589 One woman came to her marriage with a vast collection of very special Christmas tree ornaments. Her husband jumped on the bandwagon, and they now have a ritual "Search for This Year's Special Ornament."

HAPPY HANUKKAH.

590 In celebration of the "Festival of Lights": Light your home with hundreds of candles.

Choose a menorah that holds special meaning for your partner.

Write a poem about how he or she is the "light of your life."

591 Celebrate the eight days of Hanukkah: Day 1: Give a gift that reflects your religious beliefs.

Day 2: Give a gift of one hour of your time.

Day 3: Give a gift that celebrates the number of years you've been together.

Day 4: Give a gift you've made by hand.

Day 5: Give a gift that acknowledges a private joke between the two of you.

Day 6: Give a gift that the two of you can share.

Day 7: Give a gift of music.

Day 8: Give an artistic gift.

592 Buy four dreidels. We're going to change the traditional children's game into a new romantic game. On each dreidel remove the traditional Hebrew letters nun, gimel, he, and shin-and replace them with: M, Y, U, F-which stand for Me, You, Us and Family.

N, T, W, M-which stand for Now, Today, this Week, this Month.

D, M, P, C-which stand for Dinner, Movie, Picnic, Concert.

You decide how to label this one.

Here's how you play: Taking turns, one person spins one dreidel on each night of Hanukkah. The M-Y-U-F dreidel directs you to do something loving that focuses on whichever person the dreidel indicates.

An (im)modest suggestion for a Hanukkah gift: the book Kosher Sex: A Recipe for Passion and Intimacy, by Rabbi Schmuley Boteach.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY.

593 Identify that one pivotal event that brought the two of you together. Celebrate that event every year.

594 Most couples celebrate their anniversary once a year. That's a nice, romantic thing to do.

A few couples celebrate their anniversary once a month. That's perhaps a little much, but it's very sweet, don't you think?

What brought the two of you together? Fate? Karma? Cupid? Cosmic coincidence?

Then one day in a Romance Class I met a couple who claimed they'd celebrated 10,958 anniversaries! As they appeared to be in their mid-forties, I was politely skeptical-until they explained: They were married on August 25th-which is often written as 8/25. They translated that to 8:25 and were thus inspired to celebrate their anniversary every day at 8:25. And, of course (they explained matter-of-factly), it was obvious that they had to celebrate twice a day: first at 8:25 in the morning, and then again at 8:25 in the evening. (And I thought I was romantic!) 595 On their first wedding anniversary Michael sent Pamela a very romantic card. Pamela saved it and mailed it back to Michael on their second anniversary. Michael saved the card and mailed it back to Pamela on their third anniversary. This impromptu tradition began in 1949-and continues to this day. ("The cost of first-class postage is now more than the original cost of the card!" Pamela recently observed with a smile.)

Chapter Theme Song:.

"Anniversary," The Cure

HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

596 Declare your lover's "Birthday Month," and Do something special every day for the thirty days preceding THE day.

"What a coincidence! You forgot my birthday and I forgot how to cook."

Herman is reprinted with permission from Laughing Stock Licensing Inc., Ottawa, Canada. All rights reserved.

597 How about a video celebration of the year he was born? You can get a thirty-minute DVD newsreel, featuring world events, news, personalities, styles, and major events from the year of your partner's birth (for the years 1929 through 1969). Cool, huh? Such a deal at only $14.95. Call FlickBack Media at 800-541-3533, or visit www.flickback.com.

CUSTOM-MADE.

598 When you want to present your lover with some loving words rendered in artistic, beautiful, wonderful, elegant, fabulous calligraphy-call Maria Thomas, the most talented "artist of words" in America.

Call Marilyn Haverkate at The Frame & Art Gallery: 864-967-3182, or visit www.lettersalive.com.

599 Jim Rickert, "The Songsmith," will write and record original songs for you. The romantic possibilities are tremendous!

The quickest and least expensive option is to choose one of his original melodies from a catalog of styles (rock, ballad, country, folk, reggae); then fill out a questionnaire that will allow him to customize the song with names, dates, and personal references. Just $52.

He can also write new lyrics for you, or set your words to music. This service starts at $87.

He can also compose entirely new music from scratch for you, and record it simply or elaborately. From $175.

Normal turn-around time is only a few weeks. Call Jim at 617-471-8800, or write to the Creative Works, 49 Centre Street, Quincy, Massachusetts 02169, or visit www.creativeworksstudios.net.

One of the Top Ten Coolest Ideas: Have an original song written and recorded for your lover.

600 If your lover is also a wine lover, why not surprise him or her with a great California wine bottled with custom labels? Be creative with words or artwork, and create a one-of-a-kind gift for your lover. Call Windsor Vineyards at 800-289-9463, in Tiburon, California, or visit www.windsorvineyards.com.

ONE-OF-A-KIND.

601 If she's a one-of-a-kind woman, why not present her with a one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry? Hire a jewelry designer, establish a budget, describe her personality and style and some of your own ideas for the piece, and let the designer give you some sketches. Then have your unique gift created for her, and present it to her with a flourish.

602 The reason why a dozen roses is so popular is because it works for virtually everyone. Roses are a great start-but how about creating a truly personalized bouquet?

A bouquet of pencils-for a teacher, writer, or journalist.

A bouquet of wrenches-for a handyman.

A bouquet of kitchen utensils-for a gourmet cook.

A bouquet of Big Mac coupons for your junk food junkie.

603 Would you like your life to read like a romance novel? Well now it can! You can get a romance novel customized with you and your lover as the hero and heroine. Seven titles are available, including Another Day in Paradise and Love's Bounty. Each book will include more than twenty personal details about the two of you. Only $49.95. Call Your Novel at 800-444-3356, or visit www.yournovel.com.

If you aren't married yet, have her design her own engagement ring! Visit www. adiamondisforever.com.

604 Have a one-of-a-kind jigsaw puzzle created for your puzzle-lover. You might create a special message or propose marriage with one! Call the folks at J.C. Ayer & Co. at 781-639-8162, or visit www.ayerpuzzles.com.

DO-IT-YOURSELF.

"Creativity is the sudden cessation of stupidity."

-Edwin Land 605 Do-it-yourself: custom-made Chinese fortune cookies! Buy a batch of them at a local Chinese/Oriental grocery store (or get some from your favorite Chinese restaurant). Pull out their fortunes with a pair of tweezers, and insert your own fortunes! From silly to sexy, from playful to profound, you decide!

606 Make your own custom greeting cards. (Those store-bought cards are fine-I have a drawer full of them. But homemade cards are extra special.) You don't have to be artistic, just heartfelt. (Remember, she's with you not because you're Picasso, but because you're you.) Crayons and construction paper are just fine for this project.

Create a giant, poster-sized greeting card!

Design something cool with a graphics program on your computer.

607 What do you do with old greeting cards from your honey? You don't just toss them away, do you?! Heaven forbid! True romantics...

The more of yourself that you put into your gifts and gestures, the more they'll be appreciated.

Display them on mantles and tables.

Set them on their desks at work.

Have them mounted and framed.

Put them in a scrapbook.

Toss 'em in a file-to use in some creative way in the future.

Paste 'em on a collage.

And one crazy couple in my Romance Class actually wallpapered an entire room in their house with greeting cards!