Valentine’s Day is a season of love and giving, whether with a partner or friends. The days leading up to Valentine’s Day are equally exciting. There is nothing that brings me more excitement and tranquility than walking down the stores’ aisles and seeing them filled with heart-shaped decorations, candies, and much more. While Valentine’s Day is accompanied by this negative reputation of loneliness and grief, changing your definition of Valentine’s Day can alter how you see the day and your attitude towards it. If you see the day as a normalized chance to show your loved ones how grateful you are for them, you will no longer feel daunted by these capitalist decorations or holidays. That said, life keeps the majority of us extremely busy, whether that be with work, school, or other obligations. Three romantic things I turn to in my long-distance relationship are…
- Making Valentine’s Gift Baskets:
Making your partner a Valentine’s basket is an excellent way to reflect on your relationship and put your partner’s needs/feelings first. Catering the basket to their taste reminds them of how much you love them, as you dedicate your time and effort into not only making the basket but going as far as to send it to them, knowing them that the distance cannot stop your love.
- Virtual movie nights:
While virtual movie nights may not seem very romantic, the environment you create sets up your experience. I like to treat virtual movie nights as real dates, meaning dressing up and giving my partner my full, undivided attention. The great thing about movie dates is that you have hundreds upon thousands of movies to pick from ranging from horror, comedy, romance, and much more — there is never a dull moment or much worse, awkward silence.
- Doordashing each other a surprise meal:
Planning a facetime date where you DoorDash each other a surprise dinner can be beyond romantic depending on the food you order and whether or not you follow it with a movie night or make plans for the future. Seeing your partner be excited for/love the food you chose for them is a great feeling, but seeing how well they know you is heartwarming. My favorite ways to spend time together while long-distance is facetime and watching movies on Rave (an app that lets you text/call while watching a movie together). That said, it does not matter what you do, but the attitude you have while doing it.
Valentine’s Day is not just about receiving physical gifts and documenting your Valentine’s together all over social media. It is about spending time with your loved ones and showing them you see them and care about them. Distance does not have to stand in your way when you have this many forms of communication. I find that these apps and occasionally sending each other small gifts like letters are a great way to keep the spark alive.