For many college students, Valentine’s Day isn’t all it’s made out to be, or, at least as pumped up commercially for consumers. Especially this year, when Valentine’s Day falls on a Wednesday in the middle of Reading Week at Simon Fraser University, arranging a special Valentine’s Day out may be unrealistic or difficult. Maybe you and your significant other have important midterms to study for or projects to complete. Maybe your significant other has to work on February 14th, or is out of town, or you couldn’t get a dinner reservation for your favourite restaurant. Maybe you’re skipping the fancy Valentine’s Day out because you’re broke college students and need to save some money. Or maybe, like many other young students, you’re simply not in a romantic relationship this Valentine’s Day. And that’s perfectly okay!
Our culture makes it seem as though bouncing from relationship to relationship is the way to go through college – but just because you’re young doesn’t mean you need a significant other or a string of partners. This Valentine’s Day, if you’re not in a relationship, I urge you to spend the day, or part of the day, in a way you would enjoy. You can gather your best friend or friends, your siblings or your mom to celebrate the other loves in your life this Valentine’s Day and still have a fun night out; or you can skip the night out and treat yourself to a great Valentine’s Day alone at home (it’s really not as lame as it sounds)! Spending quality time alone is a great way to recharge from a stressful semester. Here are some great ideas for what you can do at home this Valentine’s Day if you’re not spending it with a significant other – you can easily make them as expensive or inexpensive as your budget can allow. Pick one or two of your favourites of the activities below, fill the rest of the night however you wish, and you’re sure to still have a great time.
1. Cook a fancy dinner for one (multiple if needed)
You may be thinking – why would I go through all the effort of cooking a 3-course meal or slaving over a hot oven for hours, for just one person? This is a fair point, but cooking a special meal for yourself can have a significant impact on your self-confidence. Just try to be in a bad mood after eating piping hot fettuccini alfredo. Just try. Besides, a fancy dinner for one doesn’t necessarily mean 3-course or 3 hours of cooking time. So, indulge a little this Valentine’s Day and cook up a dinner you wouldn’t normally eat on a weeknight because it’s a little too much work or not the healthiest meal around. You can great inspiration from Buzzfeed, Pinterest or any current winter cooking magazine like Canadian Living or Chatelaine. Below are of few of my own favourites and suggestions. All of these make only one or two servings, so no worries about excessive leftovers:
If you’re a meat lover -> try this sausage and mushroom lasagna or this spicy chicken stir fry with green beans
If you’d prefer seafood -> try these garlic chilli prawns or this catfish with fennel & tomatoes
If you’re a cheese addict -> try this creamy macaroni and cheese or similarly, the aforementioned fettuccini alfredo
If you’re vegan or vegetarian -> try these mushroom & ale pot pies or this one pot mushroom pasta
If you want to cook something but spend as little time as possible in the kitchen -> try this loaded baked sweet potato (which can be cooked in the microwave!) or these beer-baked fries (which do require some soaking time, but just minutes to actually prepare)
If you happen to be interested in creating a 3-course Valentine’s Day meal for one, check out this Buzzfeed video from last Valentine’s Day for inspiration.
2. Bake a fun Valentine’s dessert
Yup, another suggestion requiring some time in the kitchen. Personally, I thrive on creating amazing dishes in the tiny kitchen of my house, but if baking isn’t your thing and you have a major sweet tooth, feel free to pick up your favourite box mix to make Valentine’s Day themed cookies, brownies or cupcakes – you can pick up some store-bought frosting and sprinkles too and still have fun decorating the treats. If you’re feeling like a challenge though, make one of these from scratch (these are easily shareable too if you want to bring ‘em by a friends’ the next day)!
Peanut Butter Chocolate Lava Cakes (you can halve this recipe to make 2 if you’d prefer)
Chocolate Valentine’s Day Hearts
Heart-Shaped Rice Krispie Treats
3. Craft a Valentine’s DIY project
If you’re not into spending time in the kitchen but still love to be creative, a Valentine’s Day craft project could be the way to go tonight! It doesn’t have to be Valentine’s Day related, although the examples listed below are – feel free to explore Pinterest and pick out something fun for you.
For a less-building-intensive DIY, pick up this super cute heart frame from Michaels, paint it and decorate it however you wish, and tuck a favourite family photo inside (there are always on-line coupons available for Michaels too).
This Valentine’s Day candy dispenser project also comes from Michaels and would be great to keep on your desk at work or home. It requires a fair amount of effort, so it’s good if you have a whole afternoon to spend dedicated to creating it.
These 3-D Valentine’s Day frames would also be a super cute desk decoration
The blog for these L-O-V-E painted wood letters is in French, but the steps are fairly self-explanatory. Pick up the 4 wooden letters from a craft store & decorate!
You can do this heart thumbprint platter alone, but it’s also a great craft to make if you have young siblings or little nieces and nephews.
4. Have a spa or relaxation night
If you’ve been cramming hard for midterms or had back-to-back projects and presentations to prepare for, you really deserve a relaxing evening to yourself! To build your own DIY spa night, you’ll need the following:
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A quiet, distraction-free room
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Candles or a plug-in wall diffuser in your favourite scent (I recommended lavender or eucalyptus for the stress-relieving benefits)
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Light spa music
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A bottle of your favourite rosé or champagne
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Light snacks (such as fruit, nuts, crackers, cheese, shrimp, mini quiches, and a box of gourmet dark chocolates)
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A robe and slippers
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Supplies for the specific treatments you’d like to do (you can try out various ‘masks’ like for your eyes, face or hair, paint your nails, or even just take a hot, long bubble bath)
After you’ve finished with your treatments, make sure to wrap back into your robe, apply a light moisturizer or spray some body mist, and settle in to just relax and do nothing the rest of the night.
5. Create your ultimate “chick flick” movie marathon
The best chick flicks to watch on Valentine’s Day are the ones which aren’t overly romance focused (so don’t torture yourself with The Notebook this year). While there’s definitely romance in most of the below movies, the romance isn’t the main point or message of the story – girl power is! Mix and match a couple of the movies below, or add in some of your favourites that I missed, then grab some popcorn, movie candies or chocolates, and wine:
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Miss Congeniality
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13 Going on 30
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Clueless
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Mean Girls
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Legally Blonde
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The Devil Wears Prada
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Erin Brockovich
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Bring it On
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Wonder Woman
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A League of Their Own
If you’d prefer to bypass the whole live action rom-com altogether, you can watch a classic feel-good family movie from your childhood to relive some nostalgia:
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Matilda
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The Parent Trap
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Beauty and the Beast
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Mulan
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Tangled
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Shrek
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Aladdin
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Monsters INC
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The Lion King
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The Incredibles
Final Thoughts….
As college students, it can often feel like we have all the time in the world and simultaneously no time at all. We live in a culture that prioritizes having a fast and busy lifestyle. We often go to school, work, volunteer with clubs, and try to have a social life all at the same time. Always on the go, many college students forget how to properly take care of themselves. Burnout is a real and serious problem for us. So, this Valentine’s Day, take a step back, and ask yourself what you need and take it. A night spent out when you really don’t want to go out is a wasted night; sometimes, a night spent in relaxing and taking care of your energy is worth a thousand nights out. Valentine’s Day can be a super fun holiday even if you’re single – if you choose to celebrate and love yourself instead.
So, no matter why you’re going to be alone on Valentine’s Day, whether you’re in a relationship and your significant other won’t be around, or you’re single and not ready to mingle, I hope you found this list helpful!