4 Fun Anniversary Ideas For Him To Remember Forever
Perfect for anniversaries happening while you're social distancing.
getty Struggling with anniversary ideas for him for that special occasion? You can’t be blamed, considering the coronavirus restrictions of the current moment. A ton of places are either shut down or operating in a totally different manner than before the pandemic changed daily life.
But just because things are a little different for the time being doesn’t mean you can't come up with fun anniversary ideas.
Love is always living in the air we breathe and the season’s wind; more importantly, it thrives in the acts we do for each other. Nothing demonstrates your appreciation like something heartfelt and fun that can be done together.
Even in these times, and perhaps more so because of everything going on, an anniversary celebration is a perfect opportunity to put your love out in the open through a particularly great idea or event to do something so cool and loving that he’ll remember forever.
So, with that in mind, here are 4 fun anniversary ideas for him to remember forever.
1. Intimate wine night
Most people get to a year in a relationship due to achieving a common understanding with their partner. They come to know each other well and their habits. You need this time to do X, I need this time to do Y, and so on. Both of you adjust your lives to better accommodate each other. In a certain sense there’s real beauty and love in making that kind of change.
An unintended consequence of this, however, is that when you know your partner like the back of your hand, much like how you don’t spend much time checking where your hand is, you don’t spend much time checking in with your partner beyond the day-to-day routine you two have established.
For all intents and purposes, you feel like you know him by now. Without thinking you can probably predict how he’d react to anything you’d do.
I’m here to say that’s true — and that you should make your anniversary a day to really talk to your partner. Open a bottle of wine, forget about everything else going on in your lives, and find a comfy spot to talk the night away in. It’s human nature to take for granted what’s been around us for what feels like forever. It’s natural to know your partner’s likes before he even says them.
But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a real joy to be had from having a real conversation like the type you probably had when you two were first getting to know each other. I can guarantee that, for as long as your relationship blooms, there will always be something more to learn about him that you don’t already know.
It’ll be really sweet and intimate. The wine should make it pretty fun, too.
2. Stay-at-home first date reenactment
If you and your partner are like most couples, it’s likely you’ve kept a few mementos from your first date around. You probably remember the dress you wore and the collared shirt he picked, along with the places you went and the moment you two really looked at each other.
So if your props are memories are all there, why not reenact that event? Perhaps you can’t go to the same place you went in the past, but the true meaning of that event is in the memory you two share. What you both chose to remember speaks volumes about the quality and love of your shared relationship.
Reenacting it will also be extremely fun. You can both relish (or laugh at) the initial awkwardness you two shared. Your taste in fashion may have changed and you might wonder why you or he ever wore those clothes.
By the end, you should have a renewed appreciation for your shared memory of that event — and all the delightfully awkward pauses to go along with it.
3. Year-in-review scrapbooking and journaling
One whole year. Let that sink in if that hasn’t hit you yet. You’ve spent a whole year together.
You can probably remember most, if not all of the really cool things you and he have done during that time. But ask yourself this: will that be true in another year from now, or five, or ten, when you’ve had so many more cool memories to remember? Chances are some of the really nice stuff you remember now will be pushed aside by even cooler things.
But this doesn’t mean this past year isn’t special — the opposite, in fact. Instead, it means you should find a way to record it.
Cue a scrapbook/journaling event! Together the two of you can create a “year in review” compilation that includes all your favorite memories. Photos, memorabilia, and other media, either in something physical or digital, can serve as a record for all the awesome moments this year served up — not to mention how fun it’ll be to recall all those memories with him.
This also doubles as a great way to de-clutter your living space. If you’re like most couples chances are you’ve kept some stuff around from your outings due to their potential sentimental value. Compiling the year’s events into a single document will free that theater pamphlet from its dusty perch on top of your bureau.
4. Write each other love letters all day.
You know that idealized romance you sometimes see in movies? Two clearly in-love souls are separated against their will with only their longing and a postal system to keep the flame burning between them? You ever think about how romantic it is to write letters?
In modern society, we don’t get that much of a chance to write letters. But as an avid letter writer, I’m here to tell you that writing letters is really rewarding. Writing with a pen or pencil makes you really think about what you’re writing about — because it takes some time to write as opposed to type, you have a lot of time to think through your words.
It’s also because of this that what you write ends up being concisely heartfelt. You only have so much space on a single piece of paper. You have to make what you write count.
But the real romance lies in that back-and-forth exchange, right? So dial-up that writing to 10 and make your anniversary a day of reciprocal penmanship. Write a letter, give it to your S.O., wait, get theirs, and repeat until you have a whole pile of paper feel-good, lovey-dovey stuff.
You gotta make up for lost time, right?
Not only is this super romantic, but the bundle of letters you two will produce will serve as a warm and cherished memory of this time in your lives for years to come.
Matthew Ameduri is a writer who covers astrology, pop culture, and relationship topics.