2
Give your lover a dozen roses and do it with a creative twist.
Give
eleven red roses and one white rose. Attach a note that reads:
"In every bunch there's one who stands out
and you are that one."
3
Sending a birthday card isn't just a good idea, it's an obligatory
romantic gesture.
But how about doing something different this year?
On your lover's birthday, send a "thank you" card to his/her mother.
4
Gallantry never really goes out of style.
So every once in a while
kiss her hand with a flourish.
Note: The proper way to kiss a woman's
hand is to lower your lips to her hand.
You don't raise her hand to
your lips.
6
Gift wrap a wishbone in a jewelry box.
Send it to her with a note that
says,
"I wish you were here."
7
Unplug the TV.
Put a note on the screen saying,
"Turn me on instead."
8
Go through revolving doors together.
12
Write him a little love note.
Insert it into the book he's reading.
16
Make a custom bannera BIG banner to welcome him home from a trip
(or
just to say "I love you!").
Use construction paper and crayons, or
poster board and markers, or old sheets and spray paint.
17
Craig liked doing things in a big way.
He was a dramatic and loud
(though lovable) kind of guy. Mary, on the other hand, was proper and
quiet (and just as lovable). Craig sometimes criticized Mary for not
being expressive or outrageous enough. Until . . . one day when Craig
returned home from a business trip and was greeted by Mary and two
hundred forty-three members of the local high school marching band on
their front lawn. (Most people don't consider John Philip Sousa
marches to be romantic but Craig does!)
34
Practice "Even-Day/Odd-Day" Romance:
On even days it's your turn to be
romantic, and on odd days it's your partner's turn.
35
No time or too lazy to wrap those gifts?
Buy fancy bags and
pre-decorated boxes for gift-wrapping presents.
36
Ask her best girlfriend or her mother for help. Ask her to go shopping
with you (secretly!).
Tell her you want to spend one afternoon
shopping for a year's worth of gifts for your partner. Establish a
budget, let her think about it for a week, then go shopping together.
68
Don't just walk into the house tonight the way you always do.
Pause on
the porch; ring the doorbell;
and greet her with one red rose and a
bottle of champagne.
71
Not that it really matters, but I was just wondering . . .
-
Why do we have birthday cakes and wedding cakes, but no anniversary
cakes or Valentine's cakes?
-
Why do we have Christmas tree ornaments, but no special ornaments
with which to celebrate other special occasions?
-
Why is Columbus Day a national holiday, but Valentine's Day isn't?
-
Why is it crude to tell jokes that characterize races and religions
in stereotyped ways, but it's acceptable to be a "gender bigot" and
stereotype men and women?
72
Want to jazz up the presentation of a special meal?
Buy a little hunk
of dry ice from a local ice house. Put it in a bowl of water and place
it on your serving tray. You'll create wondrous, billowing white
clouds!
75
Okay, let's say you've decided to give her the complete collection of
The Moody Blues'
(her all-time favorite group) albums. Let's now give
this gift a creative twist. Instead of simply wrapping the CDs and
handing them to her, do this:
-
Remove the CDs from their cases.
-
Hide the CDs around the house.
-
Gift-wrap all the CD cases separately.
-
Attach a note to each gift . . .
-
Each note gives clues to the location of the CD . . .
-
And each note's clues are based on each album's title.
-
Days of Future Passed is hidden in a photo album.
-
To Our Children's Children's Children is in the kids' toy box.
-
On the Threshold of a Dream is hidden in your bedroom.
-
Long Distance Voyager is hidden along with airline tickets
to Tahiti.
756
Dress up for dinner at home. Tuxedo for him, evening gown for her.
757
Hire a pianist to play during a romantic dinner at home.
758
Anything from Tiffany's.
759
Take a leisurely stroll through a local park or public garden.
760
Learn calligraphy so you can create incredible love letters for
him/her.
761
Get a pair of crystal champagne flutes. Use them often!
762
Hire a limousine for an elegant evening out.
763
Have dinner-for-two prepared in your home by the best chef in town.
94
Give her one Hershey's Kiss.
Give her one thousand Hershey's Kisses.
Remove all the little paper strips (that say "Kisses" on them) from
a couple hundred Hershey's Kisses. Fill a little jewelry box with
them. Wrap 'em up and present them to her.
Write a clever certificate explaining that the little paper slips
are coupons
redeemable for one kiss each.
95
Best movie kisses:
-
The Way We Were: When Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford kiss in
front of her fireplace.
-
Life Is Beautiful: The kiss underneath the banquet table.
-
Gone with the Wind: When Rhett steals a major kiss from Scarlett
while he's helping her escape as Atlanta burns.
96
Best songs about kissing:
-
"Kiss Me in the Rain," by Barbra Streisand
-
"One More Kiss," from the Broadway musical Follies
-
"Kiss," by Prince
-
"Shut Up and Kiss Me," by Mary Chapin Carpenter
-
"Blowing Kisses in the Wind," by Paula Abdul
-
"It's Been a Long, Long Time," by Bing Crosby
-
"Kiss Me Baby," by The Beach Boys
-
"Kiss You All Over," by Exile
-
"Say It with a Kiss," by Billie Holiday
-
"Sealed with a Kiss," by Bobby Vinton
-
"Put That Kiss Back Where You Found It," by Benny Goodman
223a
Daily Romantic Checklist:
-
Compliment your partner.
-
Spend twenty minutes of uninterrupted time together.
-
Check in with each other during the day.
-
Perform one small and unexpected gesture.
-
Say "I love you" at least three times.
-
Thank your partner for something.
-
Look for romantic concepts in the newspaper.
-
Take an extra minute when kissing good-bye.
223b
A Weekly Romantic Checklist:
-
Bring home one small, unexpected gift or present.
-
Share some form of physical intimacy.
-
Share an entire afternoon or evening together.
-
Share two insights you gained this week.
-
Write at least one little love note.
-
Mail something to your partner.
-
Make love!
-
Plan something special for the upcoming weekend.
223c
A Monthly Romantic Checklist
-
Plan one romantic surprise for this month.
-
Re-stock your stash of greeting cards.
-
Go out to dinner once or twice.
-
Rent at least two romantic movies.
-
Make love several times!
-
Make plans for a three-day romantic weekend
sometime in the next three months.
-
Plan one romantic event with a seasonal theme.
223d
A Yearly Romantic Checklist
-
Make a New Year's resolution to be a more creative romantic.
-
Make plans for your next anniversary.
-
Think of an unusual way to celebrate your partner's birthday.
-
Review your plans for your next vacation.
-
Create a special "Romance" category in your household budget.
-
Make plans for Valentine's Day well in advance!
794
Select a theme for the weekend based on a type of movie.
(It could be
a film genre, like westerns, science fiction or musicals; or it could
be based on a favorite actor or character in a movie.) Rent three
movies that match the theme and then: Rent costumes that match the
theme! Exercise your creativity and sense of fun with a little
fantasy!
795
Surprise your partner with an unexpected three-day weekend.
Arrange it
ahead of time with his or her boss and staff. This may take some time
to coordinate just right, but the payoff is well worth it!
Just picture the scene:It's a typical Friday morning. You both get up
at your usual time. You shower and get dressed. Over breakfast you
turn to your unsuspecting partner and say, "Oh, by the way, we've both
got the day off work today. What would you like to do?"
After your partner recovers from the shock and showers you with kisses
and thank-yous you get to plan the day together. What are you going to
do?? Go back to bed and sleep til noon? Go back to bed and make love?
Go for a drive? Go shopping? Go out for lunch?
796
The surprise get-away weekend is a romantic classic.
Find a quaint bed
and breakfast or picturesque inn. Pack bags for both of you, and whisk
your partner away upon his or her arrival home from work!
797
What if you have a house full of kids? Try the "Distraction
Diversion":
Rent several of your kids' favorite movies; buy a
ten-pound bag of popcorn and a bunch of juice boxes. The kids sit
hypnotically in front of the TV while the two of you escape upstairs
for some "quality time" together.
847
Set a goal of generating or discovering one new romantic idea each day
for a year.
(Your commitment will help draw ideas to you.) Keep your
notes, articles, comics, ads and miscellaneous reminders in a shoebox
under your bed.
848
Train your subconscious mind to find romantic ideas for you.
Hey, why
should your subconscious mind be doing nothing but daydreaming all day
long while the rest of your mind is doing all the work? Scientists say
that we only use about 10 percent of our brains: This is a way to
boost your brain efficiency to 25 percent or better!
Seriously, you can assign a small portion of your brain the task of
being constantly on the lookout for romantic ideas. The goal is to
retrain your mind to stop filtering out those ideas, and start letting
them come to the attention of your conscious mind. What starts
happening is that romantic articles and gift ideas will start "jumping
out at you." Guaranteed.
849
Practice creating "Variations on a Theme" for generating romantic
ideas.
Start with any idea and build on it, expand it, extend it.
-
Start with "greeting cards": Buy one; buy a hundred! Make some
yourself. Send one-a-day for a week, send one-a-day for a month! Frame
some cards that she's given you.
-
Start with "candy": What's her favorite? Buy ten pounds of it. Fill
her shoes with candy; fill her purse, her glove compartment, her
pillow. Send it to her at work. Spell out words with it. Create trails
throughout the house with it.
274
For future reference:
Buy an extra bag of Valentine Conversation Heart
candies and save them for use six months later.
275
While sharing stories from their childhoods,
Pete told Deb that,
because he grew up poor, he was unpopular in grammar school. Every
Valentine's Day when the children would decorate their shoeboxes so
they could deliver Valentines to each other, Pete's box always
remained empty. Deb thought this was the saddest thing she'd ever
heard.
For the next Valentine's Day she decorated a shoebox and filled it
with Valentines. And Deb promised him that he would never go without a
Valentine again.
876
Charlie and his girlfriend Randi were aboard Continental Airlines
flight 191
from Newark to San Francisco. Shortly after takeoff the
pilot made this announcement: "I have an important message for the
passenger in seat 3-B. Will you marry the gentleman in seat 3-A? If
the answer is yes, press the Call Button for the flight attendant." As Randi burst into tears, Charlie kept saying "Push the button!" When
she did, a flight attendant came up with a silver tray, champagne and
the ring!
877
Mary was a Beanie Baby fanatic.
Her husband, Bob, hired a custom
doll-maker to create a "Beanie Bob" for her.
878
Tom arrived home from running errands one Saturday morning
to find his
wife, Susan, gone. His daughter handed him a note from her:
"Go to the drug store. See the pharmacist." Even though his first
reaction was, "Why? Who's sick?" he went along. What else could he do
but follow instructions? When he started up the car, a tape of
romantic music started playing. ("Ah, ha! I think something's going on
here!") The pharmacist had a card for him: "Happy Anniversary! Now,
head for the liquor store!" A bottle of champagne was waiting for him
there, along with another note: "Ready to celebrate? Not yet! On to
the men's shop first!" A monogrammed shirt was his surprise there. The
note was no longer a surprise: "Almost done! But first, please stop at
the grocery store." A picnic basket packed with goodies was ready for
him there.
The last note simply had an address on it. It led him to a romantic
little bed and breakfast, where Susan was waiting for him. The rest,
as they say, is history.
942
Always kiss each other hello and goodbye. Be there for each
other always.
Create an environment of love. Do it. Escape from the
kids. Fight fair. Give of your time. Handle with care. Inspire your
partner with your love. Judge not. Keep your good memories alive.
Listen to her. Make love with your partner's needs foremost. Never go
to bed angry. Offer to handle an unpleasant chore. Praise him. Quality
Time isn't just for the kids. Respect her feelings. Say what you feel
when you feel it. Tell her you love her every
day. Every day. Understand your differences. Valentine's Day is every
day. Walk together; talk together. Excite your partner as only you
know how. You can never say "I love you" too often. Zero-in on his
little passions.
943
Give your partner a "Romantic ABCs Coupon":
Write the letters of the alphabet on twenty-six slips of paper.
The
coupon-holder picks one letter out of a hat.
The coupon-giver will
create a day of romance with gifts and gestures that all begin with
that letter.
 Hearts
987
1
Make a
heart-shaped pizza.
2
Your initials
in a heart in skywriting.
3
Cut the
kitchen sponges into heart shapes.
4
While out at
a formal dinner, nonchalantly draw a heart on the back of his hand
with a pen.
5
Have a
heart-shaped pool built.
6
Your initials
in a heart on wet cement in a sidewalk.
7
Trace a heart
shape in fogged-up windows.
8
Your initials
in a twenty-foot heart in the snow.
9
A quilt with
a heart motif.
10
Your
initials in a heart-etched on a brick in your patio.
11
Place the
pepperoni in the shape of a heart on the pizza.
12
Trace a
fifty-foot heart in the sand on a beach.
13
Grill
burgers in the shape of a heart.
14
Heart-shaped
sandwiches.
15
For math
nuts: r = a (1-cosA).
16
Use
heart-shaped stickers .
17
Band-Aids
with heart designs.
18
Trace a
thirty-foot heart on the ice when ice skating.
19
Heart-shaped
place mats.
20
A silk tie
with hearts on it.
21
A
heart-shaped chunk of cheese.
22
A mug with
hearts on it.
23
A
heart-shaped mug.
24
A
heart-shaped door mat.
25
Socks with
heart designs on them.
26
Heart-shaped
doilies.
27
Heart-shaped
eyeglasses.
28
A front-yard
flag with hearts on it.
29
Poke holes
in a heart-shape in the crust of a freshly baked pie.
30
Make
heart-shaped chocolate chip cookies.
31
Heart-shaped
confetti.
32
The classic
heart-shaped box of chocolates.
33
Heart-shaped
chocolate treats.
34
Carve a
heart with your initials in a tree.
35
Get a
heart-shaped tattoo with her initials in it.
36
Greeting
cards with heart.
37
Fold the
dinner napkins into heart shapes.
38
Silk boxer
shorts with a heart motif.
39
Draw hearts
on the bathroom mirror with lipstick.
40
Use
only Love Stamps with heart shapes on them.
41
Find a wine
with a heart motif on the label.
42
Heart-shaped
rubber stamps.
43
Heart-shaped
cakes.
44
Heart
designs in icing on a cake.
45
Heart-shaped
candles.
46
Heart-shaped
appetizers.
47
Heart-shaped
picture frames.
48
Heart-shaped
wreaths.
49
Heart-shaped
ice cubes.
50
A
heart-shaped rug.
51
Find a
heart-shaped Jell-O mold.
52
Cut banana
slices into heart shapes and put them in Jell-O.
53
Shape
pancakes into heart shapes.
54
Cut toast
into heart shapes.
55
Cut a heart
shape out of toast and fry an egg in the center.
56
Heart-shaped
Rice Krispy Treats.
57
Slice
strawberries into heart-shapes.
58
A
heart-shaped pendant.
59
A
heart-shaped pin.
60
Heart-shaped
earrings.
61
Heart-shaped
pasta.
62
Heart-shaped
red balloons.
63
Heart-shaped
cookie cutters.
64
Heart-shaped
key rings.
65
Heart-shaped candy conversation hearts.
993
-
Best romantic gift: The gift of time
-
Best romantic present: Your own presence
-
Best romantic car: Triumph Spitfire
-
Most romantic comic strip: Rose Is Rose
-
Best romantic TV show: Mad About You
-
Most romantic city (in the world): Verona, Italy
-
Most romantic city (in the USA): San Francisco, California
-
Best romantic color: Red/PMS #1795 CVU
-
Most romantic Broadway musical: Phantom of the Opera
-
Best romantic movie: Casablanca
-
Best romantic actress: Greta Garbo
-
Best romantic actor: Clark Gable
-
Best romantic hotel: The Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island
-
Best romantic voice (male): Barry White
-
Best romantic voice (female): Sade
-
Best romantic song: "You are So Beautiful (To Me)," by Joe Cocker
994
Gals: You want more romance? Give him more sex.
(Try having sex every night after night after night after night until he begs you to
stop! Just try it as a little experiment. It just might transform your
ho-hum relationship into a raging love affair!)
995
Guys: You want more sex? Give her more romance.
(Romance her like Don
Juan. Like Romeo. Like Clark Gable. Romance her every day in every
way. Romance her using every single idea in this book and then think up
one thousand and one more ways to be romantic. And she'll give you all
the sex you could ever dream of.)
996
Best way to create more time in your life:
Shoot your TV.
997
Use gifts and presents to express love and appreciation.
Don't use
them to apologize after a fight or make up for some dumb thing you've
done. This strategy eventually backfires.
998
The unasked-for gift is most appreciated.
The surprise gift is most cherished.
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