April is National Couple Appreciation Month!
While this might seem like a silly made-up holiday or a chance for greeting card companies to make more money, the fact is that it’s also a terrific opportunity to be a little extra intentional in your relationship.
Now is the perfect time to take stock of how things are going. Are you being loving and attentive enough? Are you receiving the love and care that you need? Is there anything you need to ask for or offer?
Are you brave enough to ask your significant other for open, honest feedback?
Whether you know your relationship needs a great deal of help, or you simply want to be a little more intentional, here are 10 ways to celebrate National Couple Appreciation Month this April.
When Should I Celebrate Couple Appreciation Month?
Couple Appreciation Month happens in April every year. This isn’t your only chance to celebrate, however!
National Husband Appreciation Day is on the third Saturday in April every year, making the official date April 20, 2024 this year.
National Wife Appreciation Day, on the other hand, isn’t until September 15th, 2024, so you still have some time to plan something special.
Of course, you don’t have to wait for a major (or minor!) holiday to celebrate. You can celebrate your love and show your appreciation at any time! It really is the small things that make the biggest difference.
Here are several ways I like to celebrate!
1. Make His or Her Favorite Food
There’s an old saying that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Yes, it’s cliché, but for some people, it’s true!
Whether you typically do the cooking or you want to take over for a night to give your spouse a break, this is a super easy way to show a little extra care.
Plan, prepare, and serve their favorite food. (Bonus points if you have a fancy presentation with candles and romantic music, although this isn’t always necessary!) Be sure to clean up after the fact as well.
Dinner doesn’t have to be expensive or fancy to be special.
2. Get a Babysitter and Plan a Date
Is it time for a much-needed date night? Sometimes it’s just extra hard to find time for romance when young children are at home.
That doesn’t mean it’s not important!
Planning a date can be especially meaningful if it has been a long time since your last date. It may take some money. It will take forethought. It will take effort.
Remember, a date doesn’t have to be a traditional candlelit dinner at your favorite restaurant. Do something he likes—go for a hike. Go to a concert. Have a picnic on the beach. There are tons of great date night ideas out there if you’re creative!
3. Give Each Other National Husband Appreciation Day Off
If you’re in a stage of life with kids in the home, life is demanding. It’s easy to get so focused on the daily to-dos that you forget to prioritize each other. Both men and women regularly need breaks from the stress of work, family, and home.
So for this husband appreciation day, you can encourage him to take a little extra time to do something he’s been putting off in the season you’re in. Maybe he has been dying to go golfing or to a movie. Maybe he’s a bit geekier like my husband and would love an excuse to go to a gaming convention.
Whatever his personal interests are, encourage him to pursue them. I’ll bet he’ll come home smiling.
4. Praise and Thank Each Other
While we should regularly be complimenting, acknowledging, and thanking each other, it’s easy to drop the habit. Why not take a minute to strengthen your gratitude muscles and express genuine appreciation?
What do you love about your spouse? Why did you marry them? Why do you stay married to them? What do you most admire about them? How do they make your life easier, better, or more meaningful?
You can get as creative as you want in expressing your feelings. Write a card or a song, or a poem. Or maybe just say a couple of things you usually don’t. However you do it, even small gestures of gratitude will do the job.
5. Show Each Other Off
When you’re with friends and family, do you spend more time complaining about your spouse or complimenting your spouse?
Unfortunately, for too many married people, it’s way to easy to fall into the trap of constantly complaining and nitpicking — often to get laughs and sympathy from those around us.
However, while a few well-timed jokes can be funny (if everyone agrees), constant nagging or complaining can really wear down your marriage over time.
Whether you post a sappy post on social media or simply find ways to praise your spouse in front of friends and family, use this month to get in the habit of saying only nice, uplifting things about each other.
6. Engage in Each Others’ Interests
As a married couple, it’s completely normal and appropriate to have some hobbies and interests separate from each other. However, if all of your hobbies are solo, it can lead to the two of you slowly drifting apart over time.
So this month, get out of your comfort zone a little bit and try something new!
Whether you take turns sharing your favorite hobbies with each other (with an enthusiastic and interested attitude) or you look for a new hobby you can both enjoy, this is a great way to have fun together and keep the spark alive.
7. Give Each Other Extra Affection
Do either you or your husband love physical affection?
If one of you does and the other doesn’t, it can be easy to accidentally deprive your partner of something meaningful and lifegiving.
This month, why not make the effort to spend a little extra time being affectionate toward each other, whether that’s holding hands, giving a back rub, snuggling on the couch, flirting, or something else.
If you’re guilty of spending too much time with your nose in front of the screen, be mindful about putting it away to give your partner your full and undivided attention for a while. You may be surprised how many benefits it brings to your marriage!
8. Get Each Other a “Just Because” Gift
You probably know if giving gifts is your partner’s love language. If he or she gives a lot of gifts, then chances are he or she likes to receive them!
Again, giving gifts doesn’t have to be overly expensive — though it can be if you have the means to spoil your partner a little bit! Instead, it really is the thought that counts. Whether it’s beef jerk, chocolate, concert tickets, a new t-shirt, a journal, or anything else, take some time to figure out what your partner most wants or needs right now and see if you can make it happen.
9. Go on an Overnight Getaway
This is on pretty much everyone’s marriage wishlist, right? To get out of town for a night without the kids?
So quit putting it off. It doesn’t have to be expensive—perhaps you can have family members or friends cover the childcare and have a “night away” in your own home.
Removing the distraction of kids and having the space to give each other your full attention for a whole night can really bring back some spark. Your spouse will love it, and I bet you will too.
10. Dress Up for Adult Time
Has time in the sheets become boring, routine, and predictable? While there’s nothing wrong with knowing exactly what you like, sometimes it’s important to mix things up a little bit just to keep things fun and interesting.
Light candles, put on some music, and wear something special. What you do is up to you (I won’t elaborate here!), but whatever it is, it’s sure to be memorable!
25 Ways to Speak Your Spouse’s Love Language
Have you ever read The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman?
In this wildly popular book, Chapman explains that people generally best receive love in one of five ways. Love your spouse in the “wrong” way (for them) and they’ll be far less likely or able to receive it.
Love them in the “right” way (again, for them!) and they’re far more likely to feel loved and appreciated.
25 Ways to Speak Your Spouse’s Love Language
5 Powerful Prayers Every Wife Should Pray Over Her Husband
Wives, do you pray for your husbands? Regularly? What do you pray for?
While you may find the time to build your husband up, you may have to admit — you haven’t always been the best at praying for your husband or your marriage throughout the years, but that’s ok!
It’s not because you don’t want to or because you don’t think it’s incredibly important — I am sure you do! — but simply because you don’t often remember to!
5 Powerful Prayers Every Wife Should Pray Over Her Husband
Brittany Ann is an ECPA bestselling author and founder of Equipping Godly Women and Monetize My Ministry. She’s also a Christian speaker, podcaster, and conference host. Her work has been featured on numerous TV, radio, and online ministries, including CBN, MSN, Christianity Today, Evangelical Alliance, Patheos, Crosswalk, and more.
