With your stomach just about recovering from the oversized turkey and stuffing, and your liver concluding its reparations following a good New Year’s boozing session, it’s about time that another vital organ was attacked; your heart. Being so early on in the New Year, especially following the season of breakups, it’s so easy to nervously slip into the romantic clichés that are coupled with Valentine’s Day. And whilst it might provide some colourful anecdotes if you have to fight your way to a table in restaurants, or protectively place your arm around your partner in the Savoy surrounded by a sea of competing couples, it does somewhat spoil the whole romantic vibe we are pressured to uphold on this one day of the year.
What’s the big deal about Valentine’s Day? It’s just a materialistic event created by consumerist companies to scam more money off the public, the sceptics often say. And when you examine the typical ‘coupley’ activities that people seem to force themselves to engage in, you can hardly blame them. Valentine’s Day originates from Saint Valentine, an early Christian saint, as a feast day, but became associated with romantic love through Chaucer in the Middle Ages. So, let’s adhere to these associations using some of our ideas on how to avoid the cliché and bring back the romance.
The ‘No Present’ Rule
You will see the shops littered with red and pink heart confetti, stuffed cuddly toys bigger than a small child and chocolates and flowers scattering displays. While these might seem adorable at the time, they will only clutter up your room later on. There are plenty of opportunities to give presents with Christmas and birthdays, so you shouldn’t feel pressured to spend more than necessary. If you would like to get presents then be creative, have a small budget and try to get something within it that isn’t edible. It’s much more fun and the chances are you’ll get something more memorable out of it!
Eat In Instead Of Out
Whether you order in, or have a home-cooked meal, eating in can provide a much better atmosphere than eating out. On Valentine’s Day couples often find themselves under pressure to go out, but unless you book a long way in advance places fill up really quickly, and you could end up rushing to get ready to make your reservation, waiting a long time for a table, and feeling self-conscious in competition with all the other couples that surround you. Eating in means that you can control when you eat, and also allows you to really get a chance to talk and be alone in one another’s company. It can create a really intimate, romantic atmosphere that you can’t get in a restaurant.
Avoid The Couple Selfie
As tempting as it might be to post your evening’s activities on Facebook, the stream of selfies and love hearts following tagging your partner’s name is so not what everyone else wants to see. Being on Facebook when you should be spending time enjoying your evening and date, only creates the impression that you’re actually not having such a good time. There is also nothing more irritating to your friends than when you flaunt your affection for one another publicly. Keeping things quiet and keeps things special.
Don’t Go Over The Top
The golden rule for a successful Valentine’s Day! Remember that this is just one day for a couple, and that in any relationship the romance should be kept alive for much longer than that. Don’t wait and build everything up just for this one day, or there is a serious danger that you or your partner will end up disappointed. By all means do your best to make it special, but don’t try too hard. If you’re comfortable together, then you will have a good time no matter what you do. Use the title ‘Valentine’s’ as an excuse to spend the day and evening together, just you two, if nothing else, and enjoy it.
For All The Single Ladies
Now for you lovely ‘single’ people, the golden rule is not to be bitter about Valentine’s Day. Just because you don’t have anyone you want to spend it with right now, doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy the night either. Use the night to spend some quality time with your mates, hit the town in one of Nottingham’s Valentine’s Club Nights, or get pissed and cause havoc at your Halls of Residence’s Formal. The night is yours; make of it what you want.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Sources
http://www.shopatstars.com/Party.shtml
http://twoology.com/date-ideas-romantic-dinner-at-home/
http://www.citynews.ca/2013/11/19/oxford-dictionaries-names-selfie-word-of-the-year/#__federated=1
https://www.tumblr.com/search/elena%20gilber%20gifs
http://data.whicdn.com/images/37667438/dancing_in_the_club_gif-3692_large.jpg