Photo Credit: http://123tamilchat.com

Does your spouse have a birthday coming up soon? Mine does; Tom’s birthday is on Saturday, and I’m excited to celebrate yet another year of his life. A kindness from God we can easily take for granted. I would love it if he were to receive lots of birthday greeting e-mails on Saturday from friends near and far! Imagine the surprise and the joy Tom will experience. If you are so inclined to think of him on Saturday, I would be grateful for your help with this endeavor. Send your e-mail to theromanticvineyard@gmail.com 🙂 Now I just have to think of a way to keep him from reading today’s post.

Life is to be celebrated!

Photo Credit: http://www.adivastateofmind.com

Do you have an anniversary coming up soon? Then, make plans to do something to take your spouse’s breath away. There is no one on earth who knows how to do this better than you. Wives, romance on your anniversary shouldn’t be solely your husband’s responsibility; they need/want to be the recipient of our romance as well. After all it takes both of us to make a marriage work, so it makes sense that it should take both of  us to celebrate it each year.

Love is to be celebrated!

Graphics Credit: MichelleSedas.com

We can also celebrate accomplishments, such as big or small victories in our spouse’s life. Don’t let an opportunity to bless your spouse pass by without celebrating it to the best of your ability. Tom and I have often joked  because we’ve celebrated every phase of my book-writing process–He bought me a charm in Barbados when I finished the first draft; He took me to dinner when I completed the final manuscript; Now he’s planning a trip for us to Oklahoma when the book is published. I know how much he cares for me based on how he celebrates things that are important to me!

Does your spouse have your support when they accomplish a long-standing goal? Then celebrate it!

Here are 9 ideas for what you can do to celebrate life’s greatest moments:

• Go to dinner and let the restaurant know what the occasion is you’re celebrating. Often they will have an added bonus free of charge.
• If your spouse has a collection, pick out something that will commemorate this accomplishment. (The charm Tom bought me was a flip-flop with the imprint of a foot in it, representing my journey as a writer, and my love of flip-flops! 🙂 ) His thoughtfulness deeply affected me.
• Blow up balloons for the number of years you’re celebrating. Add a note of gratefulness in each balloon for them to pop and read. You could even include some money for shopping spree, if your spouse enjoys shopping.
• Make a CD of all your favorite love songs through the years. Put it in the CD player of their car on your anniversary or birthday without them knowing. When they’re driving somewhere, call them and tell them to turn the CD on and enjoy! You could even pack a cooler with their favorite snacks/drinks for an added touch of thoughtfulness for the road.
• If you’ve saved cards or love letters, spend an evening going through them and remembering the kindness of God to you both through the years.
• Plan a big birthday surprise. When Tom turned 40 I gave him a high-school prom themed party. He had always said he never went to one of his HS proms because he didn’t know a girl at the time he wanted to spend that much money on. Well, he had me now, so what better way to celebrate than to give him that prom he never attended. I used his class yearbook to find out the theme “Close To You,” and we used it for our night’s theme. Our friends came dressed in 1972 polyester suits and dresses. We played all the music from that year (even had a live band made up of long-time friends). Tom was crowned Prom King and I was his Queen. It was a memorable night to say the least!
• Use the game of Life as a springboard to celebrate the life of your spouse. I used this theme when Tom turned 50. For a guest sign in, I made little squares that looked like the colorful squares of the game board. When the party was over I planned to make a Life board and have it framed. Sadly, this project was never finished, but the idea was good. Each table represented a different decade of Tom’s life, complete with pictures  from those years as a centerpiece. I had someone from each decade share publicly their memories of knowing Tom then. It was one of my favorite celebrations EVER. Tom’s dad even flew in from CA as a surprise.
• Make a big sign on your spouse’s birthday and tape it to the back of their car without them knowing. I did this to Tom one year. The sign read, “Today is my birthday. Honk to wish me a happy one! P.S. My wife put this here without me knowing!” Hee hee!
• If you’ve purchased a special gift for your wife on your anniversary, make the most of giving it to her. When we celebrated our 20th anniversary, we happened to be in AZ for a business trip. Tom had bought me a beautiful ring, and planned to give it to me while we stood on the edge of the south rim of the Grand Canyon. It is still one of my all-time favorite memories, as is the ring. The look on Tom’s face was similar to the look he had on our wedding day–priceless.

Many of these ideas are easy, and inexpensive, but sure to communicate your enthusiasm for your spouse’s life. This is the heart of celebrating, isn’t it?

Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
(Romans 12:10 ESV)

What Celebration Date Ideas can you share from your own life?