The most romantic holiday in the world is right around the corner. Guys are scrambling to come up with unique and romantic ideas, girls are crossing their fingers in hopes of receiving the perfect surprise, and couples everywhere are gearing up towards another red and pink filled holiday celebrating the one they love.

However, the more years that you spend with an exclusive significant other, the less important holidays like Valentine’s Day become, until eventually they end up passing by without much of a second thought. In any long-term relationship it’s important to keep the spark alive, and there are some easy ways to do so:

1. Communicate

After the end of a long day it’s all too easy to come home from work, say hello to your significant other, and then plop down on the couch and veg out without a second thought. Before you know it days, maybe even weeks, have passed and you haven’t said more than 10 words to one another at the end of each day. No matter how tired you are you have to make time to still talk to one another, ask how each other’s day was, and continue to get to know one another.

2. Keep dating one another

When you first start a relationship with someone you go on dates all the time, but this habit gradually drops off as you become more comfortable with each other and get to know each other better. Don’t stop! Continuing to date oneanother, no matter how long you’ve been together, helps to keep the spark alive and reaffirm your love and commitment for one another.

3. Surprise each other

This can be tickets to his favorite sports game, finally taking her on a trip to that winery, or bucking up and going sky-diving with each other. Continue to surprise each other with things that will make the other one happy to help keep the passion alive in your relationship. These little gestures go a long way.

4. Hold hands

We’ve all seen the older couple walking down the street holding hands, just as in love as the day they met. And it’s likely that we all thought at some point “I want that!” So get it! Hold hands, give each other kisses, just have physical contact. This helps increase the feeling of intimacy – something that’s important for every relationship.

5. Keep ahold of yourself

As much as you need to do things for each other, you have to do things for yourself as well. Make time for your own hobbies and let your partner make time for their interests. The minute you become dependent on someone else for your identity or someone else becomes dependent on you it starts crumbling the relationship.

Relationships don’t have to fizzle out just because you’ve been together for a long time. In fact, if you continue to go out of your way for each other you’re relationship will continue to grow. Relationships are like gardens, they need love and affection to grow something beautiful.

About the Author:

This is a guest post from Laura Backes. She enjoys writing about all kinds of subjects and also topics related to internet service providers in my area. You can reach her at: laurabackes8 @ gmail.com.