How to tell him I want to exchange gifts for our anniversary?

[sewbama]

So our 2 year anniversary is coming up. We aren't really a gift-giving couple. We haven't really done surprise gifts since our first Christmas and Valentines Day (within 3 months of the becoming official). I really want this to be special. I've been looking forward to this since we became re-LD a few months ago.

So I got him a gift. Something he wants, but nothing too big or fancy.

I don't really want him to buy me anything necessarily. I just want it to be special, and so I want him to do something special. Even if it's just planning where we go or something for us to do or getting me a card... Ya know. Just something.

So how do I convey this without sounding like a jerk? (Or am I a jerk?) Or making him think that I just want a gift. I really just want a gesture. I want a special day.

(There's the added... problem that it's really soon. And he's at a conference right now, away from home. But I think since we won't be able to celebrate on the day of, we can do it after, giving him time to shop/plan.)

[snow_girl]

'I'm really excited that we will be celebrating our two year anniversary soon, I even got you a little something! I think we should do something nice for it, maybe dinner or something? Maybe you could look around and find somewhere nice for us to go?' Done and done.

[ThePiedPiper]

I agree with snow_girl.

I always handled when I wanted to celebrate an anniversary with, "so x-anniversary is coming up. I'd really like to do something special for it." and then I'd go from there with the conversation. It would either take the turn of his saying, "Me too" which would strike up a discussion about ideas, a "Like what?" which allowed me to share some of my ideas and again, spur a discussion, or he'd get excited and suggest some things without my prompting. It's always best to handle this one directly and if it's more about him doing/planning something special, I wouldn't even mention the gift at all. I was always bigger on seeing my SO's reaction to the gift versus getting one in return.

[rixue]

I would just bring it up with him. Let him know you want this to be a special, there is nothing wrong with that! Two years is a milestone after all! Say something like "Since our two year anniversary is coming up, what do you think about a gift exchange?" If he isn't into that suggest a date night. Then you could keep that gift for his birthday possibly?

I surprised my SO when I sent him something on our 6 month and was like, "I didn't know we were exchanging gifts!?" He felt bad after that, but I told him I did it because I wanted it to be a surprise and didn't expect anything. Now I will always bring up the idea.