Valentine’s Day is coming up, and there are two types of people: single and taken. Your relationship status probably dictates what you’ll be doing on the 14th. For those of us in long-distance relationships, we are often in the middle ground. Valentine’s Day usually consists of spending a day with your loved one, going on a romantic date and giving or receiving flowers. You may feel lost if you aren’t physically with your partner, but have no fear. Here are five ways to celebrate your love, even if you’re in different countries, time zones, or continents.
- Watch something together. Your partner’s adorably annoying comments on continuity in a film can be experienced from other sides of the world too! Use your preferred streaming service’s built-in group watch feature or Teleparty for most streaming services that don’t offer this, like Netflix. Then select your tv show or movie, and press play! The website will automatically sync up the media, so you can make jokes or scream at the same moment. Don’t forget to make popcorn.
- A romantic dinner for two can seem out of reach when you are long distance. Whilst you can’t exactly have a Lady and the Tramp spaghetti moment over Zoom, you can still ‘share a meal’. You could both order food from the same restaurant, even if it’s just a Subway sandwich. Then bring it home and open up FaceTime. Another way to do this is to call each other and cook the same recipe. This makes for a lot of fun, experiencing the same mistakes and doubts about the final taste. Don’t worry if it goes wrong; you can always just make ramen.
- Going for a walk is not only great for your mental health, but it can also make for a romantic date. February may be cold, but it is all the better for bundling up and feeling cosy. Call your partner up, put your headphones in, and set out. This is a great way to show your loved one the weather or the nice view, and they can do the same. Then you can go back home, and both make some hot chocolate to warm up. Don’t forget the marshmallows!
- Playing games with your partner is a fun way to pass the time and also see your loved one in a competitive situation. This often gets lost when you are long-distance. Luckily, there are many ways you can still play games with your partner. The UNO! and Chess.com apps allow you both to play at the same time. You can even play Settlers of Catan online on your laptop. If you are into video games, there are a lot of video games that offer multiplayer for you and your partner, including Minecraft and Mario Kart. If you don’t want to play a game, you can always take some online quizzes to find out what kind of coffee you both are.
- Finally, if you want to send your partner a gift, you can. Depending on how far you are from each other, mailing something handmade may be expensive, but this is a great idea if you are close enough. Otherwise, ordering something online for their home is a good idea, even something small and cheesy like a teddy bear or some chocolates. Flowers are always a good idea too. Local grocery stores often have online ordering to a house through their florists, and they’re usually not too expensive.
As you can see, being in a long-distance relationship doesn’t mean skipping the Valentine’s Day celebrations or having a boring 14th of February. Make the best of it, and hope you can be together for the next one!