As most of you may know, I have been in a relationship for a rather long time (and if you don’t know, you clearly don’t follow me on Instagram where almost every other post is about her). We started dating in my junior year of high school when I was 16 and she was 17. Now, at 21 and 22 respectfully, we are reaching our fifth year together, and we’re reaching one year of being engaged!
Whenever people ask me how long Elese and I have been together, I imagine they expect me to say a few months or maybe a year; they’re eyes always bulge out of their heads whenever I say we’ve been together for five whole years. After so long together, it’s not so weird to me, but people don’t often expect someone as young as me to say they’ve been in the same relationship for so long. I get a whole flurry of questions after this confession, but the main one that comes up is always How?
How do you not get bored?
As Valentine’s Day quickly approaches, I’ve started to think about how many Valentine’s Days, how many Christmases, how many anniversaries and birthdays Elese and I have gone through together, and how many more we will see. I’ve had people marvel at how we figure out what to do and what to get each other for every single holiday every single year, and how we always seem to get each other the perfect gifts.
Now I won’t lie, we have a huge privilege because we’re both really creative people. Between ten-page long letters of adoration and the endless paintings that I’ve made for her, we’ve been able to keep each holiday pretty exciting and spontaneous. (I won’t lie, Google also helps a lot.)
Really, all you have to do is give your significant other something from your heart. That’s super cheesy, but that’s literally the big “secret” to keep every holiday exciting. Even if you have to Google DIY projects, it will still come from your heart. Even if you just get them a gift that you know they’ve been wanting for a long time, it will still come from your heart. During our last anniversary, Elese and I both got each other a group of things we knew would make the other happy. That was it. And it was perfect.
The truth is, you really don’t have to try as hard as you think you do. Listen to your partner. Know the things that make them happy and apply that to what you get them, and it will make their entire Valentine’s Day. You don’t have to pick them up in a helicopter with three dozen roses to take them to a beautiful date in Greece (as amazing as that sounds). Oftentimes, the smallest gestures can be the biggest.
Some easy, creative gift ideas for any occasion:
- A jar with 101 reasons why you love your significant other
- A box filled with memories together, from pictures and mementos to handwritten recounts of them
- A coupon book with dates or favors (i.e. back massage, movie date, etc.)
- A compilation of gifts for each of the five senses (i.e. a candle for smell, a soft blanket for touch)
- A locket with a picture of the two of you together
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