How to Get Him to Celebrate Your in-Law’s Anniversary

It’s your parents-in-law’s anniversary! You’re a sucker for parties and celebrations (who isn’t?) and you want to show up for this one. Perhaps you’d even like to very well plan it.

Lord knows you love the joy and thrill of putting a smile on the celebrants’ faces. You love the smell of grilled chicken, of perfectly well-made sandwiches, and the unspeakable satisfaction that comes with being around and giving people a perfect touch of home, fun and warmth. And what is more fun than to celebrate with the people who birthed the man you love – who loved him and lived with him and nurtured, molded and guided him into the man he is today? Nothing! Nothing could be more exciting than such an amazing opportunity.

But there’s one problem: Your husband won’t hear of it. He won’t listen to you, won’t entertain such an idea, won’t even sit still and let you finish with a sentence.

This could be for multiple reasons.

Maybe he’s cut ties with them and declared them dead and gone to him since they rejected you when he brought you home with a diamond ring on your finger, declaring you his wife to be. Maybe they refused to recognize you as the woman he’d chosen to spend forever with. They insisted he wed the heir of a member company or no other, he refused, they threatened to disown him, and he did the job for them – made it quicker and denounced them first. And then he donned a suit and you a stunning white dress, and hand-in-hand you both rode into the sunset.

But then two years later they came to him for forgiveness. He refused to forgive them. They came to you. You were happy to hear from them, to finally be accepted by them, finally be recognized as a member of the family. You forgave him wholeheartedly, tears in your eyes, and happiness springing like a fountain in your chest. You reunited – or united with them, and every day your relationship with them is a happier one, stronger one, healthier and loving one.

But till today your husbands has refused to forgive them (he’s a stubborn man, that one). And now it’s their anniversary and you want to celebrate them, but he’s refusing to.

Whatever his reasons are, this can be frustrating and disappointing, but you can still have your way. You can still get to joyfully celebrate those two who have come to mean so much to you.

So sit him and talk it out with him. It’s best to address the matter head-on.

Remind him of his love for his parents. He may have buried it, but he can’t deny that he doesn’t love them anymore. Yes, they may hurt him, and may have hurt you, but it’s what family is all about. You live together, love together, lose together, hurt each other, and hurt together, but you gather momentum and you move.

That is what families are known for. They are known for unity, and they are inseparable by the quarrels and the arguments that would have ordinarily torn relationships apart, but whenever they come to that point, they are prone to find resolutions and come to a common ground where they can put their differences aside and rise above it.

Suggestions for how to get him to celebrate your in-laws anniversary

• One of the best things to do is to remind him of what he stands to lose if he doesn’t.
• Take him back through memory lane. All the good memories, perfect holidays and crazy funny inside jokes he shared with them both. The tears, the laughs the fights and the hugs. He can’t cancel all of that, can’t throw them all away on your behalf, and you sure as hell don’t want to be the reason a man refuses to speak to his parents for the rest of his life.
• He used to think highly of them. Remind him that he used to think highly of them, and remind him why he used to think highly of them. He cared for their wellbeing and respected them. Their joys were his joys and vice versa; their pains were his pains. Remind him of that.
• “Family is the basic fabric of society, the fabric of interconnected hearts – ” Remind him of that.
• Every moment counts. Life is short, remind him of that. Does he want an ocean full of regrets for a life? They could die today; they’re not getting any younger. Does he want to look back years down the line and thump his palm against his forehead, slap himself, beat himself up over his pride and stubbornness?
• Remind him of the joys of family and the joys of love, the joys of celebrating with family, and the joys of celebrating love with family. And when you’ve successfully convinced him – and you will, so do not even despair, do not fret – tell him you’ve found just the perfect gift to get his parents on their anniversary, an olive branch of a gift, a congratulatory gift, a gift of the celebration of love as well as a gift of forgiveness, of declaration and affirmation of forgiveness.

A great gift to get them

And no gift speaks volumes of love, the joy of forgiveness, and the sweetness of family than chocolates filled with honey and almond nougat.

Toblerone Chocolate Bar, Dark, 3.52 Ounce (Pack of 20), made with the finest ingredients from all over the world, this rich bittersweet dark chocolate is the perfect thing to show his parents that all are forgiven, bright and well, and the perfect thing to reawaken their (aged!) taste buds and immerse themselves in the Toblerone taste experience. You can get it on Amazon.com.