It’s definitely time to be thinking of what to get the husband for Christmas. In fact, I’ve even had a husband or two call to elicit my help in creating a really romantic gift for his wife. Spouse gifts are the scariest because, if you’re really in love with your spouse, there’s more than money invested in the present. There’s emotion in that bag or package or certificate and invested emotion can sometimes mean vulnerability. All in all, simple spousal gift giving can sometimes be anything but.After the big day is done, the routine re-commences and sometimes the festivities leave a bland aftertaste. In marriage, if we aren’t careful, the wonderful gifts under the Christmas tree can make the other days seem a little anti-climactic. We can even start to wonder why the spouse can’t muster the same enthusiasm for thinking of things that please on all of the “regular” days of the year.
Below is a list of romantic ideas for each month of 2012. Why not resolve this year to keep the romantic creativity alive and well all year round in your marriage? The kindness of Ephesians 4:32, the golden rule of Matthew 7:12 and the forgiving spirit of the bottom of Romans 12 will come easier in marriage if we keep the joy of Proverbs 5:18 alive.
A promise: If you do these things and your husband is a Christian (a faithful follower of the Lord), come next December, your marriage joy meter will have inched on up toward bliss.
January
Buy a box of conversation hearts. Choose appropriate ones and make a message for your husband around his dinner plate.
February
Make a little Valentine box for your kitchen table. Wrap a shoe box in red gift wrap and cut a slit in the top for cards to be placed in the box. Buy a box of kids valentines and when you think of things you appreciate about your husband, jot them on the little cards and drop them in the box. Then on Valentines day, break in over cocoa and cookies!
March
Drop a note and a Hershey’s kiss in your husband’s briefcase or lunch bag or tape it to his steering wheel.
April
Call your house or your husband’s cell phone and leave a message for your husband. Pick a time when you know that he is away from that phone and will soon return to hear the message. Just tell him you’re thinking about him and hope he’s having a good day.
May
Surprise your husband by writing a good morning note on his shaving mirror with a dry erase marker.
June
For Father’s Day, make your husband king for the day. Everyone in the house has to be at his beck and call. Start with coffee or breakfast in bed.
July
Get a sample of an expensive men’s cologne at the Parisian or Dillard’s counter and put a sentimental note along with the sample on his pillow.
August
Pick a favorite hobby. Purchase a small token that pertains to the hobby (an inexpensive fishing lure, a golf ball (signed with love), a pair of thermal socks for hunting, etc…). Place your little gift along with a note in his shoes. The note should say something like, “You are the catch of my lifetime,” or “Think of me when you tee off!” or “From your prize DEAR.” Be creative!
September
Remember the anniversary of your marriage every month. Start this month. On the day of the month that you married, send a greeting card, go out for coffee, give him a coupon for his favorite meal or dessert. Stop at Sonic and share a shake. Celebrate your marriage in some small way every month.
October
Get a copy of something he loves to read, a magazine, a religious periodical or even the TV Guide if absolutely necessary. In the margins and between the lines write little love notes on each page. For example, if the page has a picture of a very nice looking man write, “He is so wimpy compared to you!” If there is an article entitled, “How to Make the Most of your Time” write below this title, “Look Me Up, I may be Free!” Have fun with this one!
November
When you do the laundry, write a love note or poem and place it inside a folded pair of his socks.
December
On December 14th, begin the twelve days of Christmas. Each day from then through Christmas day, sing the appropriate verse of the song, and give him a small token of your affection…a candy bar, a drive out to view holiday lights, a handmade ornament or a candy cane, a warm pair of socks, a shared milkshake, a bag of pistachios, a glass of eggnog, or a sprig of mistletoe. At our house we even have motions that go with the song. It’s fun!
