They say Valentine’s Day is for lovers, while the lonely get every other day of the year. But lonely people have to get through the holiday too! And not having a beau doesn’t mean you have to be lonely. So valentine or no, here are some ideas on how to make the most of it.
- galentine’s day brunch
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Inspired by Leslie Knope’s Galentine’s Day tradition in the classic sitcom Parks and Recreation, this Valentine’s Day activity promises to be a fun activity to share with your friends. Leslie pulls all the stops for all the special women in her life, and you can too with brunch at a nice restaurant. If you’d like, you could also participate in the same activities the queen of gift-giving herself incorporates into her Galentine’s Day celebration: consider preparing a personalized gift bag for your friends consisting of their favorite flower, glitter pens, a mosaic portrait, and an essay detailing what makes them so awesome. Or find your own Galentine’s Day traditions! The possibilities are endless when it comes to cherishing your loved ones.
- finding history’s greatest lovers
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Inspiration for this activity comes from Vincent van Gogh, who would carry a little notebook where he would copy his favorite poems so he could show them to his brother. And what could possibly be more romantic than poring over the letters and poems of history’s greatest lovers? Perhaps sharing the most heart-wrenching lines with your best friend? Making a personal anthology of art that perfectly captures the kind of love you feel in your heart for the people you treasure most? Making playlists is its own type of love language, you know? Art has depicted love for as long as we have known how to love. So go find the most beautiful painting for your girlfriend or the perfect lyric to express your profound affection for your little brother.
- anti-valentine’s day
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Do you hate seeing happy couples on Valentine’s Day? Forget being lovesick—some of us are sick of love! If you can relate to this, I think you might enjoy flipping this mushy, sentimental holiday on its head. Instead of sugar-sweet love ballads, play heavy, gritty power anthems. Replace sappy, handwritten love letters with declarations of rivalry. Play Uno or Jenga and absolutely destroy your opponents with no remorse. Get some drinks involved, and you’ll be set.
- karaoke
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Put a spin on this Friday night favorite by throwing a Valentine’s Day-themed Karaoke night! Whether you book a room at a karaoke bar or stay in, find the corniest love songs and try to outdo each other with the most outrageous performances you can put on. You could even use this as an opportunity to serenade your favorite person or throw subtle glances in that very special person’s direction when you sing the chorus.
- unironic ironic love letters
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This is by far my favorite Valentine’s Day tradition. All my friends live rather far away from me, so every year I send each of them a personalized love letter. The language in these letters is intentionally over-dramatic and brimming with flowery purple prose. It’s all in good fun, and behind several layers of irony lies the honest, real love I feel for my friends. Break out your finest stationery, prepare your nicest pen, and write the sweetest things that come to your mind in your prettiest cursive. Seal the deal with lipstick kisses, spritzes of your perfume, and pressed flower petals.