Part 1: Planning and Preparation

Part 2: A Romantic Atmosphere

Planning and Preparation

Impress Her With an Invitation
Send an invitation to your sweetheart instead of calling them up and inviting them over the phone. Create this by hand with a fancy piece of stationary or a blank card. Be sure to include the date, time, location and dress code. You may be tempted to surprise your honey by not telling him or her what you have planned, but that could spell disaster. If they don’t expect food to be served they may eat a full meal before meeting you. So make sure they know that this night will include dinner.

The Secret to Choosing What to Make
Instead of consulting “romantic meal” menus when deciding what to cook, ask your partner what his or her favorite meals are. It doesn’t matter how much of an aphrodisiac oysters are, if your sweetheart doesn’t like oysters, your plan won’t work. Once you find out what their favorite meals are you can search the Internet to find the recipe. Try cooking.com, they test all their recipes and usually include a picture. If her favorite meal is a childhood favorite, call her mother for the recipe. Keep in mind that preparing their favorite meal will score you more points than a recipe randomly chosen out of a book.

What To Wear
Dress to impress. If the room, the table and the meal is going to be fancy shouldn’t your attire also fit the bill? Tell your sweatheart to wear something extra nice (such as a skirt, a cocktail dress, a suit, khakis and a sweater).

More Food Tips
Plan ahead so that everything on your plate is ready to be served at once. Jumping up throughout the meal to stir your vegetables just isn’t romantic.

If you will be serving a dessert, we suggest preparing it earlier in the day so that it will be ready to eat whenever the meal is over.

Wine is a traditional compliment to a romantic dinner…but not everyone drinks wine. Optionally replace it with cider or an immitation wine that is alcohol free. These can be found in the grocery store and in some liquor stores, they are usually quite nice.

Finally, cooking together isn’t all that unromantic. Imagine kissing your partner’s neck while they chop veggies, hugging him from behind while he stirs the pasta and stealing kisses during idle time. Throw in some mood music and great conversation…now cooking together doesn’t sound too bad does it? For a really special occasion, such as Valentine’s Day or an Anniversary I would stick with you serving and pampering her and nix on this idea.

A Romantic Atmosphere

• String white christmas lights wherever you can: along the fireplace, around a door or window frame…but don’t string them around something you don’t want to draw attention to, such as the kitchen cupboards, a cluttered shelf, etc.
• If your romantic dinner has to take place while it is still light out, cover your windows with black bags and close the blinds so that no light will seep through.
• Use candles, but avoid the scented kind so as not to overwhelm the wonderful aromas of your meal.
• Have music playing softly in the background. Have a few CD’s preprogammed into your stereo, or set out so you don’t have to riffle through your collection when one finishes playing.
• Set up the table in the most romantic room of your house. Often this is not the kitchen, not to mention that looking at all those dirty pots and pans can be distracting. Your first choice should be in front of the fireplace if you have one.
• Use your nicest dishes.
• Use fabric napkins if possible, and make sure they are free of stains. For a nice added touch, roll each napkin losely, put a small rose on top of it then tie them together with a piece of ribbon.
• Turn off the phone, cellphone and pager.
• Use a clean table cloth and sprinkle it with rose petals or heart shaped confetti.
• Fill two wine glasses almost to the top with water and place a floating candle on top. This makes a nice table decoration
• If you think your after dinner plans may end up in the bedroom then have it prepped with rose petals on the bed, unlit candles by the bed with matches within reach, white Christmas lights strung along the bed posts. And make sure the bedroom is clean and there are fresh sheets on the bed.

The Twilight Saga

Based on the award-winning novels by Stephenie Meyer, these stories of vampires and werewolves are arguably the most romantic we’ve seen over the last decade. The theme of eternal love is examined in a modern, fantastic setting, helped along by the broody looks of Robert Patterson as the ever-attractive Edward. Although this most recent sequel is Twilight at its darkest, romance is still the pull and focus of the story. And to add further to the theme, the two protagonists are happily together in real life and are even reportedly spending Christmas together.

The Adjustment Bureau

Another Matt Damon film, another action-packed struggle against a sea of faceless villains. But this time he’s fighting for love, his assailants the agents of fate. No matter how hard their enemies try to prevent it, ballerina Elise and politician David keep bumping into each other and are determined to have their lives together, however much it may strain against their destinies. Super-natural, thrilling, unique and deeply romantic.

One Day

David Nicholls’s hugely successful novel One Day was adapted to screenplay by the author, filmed and released this year. It details the lives of one couple on the 15^th of July each year for two decades, examining their ups and downs, following their heart-filled struggle. Another very romantic premise.

Jane Eyre

Probably the most romantic novel ever written, this Charlotte Bronte classic has been again adapted for screen. Jane Eyre and Mr Rochester are a match made in heaven, combating social etiquette, crazy ex-wives and scarring bodily injuries over their lengthy courtship. Two relative unknowns play out this age-old love story with touching depth in a thoughtful adaptation.

The Inbetweeners

If I said ‘controversial, modern comedy’ you may think of a plot involving the increasingly popular habit of meeting people over a free dating site, or other technologically advanced ways of handling romance. But The Inbetweeners take a different approach, setting their romance in a depraved, alcohol-fuelled clubbing resort in Greece. After several hours of cringed-filled comedy, the film concludes in a surprisingly romantic way. Definitely my romance of the year.

There have been many epic romances of 2011 and there are sure to be many more in 2012.

Talk Back: Have any favorites you’d like to add? Post a comment below…

Why are mini love letters effective? Well, if you think about it, mini love letters are a multi-billion dollar industry already ? your greeting cards are mini love letters! Notice how many words or phrases are there in the cards which you will easily pay $3 dollars to as much as $15 per card? Those cards are mini love letters written for you and you just have to pick one out. Although, it is a nice gesture, the problem with those is that your recipient knows that you bought it. So, the best mini love letters are those that come from your thoughts, your heart and those you created yourself. If you use a very unconventional medium, the mini love letter becomes even more pleasurable to the recipient. With an unconventional medium, your mini love letters ?reeks of effort? which will automatically radiate from it, and the recipient will recognize that instantly.

The best type of mini love letters must invoke positive emotion. Of course mini love letters can be used to express apology or regret but never to express disappointment or anger. So, two pointers in writing a mini love letter are:

• The best one is those thought up by yourself,
• It must be funny, romantic, a positive thought.

There is an easier way to write mini love letters i.e. to take some hints from other well written ones. But a word of caution, never copy it wholesale. The recipient will know and sometimes can become damaging. Even if the mini love letter turns out not very well written, you mini love letter will ?reek of effort?, which is more important than the actual words itself. If you chose to copy the words, state where you get it and it will better. Honesty is the best policy here.

Before you go and find some ideas, think about your feelings which you want to express. There may be several, pick one or two which you like to express now. By narrowing down your wants, it will make your search a little easier. Then look at places where you can get some ideas and here are some sample places where you can get some interesting ideas.

• Greeting cards.
• Poems
• Songs
• Famous sayings (be sure that you cite the author, if taken wholesale)
• Samples letters
• Love story books
• Love websites.
• Books especially those that deal with relationships.
• Book titles.

Pick out a few sentences from a variety of sources which express your feelings. You then have to rewrite them in your own words. Take out phrases from those sentences and combine them and play around with them until the final mini love letter expresses what you feel.

The final part is the most important ? where to write them. Traditionally and conventionally, you would write them on a card or a piece of paper. Even on a card or a piece of paper, you can make it your very own to ?reek of effort?. Another very interesting thought is why not write it on unconventional medium?

I have a small artificial Christmas tree that fits perfectly on the nightstand in my bedroom. I decorate it with tiny white lights (great mood lighting at night!) and hang 12 small pieces of paper that are rolled up and tied with a piece of gold ribbon. On each piece of paper I write a special message such as “one back rub” or “one long kiss” (you get the idea!).

My husband gets to take one message off the tree each night for the 12 nights before Christmas. I find that this is a great way to stay connected during the rush and stress of the season and reminds us to take a few moments to enjoy each other. You can get REAL creative with the messages and have a lot of fun redeeming them!!

This year I’ve included a couple small wrapped items for under the tree…a small bottle of oil and a scented candle are a couple of the things I’ve tucked under there. When my husband takes a message off the tree that says “pick a gift” he will have several to choose from.

Editor’s Note: we have 50 pre-written love vouchers and coupons that you can print right now if you’re not feeling very creative.

1984 – Submitted by: Tricia Shoup

My husband and I have been married for 17years. He is a retired Navy man. The first year we were married, he was stationed in Norfolk, Virginia. We desperately wanted to go home to Ohio for the holidays to be with family. Needless to say, money was very tight, but I really wanted to buy him something special for our first xmas together. I decided to buy him a Christmas ornament. It’s a typical round ball style ornament, that says “Our First Christmas Together 1984″. Each year since then, I have bought him a new Christmas ornament. Over the years, the ornaments have reflected what was going on in our lives or special interest to him. The birth of our daughters, his years in the military, to his love of golf.

After the tree is put up and the lights are on it, we begin the task of putting the ornaments on the tree. The first ornament is always that first one from 1984! Then we proceed to put the rest of the ornaments on the tree in the order in which he received them.

Someday the ornaments will be a testament for our children and grandchildren, of the love I have always had for my husband and our lives together.

RED, WHITE, BLUE & GREEN – Submitted by: Rhonda Tharpe

My boyfriend is a member of the Air Force Reserves who was deployed overseas for active military duty following the events of 9/11. Knowing we would not be able to share Christmas together, I purchased a small artificial tree and trimmed it with red lights, red, white and blue ornaments and garlands of blue and silver stars and placed another large silver star on top.
I covered the remaining areas of the tree with many small American Flags and covered the base with a stars and stripes fabric. I wrapped my boyfriend’s gifts with patriotic wrapping paper and placed them underneath the tree.

When the tree was completed, I took photographs and e-mailed them to him as well as including copies in his Christmas care package. Both the e-mail and a card in the care package told him the tree would stay up until he returned home. I also told him that every time I look at the tree I am reminded of how proud I am of him for being the kind of man to willingly serve his country so that we Americans can have the freedom to celebrate.

Image used with permission by FreeFoto.com

It is easy to come up with codes. You can use the standard 1=A, 2=B, 3=C, etc. or you can come up with a completely different code using letters, numbers or symbols of your own creation. If the code is simple enough, you may want to let your sweetheart try to solve it on their own or for a complicated code, you might want to send the key to the code at a different time.

You can mail the coded message, fax it to him or her at work (the co-workers will be so envious) or place it in a book she is reading. You may want to cut out letters from magazines or newspapers to address the letter or fax so she won’t recognize your handwriting. Watch out 007!

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Which do you think your husband would choose if put to the test:

a.) Watch the beautiful tearjerker movie, The Notebook

b.) Do anything that doesn’t involve watching The Notebook

My answer is easy. My husband would opt for a root canal rather than sitting through a movie like The Notebook or Terms of Endearment. Now don’t get me wrong. That doesnt mean he’s not romantic. The man loves deeper than I could describe. He’s simply not a fan of traditional “romance movies”.

Our date nights usually involve Ben Stiller, Adam Sandler, Owen Wilson, or Jim Carrey. Those men don’t know this, but they’re a huge part of what makes our marriage such a joy. The fact that our date nights consist of a fun movie instead of a forced moment means that my husband is happy and relaxed – two very good things for romance.

Are you looking for a lighthearted fun romantic movie that both you and your husband will enjoy? Here are some of our favorites.

The Princess Bride (1987)

“Is this a kissing book?” The Princess Bride is the story of a woman who is being forced to marry a cold, evil prince, while her true love tries to stop the wedding.

I don’t know how many times I tried to get my husband to watch this movie until finally I just put the movie in, clicked “play”, and hid the remote. It’s now one of his favorite movies. He likes it because of the comedy and the fighting. I love it because it’s just a joy to watch.

Groundhog Day (1993)

After reluctantly going to cover Punksatawney Phil for Groundhog Day, a weatherman gets stuck living the same day repeatedly.

This is one of my husband’s all-time favorite movies. Plus, if your husband is a fan of Caddyshack, he’ll appreciate Bill Murray battling a rodent once again.

The Wedding Singer (1998)

Robbie, the wedding singer and Julia, the waitress are both engaged to be married but to the wrong people.

Any man who remembers the 80s will thoroughly enjoy this. And, every woman will be teary-eyed when Robbie sings “Grow Old with You” at the end.

Love Actually (2003)

This movie portrays eight stories of love. It shows romantic love, as well as love of a father for his son, love between siblings, and love of friendship. It’s a beautiful story that shows that Love Actually is All Around. It’s funny on so many levels, but also deeply touching.

Romance doesn’t need to be serious. It can be fun! Just enjoy each other. Now go grab a funny movie, snuggle up with your hubby and enjoy.