Here’s How To Celebrate Your Anniversary During Quarantine
Anniversaries are markers of success for any relationship. It is not just a day that two people celebrate being together as a couple, focused on gifts and romantic gestures; it also symbolizes another year of growth and understanding. Did you know there is a traditional gift exchanged each year you're married? Each anniversary has a different theme that symbolizes the maturation of your relationship together. According toBrides Magazine, the first traditional anniversary gift is paper, which symbolizes the strength and connectivity of your blossoming relationship. The second-anniversary gift is cotton that recognizes the maturation of your relationship together. Emily Post would be proud.
I celebrated my sixth anniversary recently, and well, it looked very different than any year before. The simple fact is that COVID-19 is still rampant, and we are still mostly confined to the house. Our ideal situation would have been a romantic getaway or a lavish dinner celebration at our favorite restaurant. Both options seemed like a hassle given the restrictions on dining out and tests required for trips. We opted to stay home and order take-out while catching up on movies. It was perfectly normal without the fluff. However, it did give us the time to talk to each other and plan our engagement photoshoot.
Photo Credit: S. Bola Okoya
You would think living together and spending more time in the house than ever before would give us the time to plan, but that's not true. The combination of our day jobs, side hustles, parenting, and household responsibilities, left us depleted. We gave each other the gift of focus instead of a physical one, and I couldn't have been more grateful.
Instead of looking at your quarantine celebration as a lackluster event, think about the creative ways that you can love each other. It is an opportunity to refresh old traditions and make new ones.
How To Celebrate Your Anniversary During Quarantine
Couples Massage
Physical touch is one of my love languages. Anytime there's a focus on intimacy, I'm excited. Planning a massage for two is a great way to show your partner affection and do something relaxing at the same time. Fill the room with candles, essential oils, and massage oils - these can be store-bought or made with a blend of oils - and use the bed as your massage temple. I highly suggest making a special playlist that includes a combination of soothing music and your favorite love songs.
Photo Credit: S. Bola Okoya
Paint and Sip
You don't have to be Picasso to enjoy painting. Luckily, there are plenty of virtual paint and sip parties happening that you can take advantage of regionally. A quick Google search will give you a list of providers in your area that can ship the products to you or offer contactless delivery.
Brunch
Brunch is always a great idea. Whether you pick up a meal or make it yourself, set the table with your favorite cocktail or mimosa, and you have a party.
Candlelit Dinner
If brunch isn't your thing, there's always dinner. Select your favorite eats, light some candles, dress up for each other, and meet at the dinner table.
Photo Credit: S. Bola Okoya
Backyard Movie Night
If you have a backyard and are a lover of cinema, then you have the option to set it up for a cozy movie night. Projectors are a great way to watch a movie for a home theater. You have the option of purchasing one to invest in future movie nights or renting for special occasions. Either way, don't forget the pillows, covers, and snacks.
Wheel of Foreplay
If you're looking to spice up the night, try playing the Wheel of Foreplay, a fun way to explore intimacy with your partner. The game was created to encourage everyone to have more sex while stuck at home, says sextech entrepreneur Bryony Cole.
"My hope for Wheel of Foreplay is that people spinning it feel like they can really enjoy keeping their intimacy locked down, physically and digitally, and start enjoying all of the benefits of intimate connection," Cole said in a press release.
Whether you choose to celebrate your anniversary with a traditional or modern gift, some foreplay or do nothing at all, there is more love to go around. Get creative and try to do something out of the box.
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Featured image by S. Bola Okoya
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Ayana Iman is a certified life coach, professional speaker, and mama of one based in New Jersey. She's also known for her love of big hair, travel, and cooking. Find her across social @AyanaIman.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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You've Never Seen Luke James In A Role Quite Like This
Over the years, we've watched Luke James play countless characters we'd deem sex symbols, movie stars, and even his complicated character in Lena Waithe's The Chi. For the first time in his career, the New Orleans-born actor has taken on a role where his signature good looks take a backseat as he transforms into Edmund in Them: The Scare—a mentally deranged character in the second installment of the horror anthology series that you won't be able to take your eyes off.
Trust us, Edmund will literally make you do a double take.
xoNecole sat down with Luke James to talk about his latest series and all the complexity surrounding it—from the challenges taking on this out-of-the-box role to the show's depiction of the perplexing history of the relationship between Black Americans and police. When describing the opportunity to bring Edmund's character to life, Luke was overjoyed to show the audience yet another level of his masterful acting talents.
"It was like bathing in the sun," he said. "I was like, thank you! Another opportunity for me to be great—for me to expand my territory. I'm just elated to be a part of it and to see myself in a different light, something I didn't think I could do." He continued, "There are parts of you that says, 'Go for it because this is what you do.' But then also that's why it's a challenge because you're like, 'um, I don't know if I'm as free as I need to be to be able to do this.' Little Marvin just created such a safe space for me to be able to do this, and I'm grateful for everything I've been able to do to lead to this."
Courtesy
Them: The Scare, like the first season, shines a light on the plight of Black Americans in the United States. This time, the story is taking place in the 1990s, at the height of the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles. While the series presents many underlying themes, one that stands out is Black people and the complicated relationship with the police. "For the audience, I think it sets the tone for the era that we're in and the amount of chaos that's in the air in Los Angeles and around the country from this heinous incident. And I say it just sets the tone of the anxiety and anxiousness that everybody is feeling in their own households."
James has been a longtime advocate against police brutality himself. He has even featured Elijah McClain, the 23-year-old Colorado man who died after being forcibly detained by officers, as his Instagram avatar for the past five years. So, as you can imagine, this script was close to his heart. "Elijah was a soft-loving oddball. Different than anyone but loving and a musical genius. He was just open and wanted to be loved and seen."
Getty Images
Luke continued, "His life was taken from him. I resonate with his spirit and his words...through all the struggle and the pain he still found it in him to say, 'I love you and I forgive you.' And that's who we are as people—to our own detriment sometimes. He's someone I don't want people to forget. I have yet to remove his face from my world because I have yet to let go of his voice, let go of that being [because] there's so many people we have lost in our history that so often get forgotten."
He concluded, "I think that's the importance of such artwork that moves us to think and talk about it. Yes, it's entertaining. We get to come together and be spooked together. But then we come together and we think, 'Damn, Edmund needed someone to talk to. Edmund needed help... a lot [of] things could have been different. Edmund could have been saved.'
Check out the full interview below.
Luke James Talks Ditching Sex Symbol Status For "Them: The Scare", Elijah McClain, & Morewww.youtube.com
Featured image by Getty Images