plagues financial institution accounts across the holidays. And actually, one in every of my favourite elements of the one-word trick is spending time collectively brainstorming the theme — which in flip offers our gifting a way of path and helps us discover issues we might by no means assume to provide in any other case.
It doesn’t matter what we’re celebrating, whether or not a vacation or milestone or a daily Tuesday, the theme trick makes the second of opening a present from my accomplice that rather more enjoyable and significant.
Supply: Residence Remedy