Valentine’s Day being on a Sunday this year is kind of a buzzkill, but that also gives couples a chance to celebrate all weekend either with a little getaway, or just spending these days loving each other from home. As some like to say, “why do I need to do something extravagant for Valentine’s Day when I love my partner everyday?” Ok, true, BUT the extra love that comes with this holiday is always nice to get some more lovin’ in. With this pandemic still in full swing, we’ve got to improvise a little in order to have a successful February 14th. Here are just a few things you can do at home with your significant other, your galentine’s, or even for a single self-love party!
Make a home-cooked meal and enjoy it together
When I think of at home date nights, the best (and easiest) thing to make is pasta. Any kind. You can literally never go wrong with pasta. You could even try the TikTok pasta trend with the feta cheese, cherry tomatoes, and whatever seasonings your heart desires (if you haven’t seen a video of this yet, I am jealous of you since I see it approximately 12 times each time I scroll through my feed). Because I am one basic female, I did buy the ingredients to make this, so maybe this is what I’ll have for my V-Day dinner! Or, if you consider yourself an Alfredo Linguini without Remy under your chef’s hat, there’s always takeout! Support local business and create your own romantic set-up to enjoy a meal from your favorite restaurant in the comfort of your own home. Buy a bottle of wine (or sparkling grape juice if you’re not 21) and get cozy after dinner with some ice cream or other dessert that you’ve created.
Show off your culinary skills with a bake-off
If you and your S/O like a little competition, you could each come up with a dessert and share this after dinner. You can never go wrong with chocolate covered strawberries (a Valentine’s Day staple – duh) because those possibilities are endless with all the chocolate and designs you can think of. Plus, they are healthy since they’re fruit, right? Cake pops, cookies and cupcakes are always a hit, or even follow another TikTok trend like @aquickspoonful and bake one of her delicious looking desserts. I know I am definitely making one of these; the question is which one do I want first?!
Give a creative and unique gift
Chocolates and flowers are so Valentine’s day stereotypical and overrated (though I will never not be content being given these). Since I’ve already talked about TikTok, why not just keep that ball rolling. The ideas that app is full of is amazing. You could make one of those cute, layered boxes with pictures of you and your S/O inside, or one of the personalized advent calendars with the little cups and numbered gifts for each day (if you haven’t seen this, definitely look it up). I did this for the days between my anniversary and Christmas and it was so much fun and my boyfriend loved it! What I’m doing this year for my gift to him is a Spotify song plaque with one of our songs and a favorite picture of us. It was so easy to make because there are so many tutorials online and my Cricut helped to make it even easier!
Make it a night for you
You know your partner better than any restaurant or store-bought gift, so be sure to make it an evening that will satisfy both you and your person. Whether you like to watch movies or binge a Netflix show, play board games or video games together, or just shoving your face with junk food without being judged by one another, the 14th doesn’t have to be full of extravagant romance. You know what makes your heart happy, so just go off of that. You don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars on a present, on dinner, or on a trip to show each other how much you love and appreciate one another. It doesn’t have to be an over-the-top scenario, but it is always nice to be shown just a little extra love on a day dedicated to love.
