Valentine's Day is rolling around again, and, for some, hopes are high. For others, the active word might be "terror."
If you’ve fallen out of love with Valentine’s Day and its all-too-typical routine, try an alternative this year and see how your sweetie responds. Take control and celebrate February 14th the way you want with one of these ideas that just might be worthy of the day.
Have you considered staying home in your sanctuary on Valentine's Day? Why not cook your own meal, or plan a stay-at-home picnic with amazing ingredients you can assemble in advance? Indulge in a cute DIY project or let music be your invited guest for the evening. Your apartment is the place where you can control all the variables and set the stage for a truly memorable night.
Carriage rides are a Valentine’s Day cliche, but you might make your romantic evening more interesting with a custom tour of your hometown. If your city has a local attraction with regular tours, inquire whether they offer private ones. (They might even customize a Valentine's version to include stories about historic couples and romantic tales.) A tour for two means quality couple time together where you’ll learn more about each other and the town you share.
If you worry that your loved one will forget to make a reservation for Valentine’s Day and you’ll have to order Chinese take-out (again!) then take control and book your own reservation with OpenTable. This nifty online reservation system is available in most metro cities and allows you to read restaurant reviews, book a table and even earn points towards free dining. Plus, they’ll email you a reminder that you can forward to your Valentine to let them know you’ve got dinner under control.
Does your someone special continually come up a little short on Valentine’s Day gifts? Maybe it’s time to take control of the shopping and send your Valentine a few hints about what you want.
Skip the "surprise me" aspect, and build a wish list on Amazon.com or another online shopping site. A Pinterest board also makes a great place where you can pin images from all over the Internet. Wishpot is another site to declare your heart’s desire.
Looking for a Valentine’s day where you get exactly what you want? Just “accidentally” forward the link to your honey a few days before V-day. Wishes CAN come true!
Here’s a more active option for picking out unique Valentine’s Day gifts. Surprise your Valentine with a spur-of-the-moment shopping spree.
Head to a store supporting broad interests — a place with lots of options — or pick a local store you both love. Set a spending range and a time limit in which to spend it, then move out to find the items you want: you're each buying for yourself! Meet back at the front of the store and present what you have picked out for your partner to purchase for you. Then thank your darling for "finding" the perfect present!
When you're single, a day like Valentine's can salt the wound. That is, of course, unless you turn the anxiety around to your advantage. Why not think of Valentine's Day as just another day, one where you can do whatever you please! Whether you paint the town with other single friends or stay at home and wait it out patiently, you can choose your mood!