Showing love on Valentine's Day is expected. How about you spread the love to every other day?
Make no mistake about it — Valentine's Day is an important celebration of love. People propose marriage, get engaged, express love, and give over 200 million stems of roses to their loved one on Valentine's Day.
Americans love Valentine's Day. We relish the opportunity to express our love to the one we love, and we do it through multiple venues. And the truth is, Valentine's Day is romantic and s*xual in its orientation for many. It is the ultimate "day of love!" But in the end, Valentine's Day, as a celebration of love, should occur everyday of the year — through expressions of love, simple acts of kindness, the respect you show the one you love, and your "actions of love."
So, how do you start making Valentine's Day occur 365 days a year? We subscribe to the old adage that the best things in life are free and that begins with Valentine's Day. In the end, it is all about love and your "actions of love." It is not about giving lavish or expensive gifts.
The importance of giving material things has been greatly over-emphasized. In the end, the greatest Valentine's gift of all to the one you love is the gift of your time. Over the past 32 years, our marriage research in 48 countries on all seven of the continents of the world supports this concept. Couples with the most successful marriages throughout the world focus on their "actions of love."
So, what do you plan to do to express your love this Valentine's Day and make those feelings last everyday for the rest of the year? Will it be an expensive affirmation of love? Or, will you give the gift of time? Will it be roses or will it be a romantic evening together? Will it be candy or will it be a handmade card with sentiments all your own? Will it be dinner out or will it be a romantic candlelight dinner made especially by you? Even if you have already arranged for a dinner out, candy, or roses, you can begin making everyday Valentine's Day by adding a gift of time. Need some tips? Read on to see ten ideas that will help make every day a Valentine's Day.
1. Write your own love letter, draw a picture or use your computer to create a card. No matter how it turns out, the thought and investment of time will be treasured by the one you love. You can do this for Valentine's Day or more importantly, you can do this any day of the year!
2. Start the day by taking a shower together. Enjoy the warm pulsating water. What happens after that is up to you!
3. Upend expectancies — do something surprising, fun, different — something that is not normally expected. (Hint: we are reminded of the long-time married woman who met her husband at the kitchen door after work with nothing on! Surprise, surprise!).
4. Turn on romantic music and go dancing in the kitchen.
5. Write on a Post-It Note the talent or strength you admire the most about the one you love. Start Valentine's Day off by placing the note on the bathroom mirror, his wallet, her purse, or the car window where it will be seen first thing. Starting any day of the year off with this treat will make it feel like Valentine's Day.
6. Spend an hour on Valentine's Day intently listening to whatever your lover wants to talk about. Make it a habit of intently listening to your lover everyday of the year.
7. Prepare your romantic Valentine's Dinner together. Plan something extraordinary and make it a very special evening. This can be the start of a love affair with preparing extraordinary cuisines together for special evenings throughout the year.
8. If you have children, arrange for a surprise babysitter. A special evening shared alone together can let the worries of life melt away.
9. Turn off all electronics — yes, even the cell phone. Spend an evening together without interruptions.
10. Use a photo of the one you love to make a card or centerpiece. Write several inviting comments that could lead to a lovely Valentine's evening or any evening throughout the year.
Use these ten ideas to get you started thinking about ways to make everyday Valentine's Day. Always remember, you cannot assume there is anything in the world that matters more to the one you love than your undying expressions of love for them. A gift of your time doing something special for the one you love can make for a lasting memory and will contribute to the growth of your loving relationship.
You see, simple things matter in love and marriage, and on Valentine’s Day! Never underestimate the power and importance of simple acts of kindness, simple expressions of love, and the value of giving your personal time. Give your Valentine the gift of you. Make this your best Valentine’s ever and begin making everyday Valentine's Day!
Happy Valentine's Day from Dr. Charles and Dr. Elizabeth Schmitz, America's #1 Love and Marriage Experts!
Creating a successful marriage is not always the easiest thing to do. Your visiting our blog suggests you are highly interested in making your relationship work! And truthfully, we have learned over 30 years of marriage research that there are proven effective ways to ensure a happy and healthy marriage. In fact, as love and marriage experts we took hundreds of tips from the thousands of happy couples we interviewed throughout the world and put them into our award-winning and bestselling book, Building a Love that Lasts.
Posted By: How May I Help You NC
Tuesday, June 28th 2016 at 8:02AM
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