1. HAVE A COUPLES-THEMED BASH
An anniversary deserves a party. But an ordinary affair just won’t do. Celebrate another year together by throwing a twosomes bash where friends and family dress up as their favourite TV couple. Here’s how to make your fete a memorable episode:

• Start the festivities with an array of cocktails named for popular TV pairs. Add a sugar rim to the Homer and Margetini, and garnish Tony and Carmela on the Rocks with fruit.
• Gather round for a game of TV couples trivia: Which couple was on a “break” when he slept with the copy girl?
• As couple of the hour, preside over a Best Dressed contest and award the winning pair a fun swag bag. Think of including appropriate reading material such as How They Met: Fateful Encounters of Famous Lovers, Rivals, Partners, and Other Strange Bedfellows by Joey Green (Black Dog & Leventhal Pub-lishers, 2003).
• Reinvent a TV guide. Put yourselves on the cover, and inside let your guests fill in their picks under the dates and times of your relationship milestones. (E.g., was your first date a half-hour comedy or a CSI spinoff?)

—Michelle Skibinsky

2. RENEW YOUR VOWS
When your interfering in-laws became too much to bear and catering costs went skyrocketing, what was your wish-we’d-eloped daydream of choice? Saying “I do” in a canoe on Georgian Bay? Or barefoot with the Caribbean lapping at your toes? Well, it’s not too late—or too early. Celebrate your anniversary by telling each other “I (still) do” with a vow renewal ceremony. The great thing about your “I do” redo is that there’s no right or wrong way to go about it. Location, style, vows—it’s all up to you, not your parents. Refreshing, isn’t it? And since you’re already married, the previous legalities don’t apply, which means you can have whomever you’d like to officiate: a close friend, a relative, an Elvis impersonator. But beware that some officiants may ask for proof of marriage. To avoid this and other snafus, check out Renewing Your Wedding Vows (Random House, 2006) by wedding planner extraordinaire Sharon Naylor. It’s the ultimate how-to guide for your “I do” number 2, covering everything from advice on choosing appropriate attire (white was a stretch even the first time) to examples of real-life vow renewals for inspiration. Just remember, this time it’s all about having fun!
—Beth Pilkington

3. WRITE A LOVE LETTER
For centuries, love has been recorded and passed down in scented bundles tied with ribbon. Continue the romantic tradition and give your partner something to cherish by crafting a heartfelt love letter to them. Here’s how:

• Appearances matter, so splurge on fancy stationery. And add scent for more impact— studies show that lavender excites men, while musk arouses women. Or use your own fragrance to remind them of you.
• Plagiarize. Go ahead, this isn’t high school. If you read something you like, steal it. Study the masters: “Even if you did not love me I could not help an entire devotion to you: how much more deeply then must I feel for you knowing you love me.” Keats wrote that to his amour Fanny, but you can borrow it.
• In the words of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” In your letter, tell your partner how much you appreciate them—maybe it’s the way they make you laugh or their killer Sunday waffles.
• Be sexy and suggestive. As Kafka wrote to a woman he pursued for years, “My heart beats through my entire body and is conscious only of you.” Guide your partner’s imagination…and reap the rewards.

—Lena Schuck

4. REVISIT THE PAST
Rekindle the romance and excitement of your relationship’s landmarks by returning to the scenes where they took place. Be it the diner where you had your nervous first date, the street where he proposed or your all-you-could-drink honeymoon getaway, relive the experiences that hold the most significance for you both. And this time, don’t forget to save that menu or boarding pass. Frame it so you’ll have a keepsake to remember that special moment year-round.
—Beth Pilkington

5. SERENADE HER
Since the Renaissance, man has made the romantic yet risky choice of standing outside an open window singing sweet nothings to his true love. Words may be forgotten, zippers could fly low and dogs might even howl, but if you can carry a tune, you might win her all over again. So how do you manage not to mangle the memory?

While vocal schools vary on technique, they all agree on these basics: Stand with one foot slightly in front of the other, take a deep breath and enunciate. “Unless you are completely tone-deaf,” says Diana Yampolsky, who has coached crooners like Our Lady Peace’s Raine Maida, “I am pretty sure you can do it.”

But if you’re not convinced, take Brian Vollmer’s advice. The chief power balladeer of heavy metal band Helix offers the following tips: “Pick the right song and the right melody and spend lots of cash on supper, so if you suck as a singer you have something to fall back on.”
—Ron Johnson

6. GO DANCING
It may seem like an obvious way to celebrate. After all, you did do it on your wedding night. But though you’ve probably gotten better at it over the years, there’s always room for improvement—when it comes to dancing. This year, reclaim a little of that Dirty Dancing passion with private lessons for you and your favourite partner.

“Dancing can kick-start your love life,” says Lisa MacLaggan of Arthur Murray Dance Studios, where classes start at $138 a lesson. “For some of the more romantic dances, like rumba, the dance of love, and tango, which is quite sultry, you take on the character of the dance to portray that feeling. You put on a bit of an act, which brings you out of your shell. Kind of like role-playing.”

And then there’s also the challenge of getting in sync, and the tough job of being all over each other, locked in a musical embrace—a closeness we too often miss. “In some of the dances you have to look into each other’s eyes, and sometimes in our busy lives we don’t make time for that,” says MacLaggan, adding: “Women want to be twirled and dipped; it’s much more exhilarating than being wined and dined.” Besides, all that touching makes for great foreplay!
—Beth Pilkington

7. HAVE A HOT TUB SURPRISE
There’s nothing sexier than a little rub-a-dub-in-the-hot-tub action. But if the price of whirlpools has you balking, check out Travellin’ Tubs ($399; LifeExperiences gift card at Shoppers Drug Mart), a week-long hot tub rental that includes delivery and set-up. Bonus: Since you’re in the privacy of your own backyard, you can skinny-dip to up the delight! No yard? No problem. This sensual bathing experience can be simulated in your home tub or shower. Just strip and get slippy.
—Catalina Margulis

8. EXPERIMENT WITH NEW BEDROOM TRICKS
This anniversary, mix things up in the bedroom with some hot new moves and goody-drawer accessories. To test the waters, check out the three-step Ember massage candle ($56; jimmyjane.com), which takes mood lighting to a new level. First you light it up to scent the room with aphrodisiac blends. Then snuff out the flame and playfully drip the wax on your lucky accomplice. Last, use the balm to give your partner a sexy massage…and watch them melt in your hands.

If you’re feeling more adventurous, head over to your local sex shop to expand your bedroom repertoire. Check out the course calendar and sign up for a sexuality seminar to get pointers on everything from stripping for your partner to making them moan.

Are highbrow hijinks more your thing? Try curling up with The Naughty Bits: The Steamiest and Most Scandalous Sex Scenes from the World’s Great Books (Three Rivers Press, 2001), and take turns reading passages to each other for a whole new spin on bedtime stories. It’s sure to get you both hot under the covers!
—Beth Pilkington

9. TRY A NEW DINING EXPERIENCE
You’ve done the oysters and aphrodisiacs thing. You’ve even tried post-coital strawberries in the nude à la Jerry Maguire. But here’s a culinary trend you can really sink your teeth into: dining in the dark. “It’s a sensual experience,” says Moe Alameddine of Montréal’s O.Noir, the first resto in Canada to cross over to the dark side. “When you eat without seeing, your remaining senses are heightened.” For a truly delicious experience, indulge at home. And remember:

• The idea is dining—not cooking—in the dark. Prepare food and set the table with the lights on. Then use a flashlight to guide you to the table and shut it off once you’ve taken your seats.
• Leave the candles, cellphones and luminous watches elsewhere—we’re talking about complete darkness here. If you find it difficult to block out all the light in your dining room, try blindfolding each other for an added erotic twist.
• For safety’s sake, stick to bite-sized foods that are free of bones. Nothing kills the mood like having to use the Heimlich manoeuvre.
• All foods are fair game with one exception: Fish is high in phosphate, which causes it to give off light.

—Beth Pilkington

10. RECORD THE SOUNDTRACK OF YOUR LIFE TOGETHER
In his new book Love Is a Mix Tape (Random House, 2007), Rolling Stone editor Rob Sheffield sets the story of the love of his life to the tune of 22 mix tape playlists. Romantic? Yes. But for those mired in texting culture, perhaps a tad laborious for an anniversary. Instead, talk to Scott Walker. The veteran CBC broadcaster will put his interview skills and radio voice to work for you by compiling the story of how you two met and setting it against the music that defined and accompanied it—think musical slide show. For a romantic surprise, play the CD on your anniversary and let your partner believe it’s a true radio broadcast! From $550; www.scottwalker.ca/YourLifeStory
—Catalina Margulis

11. SPA TOGETHER
Massaging each other: great. Tandem massage: even better. So share the love by sharing a spa day—or weekend! Destination spas like Ontario’s world-renowned Ste. Anne’s Country Inn & Spa offer couples side-by-side massage treatments such as in-room chocolate massages. Follow a day of pampering with on-site fine dining—in your robes, no less!—then slip away to the grotto for a quick dip before tucking in by the fireplace for the night.

On the West Coast, retreat to Vancouver Island’s rainforest at Clayoquot Wilderness Resorts & Spa’s Bedwell River Outpost. Overlooking Quait Bay and surrounded by ancient cedars, the spa boasts an outdoor shower, waterfall-fed pool, cedar hot tubs and meditation decks. Good times—that is, if you can pull yourself away from your tented suite. Featuring Adirondack-style beds, opulent area rugs and remote-controlled propane wood stoves, this is the kind of camping high maintenance partners won’t mind.

For a more invigorating experience, check out the Nordic spa at Québec’s L’Eau à la Bouche, nestled in the picturesque Laurentians. Enjoy the fresh mountain air as you hop between therapeutic outdoor hot and cold baths, then catch your breath in the steam room and sauna. Later, treat yourselves at the resort’s spa, which uses Canadian skin care line B. Kamins, Chemist, beloved by both women and men for harnessing the exfoliating, rehydrating and protecting powers of the maple tree. After taste-testing the kitchen’s best, take to your adorable room and bask in your mutual glow.
—Catalina Margulis