As our pandemic anniversary approaches, I would never have expected to be in this position, to think about date and gift ideas for my significant other that are beyond the realms of flowers, chocolates and a nice dinner date for Valentines Day; Tragic. The Covid-19 pandemic has been hard on relationships, both romantic and non-romantic, with lockdowns and closures being sprung upon us and creating an air of uncertainty and so under these unfortunate times, what we need more than ever is Valentine’s Day.
Undoubtedly, the most romantic day of the year is going to look very different this year. Personally, I’m going to miss a lot of things this year; the over-priced Moonpig Valentine’s Day gift hamper, the dinner date and the long walk along South Bank. To me, Valentine’s Day has always been an ocassion where I’m able to remind those near and dear to my heart that they are loved and cherished. And, the dreadful year of 2020 has served as a stark reminder of why that is so very important. So the question remains, what can you actually do this year to make the most romantic day of the year memorable under a pandemic? Don’t you worry because I interviewed five different people for some inspo!
- Jenna (21) London, UK
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I’ve been talking to a boy off Hinge for the past few weeks. He studies in Manchester and I live in London. Due to the current restrictions on travel, we won’t be able to see each other. So, we have decided to celebrate Valentine’s Day over Zoom, come-dine-with-me style well not really but, we are going to order a takeaway three-course meal to the other person’s place and have a dinner date over Zoom. We’re also attending an online cocktail making class afterwards, which we’re both very excited for!
- Mo (21) London, UK
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My girlfriend and I have been in lockdown together and although we’re 21, we’ve been feeling like a middle aged couple amidst a mid-life crisis. Reality shows and knocked out asleep by 10pm has been the norm. But, for Valentine’s Day, we’re switching things up and instead of ordering takeaway, we’re going to pre-order meal kits and cook a romantic dinner in. This is drastically different from what we usually do because we’re both awful cooks, but we’re sure this will make for a memorable Valentine’s Day.
- Tato (20) London, UK
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My boyfriend and I live 10 minutes from each other, but due to the lockdown, we haven’t been able to see each other for over two months. For Valentine’s Day, we plan on doing a bike ride to Primrose Hill and then get takeaway from our favourite pizza place in Camden. The pandemic hasn’t really affected our plans for Valentine’s Day because we don’t celebrate it, but due to the current circumstances, we could all do with a little bit of loving!
- Harit (19), Edinburgh, UK
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I will go on a Zoom date with my girlfriend of five years. The pandemic has severely affected my plans for this Valentine’s. Our anniversary falls the day before Valentine’s and we have had really memorable experiences in the past 4 Valentine’s days together. We had a really good Valentine’s last year in Paris and I was really hoping I could take my girlfriend to the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam because she loves the Van Gogh exhibits and I would do anything to see her happy :)
- Sanyukta (21) London, UK
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I have been away from my boyfriend for quite some time now and this Valentine’s Day too we will have to be apart. So this year, I will most definitely be on a call with him all day like every other day. I cannot grasp the concept of virtual date nights but we’ll probably be Netflix partying with a bowl of snacks. I will write him a mushy text and if he doesn’t shed a tear, he will have to find himself a new girlfriend. I am not having any of his gifts delivered on Valentine’s because trust me, brown households’ surveillance is tighter than homeland security! But I have shopped for him and I am honestly going to give him his present when I see him so that he’ll have two things to unwrap!
This is kind of bittersweet to even write because I did have so many plans pre-pandemic. I would have been in London, which in itself is so damn beautiful! I am BIG on dates and anniversaries! So this year at midnight, I would take him to this spot in London that means the world to us. The walk from our place to there is absolutely beautiful, it is straight out of a 90s rom-com! We’d have fallen asleep to a cute movie and woken up to an exciting day ahead. Depending on the weather, we’d have either done brunch at a cozy little cafe or a picnic at Hyde park! After dressing up a little extra nice, we’d have dinner reservations at some scenic rooftop restaurant,(London is full of them). And if I know my boyfriend well enough, my room would be full of flowers and a gift neatly wrapped with a bow on top!
Valentine’s Day or not, I think everyone deserves a little celebration from time to time! You can find more inspo here.