Five years ago you said "I Do", and your life changed in varied and wonderful ways: You made a commitment to one person to love, honor and cherish; you set up house together, complete with shared towels, a toothbrush rack and shared household duties; you gave up the dateless Fridays, and have fairly regular sex, even after five years. Life is good. So it's time to celebrate a fifth anniversary. How to mark that time, the five most wonderful years of your life? Here are ten ideas to make the the so-called wooden anniversary a day to remember.
1. What do we think of when we think of wood? A fire in the fireplace? Furniture? Hardwood floors? Okay, this may sound odd for an anniversary present, but why not pick out new flooring together? Get a catalogue, or go on-line, and pick a beautiful oak, bamboo, cedar or other hardwood to use on a kitchen or living room floor. after five years together you've likely bought a house, or you're thinking about it. New hardwood flooring may not seem romantic, but it will last a long, long time, and as you walk on it, its warmth, beauty and durability reminds you why you love your mate.
2. A fire in the fireplace is a pretty romantic notion as well. Put the kids to bed, fix a lavish dinner together, put a log on the fire, and pretend you're in a wood-paneled, boutique hotel on the Left Bank. What happens after dinner is entirely up to you.
3. Speaking of Paris, you've been together five years. Isn't it time to actually find that little boutique hotel and go there? Too expensive? Okay, find a wooden jar, and start adding spare change and a budgeted amount to it every week--five or ten bucks will do. Call it your Paris next year jar.
4. Get on-line, find an artisan site such as Etsy, and have a wood totem crafted of your spouse's favorite thing. It could be a model of the first car you owned together, a wooden heart with your initials like you carved in a tree once, a bicycle built for two, a model of your boat, or even a wooden image of your kids in their likeness. If you're really corny, as we are, the etching can say "I Wood Marry You All Over Again."
5. Mystery is very romantic. Go to eBay or Craigslist and find a wooden numeral five. Then hang it where your spouse will see it, and only the two of you will know what it means.
6. Wood symbolizes durability. Make a simple plaque that reads I Love You X 5, then wrap it and give it to them at that fireplace dinner.
7. Wood is a symbol of longevity. If your mate loves green growing things, why not a bonsai tree? They're long-lasting, low maintenance, and a sign of your love and affection--and your fidelity.
8. Write five love notes to each other, and put them in places they'd never guess. In their undies or socks, inside a sandwich, between the sheets where they'll feel them with their toes, or inside a fresh-baked pie of their favorite flavor.
9. What does your mate enjoy doing for leisure time? Golf? The gift answer is perfect. Baseball--men are never too old for a new bat. Does she like tennis? A new 'wood' racket, which you may have to track down on-line these days. Crafts? The ideas are endless. Make it a wooden day to remember.
10. Ritual is important. Make a plan for your sixth anniversary that includes many of the same elements: Dinner together; a love note or two; kids in bed; and a fire in the fireplace. Then take the wooden #5 totem, and burn it up. Releasing a shared object can bring you closer together as well.
Five years of marital bliss is an accomplishment, and a reason to celebrate. These suggestions are easy, inexpensive--for the most part--and romantic, too. Try one or all of them, and enjoy your trip to Paris.
