January has come and gone and the tell-tale signs of February have wormed their way into coffee shops and clothing stores across the city. If you’ve been out in the past week you’re bound to have noticed the pink and red hues of most the apparel and sweets decorating the shops. All signs that point to one thing- Valentine’s Day. A holiday some would say is the most romantic day of the year, depending on how you spend it of course.
For some of us, Valentine’s day isn’t all that exciting, aside from the inevitable discounted chocolate on the fifteenth. To those of us who find themselves single or alone on the big day, it can be pretty uneventful. Although it would be easy to ignore the holiday altogether and treat it like any other day, who says Valentines Day has to be exclusively for the lovers? I don’t know about you, but I’ll take any excuse to celebrate a holiday and dress up a little bit.
Whether you’re lacking in the love department or your significant other finds themselves incapable of celebrating the holiday with you, here’s your solution: Friends. There’s nothing better than spending the day with your favourite people, why does Valentine’s day have to be any different? Stuck on what exactly you would do with a friend on such a romantic day?
Why not try a friend date?
Dinner and a movie sounds like a typical rom-com date sure, but who says you can’t take your best friend out to do the same thing? Going to see the newest Marvel movie or a comedy followed by a late night stop at Denny’s sounds like a perfect date, and what’s even better- you don’t have to worry about an awkward kiss at the end of the night!
How about bowling?
If you have more than one friend who’s looking for something to do on Valentine’s Day, why not make a group singles night? Get a team together and head over to the bowling lanes. Not having anyone to impress with your skills makes it a lot easier to just let go and make an idiot of yourself when you and your friends put the gutter-guards up and start making granny tosses down the lane.
Grab your skates!
If you’re fortunate to live in a place with snow and below freezing temperatures for February, why not take advantage of that and go for a skate? There’s something about spending hours outside freezing your butt off on the ice followed by huddling to get hot chocolate and snacks that really brings out the best in people and spreads the love.
Trade Gifts!
Maybe the reason you’re so down about not having a date is because you don’t have anyone to buy you that box of chocolate or that giant Costco sized bear you’ve been eyeing. If that’s the case, talk to some of your closest friends and see if they want to do a gift exchange. Odds are, they’d be down to get some chocolates for themselves as well. And hey, if you post an Instagram with a giant stuffed bear from that “Special Someone”, no one will ever know.
Netflix and Chocolate.
Apologies for the ridiculous pun. Not about spending money? Why not just invite your friends over to binge-watch some over the top romantic movies while eating your weight in whatever candy you can find. This is your chance to complain about your failed love life, or gloat about not having to deal with the extra weight! And if anyone wants to bring the pizza and wine, no one’s complaining.
If you happen to find yourself dateless come the big day, don’t sweat it! There’s nothing wrong with spending Valentines Day with a couple of close friends. Just remember to have fun and don’t stress too much, it’s only one day.
Picture Credits
Cover Picture, 1, 2, 4