Do something different together that you normally wouldn't do for Valentine's Day, like attending a wine tasting or learning how to salsa. Just make sure to keep the mood romantic, such as with these Romantic Date Ideas.
Keep it flirty and light with fun date ideas like bowling or stargazing.
Don't have a lot of cash but still want to wow your partner? There are lots of inexpensive date ideas to try out too, such as taking a stroll together hand in hand downtown, pretending the two of you are tourists in your own town.
Followers of the Anti-Valentine's Day movement would say that February 14th focuses too much on the commercialization of love. I hope that this Valentine's Day blog has helped you finds ways to celebrate the people you love, no matter what your relationship status or financial situation. Because if the Beatles were right, love is all we need.
With only one day before the big event, its time to hunker down and get your Valentine's Day plans set in stone. Either you've taken care of the gift (gifts ideas for men, gift ideas for women, inexpensive Valentine's day gift ideas), and/or decorated the house, but still need that one special gesture that will make this year sizzle. Or you've done none of these things and suddenly realized you need some creative ideas, fast. Either way, here are some last minute Valentine's Day ideas to keep the romance alive in your relationship:
Buy a nail file (the metal kind, not an emery board), candy hearts, and a food coloring pen (found in most specialty cooking stores). Take a handful of the candies and carefully file off the words. This shouldn't take more than a minute or so for each candy. Then, take the food coloring pen and write your own short and sweet sentiment.
Make some truffles. (Hint: they are quick and easy to make, and cost considerably less than buying them pre-made). While getting the ingredients for the truffles, get some extra chocolate - preferably a different color and/or flavor than the truffles (such as red or white melting wafers) and some food-grade sprinkles as well. After the truffles are made, lay out an uneven number on a flat plate in a circle. Take some of the separate chocolate, melt it, and then "glue" more truffles on top. Keep on going in a tree-like formation until there is only one truffle at the very top. Use some sprinkles over the entire confection, and you'll have made a very special Valentine's Day treat.
Buy some red balloons and have them filled with helium. On each balloon's string, attach a paper heart with a note to your love. Try a love poem, famous movie love quote or a loving note of your own.
Last minute Valentine's Day travel specials aside, you could always give your partner a card, cake or cookie with the words, "Let's GO!" on them. When asked what that means, show them the tickets to the romantic cruise, or spa getaway that you purchased to enjoy together.
The only time I've ever dressed up my home for February 14th was when I threw a huge shindig quite a few years back. A bunch of us were not happy about being single on St. Valentine's Day, so we played a murder mystery board game where everyone had to dress in costume. Fittingly, the theme was "Broken Hearted".
But whether you are celebrating solo, with family or its just you and your partner, dolling up your home can serve several purposes: to show someone how much you care, to keep things light and flirty, or to open up your home by clearing the clutter and making room for love via the principles of Feng Shui - the Chinese art of placement.
So to get your home ready for St. Valentine's Day, why not try some of these suggestions:
Purchase some books about love whether its love poetry to read to one another, a bestseller to read by yourself or children's books to discuss before bedtime;
Do simple things to add love all around the house, like adding a red ribbon around a bunch of flowers, or changing the dog's collar tags to a heart-shaped one; or
Set the mood for the evening using candles, flowers and hearts as you see fit in your personal space.
As a single woman, I'll readily admit that February 14th isn't something I'd normally look forward to. A day devoted to couples, hearts and true love isn't an oasis for the lonely, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to spend the week leading up to Valentine's Day ignorant of the holiday, what with a now-standard month long buildup by the media, stores and schools.
And yet the past couple of years I've chosen to see Valentine's Day as not just a day for giving chocolates and flowers to my partner. I've decided instead that it is a day to celebrate love in all of it's amazing forms. And since loving one's self is the template for which all other interpersonal relationships in our lives are formed, it seems only fitting then that singles would choose to focus on themselves.
So what can you do to celebrate Valentine's Day as a single person? Why not:
Spend the day pampering yourself by focusing on your feet or perhaps revamping your underwear wardrobe for when that special someone does happen to walk into your life.
Take advantage of the fact that you need not plan for anyone but yourself, and splurge on a Valentine's Day hotel special for singles.
Did you exchange Valentine`s Day cards with your friends and classmates as a child? I have fond memories of carefully choosing sets of Holly Hobby and Snoopy cards to dole out to the people I cared about as a kid. As I got older the excitement of the holiday waned somewhat, although I`ll readily admit a lot of that had to do with not knowing how to cope with crushes as a young adult.
Valentine`s Day isn`t just for lovers. If anything, it is a perfect celebration for families in general by teaching children about age-appropriate boundaries and what it means to give without expecting anything in return. Which essentially is the definition of true love.
As it usually is with children, small gestures are more than enough -especially if you are struggling to survive Valentine`s Day as a single parent. Making heart-shaped pancakes topped with strawberries, dressing exclusively in red for the day, indulging in Valentine`s Day craft projects or handing out homemade coupon books are all suitable ideas. But why not take it one step even further, and volunteer your time as a family for the day to put into action what many of us say but rarely find the time to do: love thy neighbor.
Still, there aren`t a lot of kids (especially the younger ones) who would scoff at a Valentine`s Day party. Perhaps a special Valentine Tea for the younger kidlets would be appreciated, or something a bit more unique for the teens. But in the end, it doesn`t really matter what kind of Valentine`s Day party idea that you choose, as long as there are party games and Valentine-themed food for everyone to be happy. Well, and perhaps some great stain removal tips to get all that red food coloring out of the carpet.
After covering Valentine's gift ideas for both men and women, it only seems natural to move on to the kinds of gifts that you don't need a lot (or any) money to give. These are the handmade items, the self-styled events that provide more dash than cash, and the one thing money can't (or at least shouldn't) buy: time together.
But not spending a lot of money to say I Love You on Valentine's Day means getting creative. There's no way around it really. You'll need to put some effort into making a meal, gift, experience or a combination of all three. But where on earth do you start?
Collected here are some creative ideas on how to create the perfect Valentine's Day inexpensively yet thoughtfully, with the sole intention of showing how much you care. Have an idea or suggestion that isn't listed here? Feel free to comment and share it with the rest of our readers.
Inexpensive Valentine's Idea #1: Make a Meal of It
Go all out or make it a simple affair. A homemade dinner together by candlelight is a beautiful way to enjoy a special night together, but it doesn't necessarily have to be held in the kitchen. How about a fireside picnic or breakfast in bed using some of these recipes to make your loved one swoon:
Inexpensive Valentine's Idea #2: Pamper Each Other
When is the last time either of you received a massage, had a bath together or fed each other delicacies? Then why not create a romantic spa or retreat of your own in your home for the two of you to enjoy? Using this theme, you could:
Buy some reflexoloxy socks (where the pressure points are drawn on the soles of your feet for guidance) or a book about massage and spend the evening melting each other's stress away;
Inexpensive Valentine's Idea #3: Have a Scavenger Hunt
Instead of laying out your I Love You's in plain sight, why not make your partner work a bit for their gift? Imbue a bit of child-like fantasy into your Valentine's Day celebrations with a scavenger hunt, using one, some or all of the following items to entice:
Write a love letter or smaller love notes and place them strategically around your home (see Suggestions on Where to Leave Love Notes for ideas and inspiration);
Make some heart pops, and write a sexy hint as to where the next pop is hidden on it with icing sugar.
For those who haven't already purchased a gift for their guy, now is the time to do it. Online orders take time to receive (although some companies are offering same-day or next-day shipping for the occasion), and in-person purchases will become more difficult and expensive as the week progresses. But before we discuss what you should buy, don't forget to think about what Valentine's gifts for men to avoid.
Traditional Valentine's Day Gifts for Men
Traditional Valentine's Day gifts - for men and women - include such things as red roses, chocolates and homemade cards. But there's no reason why you couldn't spice up these ideas a bit and create your own variations, such as:
But what if creating the perfect Valentine's Day for your man involves something a bit different? Something memorable, unusual, geared specifically to them? Then why not try:
I can appreciate the pressure some people feel in finding the perfect Valentine's Day gift. In fact, the Dating forums here on About.com are currently buzzing with questions like: How do I avoid disaster? What will she like? Should I get her anything? (The answer to this last question is a most definite yes, by the way).
What follows is an overview of some basic ideas for Valentine's Day gifts, along with many links to provide you with more information to make a decision or make a purchase. Do you have a different idea as to what a Valentine's Day gift for a woman should look like? Then feel free to post a comment and let the debate begin.
Traditional Valentine's Day Gifts for Women
Traditional gifts for women on Valentine's Day include roses, chocolate, jewelry, perfume and lingerie, all of which are lovely ideas, and usually quite welcome. But instead of merely giving a gift similar to what her friends will likely receive as well, try stepping these traditional Valentine's Day gifts for women up a notch by personalizing them. Some suggestions:
For those with female partners that enjoy things a bit out of the ordinary, you'll need a to find a gift that reflects their nature and penchant for the unusual. Some suggestions include:
With Valentine's Day a ten days away, many people are well into their preparations for this special event. Whether you've got everything under control or haven't even started thinking about what you'll do to celebrate this love-focused day, we'll help you find ways and ideas to show those you love just how much you care. It only seems fitting then that the first post in this Valentine's Day blog focuses on the origin and history of Valentine's Day and how past traditions and events have formulated what we do on February 14th today.
The origins of Valentine's Day are still debated, and experts have several different theories as to why we adopted this day of love, such as:
It was created as a Christian version of the Pagan Lupercalia festival;
There was a Christian man beloved by many children who refused to worship the Roman gods of the time and was incarcerated for taking a stance. He subsequently received Valentine's from his adoring fans, who threw the "love notes" at his jail cell; or
A priest (who later became a saint) performed marriages when the practice was outlawed because the governing forces at the time through families were too much of a distraction for men at war.
Yet although its roots stem from third century lore, February 14th wasn't designated a holiday until Pope Gelasius declared it so somewhere around 498 A.D. And so it remains.
Another of modern day representation of Valentine's Day however - Cupid - has a bit less confusion attached to why we use him as a symbol of love. Better known as Eros, Cupid is a god in Roman mythology. He was the son of Aphrodite (where the word aphrodisiac comes from) and Hermes. Unfortunately, Cupid fell in love with a mortal by the name of Psyche, which ended in disaster.
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