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My boyfriend and I recently celebrated our 4 year anniversary last month and it was absolutely wonderful! Every time our anniversary comes around, I do have a hard time thinking of new and fun anniversary gifts for him. Last year, I created a Year of Dates Box for him and we just finished the box this past month!

So I decided to put together a guide on how to create your own Year of Dates Box for your significant other. A Year of Dates Box is a box filled with 12 (or more) pre-chosen dates for the year ahead. I created 11 dates — one for each month — and the last date I created was a special anniversary trip! You can create one date per month or you can do two, three, etc. It’s really up to you how many you want to create.

We always have a tough time coming up with new and exciting things to do for date night, so this box took the guess work out and made it easier for us to spend time together. This is one of my favorite gifts I’ve given him and after a full year of completing all the dates, he absolutely loved it!

I created 12 cards for the box. Each one had the month and a date that went along with that month. I put each card in an envelope and labeled it accordingly. Then I placed them inside a photo box with a travel theme on it!

Materials:

Year of Dates Printables
Paper
Tape/Glue
Envelopes
Markers
Stickers
Scissors
Box or Binder

So these are the very simple materials you’ll need to create this Year of Dates gift. If you’re having trouble thinking of what dates to create for your gift, I’ve compiled a quick list of some ideas for you.

Here are some ideas for your Year of Dates Box:

1. Bowling
2. Ice cream date
3. Picnic
4. Movies
5. Zoo
6. Beach date
7. Dinner at home
8. Go out for dinner
9. Farmer’s market
10. Kayaking
11. Brunch
12. Pottery class
13. Amusement park
14. Art gallery
15. Planetarium
16. Ghost tour
17. Karaoke
18. Wine tasting
19. Game night
20. Camping
21. Stargazing
22. Ice skating
23. Pool hall
24. Day at the spa
25. Horseback riding

 

I’ve decided to put together a Year of Dates printable to help inspire you to get out of your comfort zone and think of new refreshing and unique ideas for you and your significant other.

This box is great not only for anniversaries, but also for birthdays, Valentine’s Day, Christmas, or just because! Just remember, not all dates need to be fancy or expensive as long as you are spending time together. This Year of Dates gift is not only limited to significant others, you can also give them to your children to spend more time with them!

 

 

First, download the Year of Dates template. Then, either edit them on your computer or print them out to write your dates on them yourself. After creating your dates, you cut them out and put them in envelopes with the corresponding month.

You can decorate the envelopes how you please with markers or stickers or create fun little packaging for them and then place them in the box. Then you are good to go!

I bought my box from Michaels. I chose a box so that we could put all of our photos in it afterward! You can look in any craft store for a photo box or if you are opting for a binder, I’ve created my own Year of Dates Binder design as well!

 

 

Just remember, not all dates need to be fancy or expensive as long as you are spending time together. Hopefully, this list gives you some ideas — if not you can search for local events in your city (I used Groupon!) This gift is extremely sweet and unlike anything I’ve ever given my boyfriend before.

Have you ever created a Year of Dates box?