Valentine’s Day is a holiday that emphasizes romance, love, and sweet gestures. Now, that is an idea I, a self proclaimed hopeless romantic, can get behind- which is why I believe the holiday is one that deserves its own season.
Now, I know many of us have deemed this holiday to be the worst, thanks to the old belief that you must be in a romantic relationship to properly celebrate it. Fortunately, though, that idea is changing quickly.
Did you know that January was deemed self-love month? And our best girlfriends got their own holiday, too now, known as Galentine’s Day (thank you, Amy Poehler).
What I’m trying to say is, we have so many different forms of love to celebrate and, to be frank, one day is simply not enough. This Valentine’s Day season, let us celebrate every different form of love we get to experience every single day- whether that includes:
- Self-love
- Friendship
- Familial love
- The loyal love of our pets
- Our relationship with our lovers
Don’t know where to begin? I’ve got your back. Here are 56 romantic ways to celebrate love this Valentine’s Day season.
Shower Yourself with Some Love This Valentine’s Day
Who is the person that will be here for you without fail? You are! No matter where you are in life, what you’ve done, or who you have become, you are the only person who will never leave your side.
That is a love story I think deserves being celebrated. Celebrate the love you have for yourself this holiday season with these 8 self-love activities.
Gift Yourself With a Relaxing Spa Day This Valentine’s Day
This can be at home or, if you are looking to splurge, in an actual spa. If you decide to do an at-home spa day, though, here are some ideas to give a try:
- set the mood with low lighting and soft jazz music
- run a warm and cozy bubble bath
- use all of your best beauty products
- treat yourself to a facial and hair mask
- make a refreshing drink, like cucumber water or a warming tea
- give yourself a mani/pedi
- do everything slowly, intentionally, and mindfully
- end the night in your cutest, most comfy set of PJ’s
Write Yourself Some Valentine’s Day Love Notes to Read on a Hard Day
It’s amazing what some kind words can do for a person on a hard day. Share some of the kindness with yourself by writing love letters, affirmations, and encouraging notes to yourself to read when you are feeling down.
Treat Yourself to Your Favorite Meal
Food is a love language in and of itself. What better way to show yourself some love than by cooking, baking, or ordering in your all time favorite food?
Take Yourself on a Date
You don’t have to be in a relationship to go on a date. Sometimes, the best dates we get to enjoy are with ourselves. You don’t have to compromise, feel rushed, or change your plans according to somebody else. Just plan a day full of activities that YOU love.
Create a Personalized Daily Self-Care Ritual
Self-care should happen daily, but can quickly find itself on the back burner when life gets busy. Pick a few rituals that leave you feeling revitalized and incorporate them into your daily routine, because you deserve to love yourself EVERYDAY.
This can include acitivities like:
- setting the mood with a candle, fairy lights, soft music, and anything else that creates a dreamy ambience for you
- reading a good book
- practicing mindfulness or gratitude meditations
- journaling
Making Time for Hobbies
Despite what our hustle-culture, self-sacrificing society will have you believe, you do not have to be sacrificing, serving others, or being productive all day, every day.
Prioritize making time for new or old hobbies. You don’t have to be good at it, you don’t have to make money from it, and you don’t have to gain much from it, aside from enjoyment and fun.
Cultivating a Peaceful Space
Take some time this month to really create a space that you love. According to VeryWell Mind, your space impacts your mental health, so make it a place that leaves you feeling refreshed, revitalized, relaxed, and inspired!
Taking a Break from Social Media and Technology
Despite the entertainment and conveniences technology and social media have to offer us, taking a break every once in a while can be key to truly relaxing. Pick a day, weekend, week, or however long you want to unplug and really bask in the present moment.
Show Your Kids Some Love This Valentine’s Day
Your kids are easy to love. Their giggles, stories, imagination, and cuddles can really have a great way of brightening your day. Show your kids some love this Valentine’s Day Season with these easy and fun activities.
Make a Valentine’s Day Love Note Mailbox for Them
I’m sure you remember those days in school when everyone was tasked with crafting the perfect Valentine’s Day mailbox to receive fun Valentine’s from their friends and classmates.
Use those leftover craft skills to create a mailbox to hang outside your child’s door and leave little notes or treats for them to wake up to every morning until Valentine’s Day!
Make Some Time for Quality Time
Sometimes, quality time is the best way to make your little ones feel special and loved. Build a fort with them, play with those dolls, race them in the backyard, and embrace pretend play.
Make Mealtime Feel Magical with Valentine’s Day Themes
Invite a little bit of Cupid’s magic to join you and your family at the dinner table with some fun Valentine’s Day Themed snacks, meals, and treats.
Organize a Special Valentine’s Day Scavenger Hunt
This doesn’t have to be complicated. Just cut out some construction paper hearts to hide around the backyard. When the kids find all of them, they earn a fun treat!
Have a Love Song Dance Party
Make a playlist of your favorite love songs and dance the night away with your kids. Not only will it help them get their wiggles out, but it will create some special memories to look back on forever.
Celebrate the Love of Your Friends and Family
Your friends and family can be some of your greatest loves in life. They support you as you chase your dreams, love you when you’re feeling down, and offer listening ears and comforting hugs whenever you need it. Celebrate them this Valentine’s Day season with these fun ideas.
Host a Galentine’s Celebration
Galentine’s Day has finally been officially deemed to be celebrated on February 13, although you can celebrate it whenever. There is no denying that the gals in your life deserve to be celebrated, so have some fun with it!
Make Friendship Bracelets
“So make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it. You’ve got no reason to be afraid.” – Taylor Swift
It’s just like Taylor Swift said, “So make the friendship bracelets”. Mark your love for each other with charms and beads to wear always and forever.
Give Them Personalized Cards
Each friendship is special in its own way, let your friends know just how special they are to you with silly Valentine’s Day cards with a love note inside.
Gift Them Valentine’s Day Gifts with Meaning
You know your friends, sometimes better than anyone else. If you come across a gift that you know your friend will love, share it with them.
Celebrate the Love of Your Life
The person you choose to spend your life with deserves to feel special this Valentine’s Day season. Celebrate your lover with these little acts of kindness this Valentine’s Day season.
Write a Sweet Love Letter This Valentine’s Day
Sit down and write something from the heart to your lover. Jotting your love and feelings down on a piece of paper is a sweet gesture that doesn’t have to cost a thing but will remind your partner just how loved they are.
Leave Little Love Notes for Them to Find
Similarly to writing a long, heartfelt love letter, leaving little love notes around the house for your lover to find is a great way to remind them of just how special they are to you. Hide little affirmations in their lunchbox, on the mirror, in their jacket pocket, or anywhere else you can think of!
Plan a Valentine’s Day Date You Know They’ll Love
Plan a date night that caters to your lover’s interests. Most of us love when other’s make plans for us. I know I do! A few date night ideas for your lover include:
- A game night for the competitor
- Wine and reading for the bookworm
- a picnic in the park for the hopeless romantic
- a hike through your local state or national park for the adventurer
- stargazing for the astronomer
- a cooking class for the foodie
- a pottery class for the artist
Relax Together With a Couple’s Spa Day
Life is stressful. Unwind together with an at-home couple’s spa day. Run the bubble bath, set the mood, enjoy a cleansing facial, and give each other massages.
Plan a Night to Build a Memory Book Together
Your relationship is filled with beautiful memories. Take a night to reminisce on your favorite moments together. It will prove to be a night of connection, love, and laughter.
Revisit Your Wedding Vows
Your wedding vows were words spilled from the heart. That isn’t something you want to hear only once in a lifetime. Revisit them this love season, reminding your partner of just how special they are to you.
Bring Home a Tiny But Meaningful Surprise
If you’re out and about this Valentine’s Day season, keep an eye out for small but meaningful surprises to bring home to your lover. Are they a Pokémon fanatic? Bring home a package of cards for them to excitedly open. Chocolate lover? Bring home their favorite chocolate bar to devour! Are they sentimental? Order a photo to frame of your favorite memory together!
Love Comes in All Different Shapes and Sizes
Valentine’s Day got a bad rap at some point in our timeline. But I can’t help but think it has something to do with the fact that we are celebrating the holiday all wrong.
Love comes in all different shapes and sizes, whether that be self-love, familial love, friendship, or romantic love.
This Valentine’s Day season, celebrate love in all of its different forms. Romanticize every relationship you get to experience, celebrate your support system, and bask in the love and affection you receive from everyone around you.
I wish you all a happy love season. May it be beautiful and romantic.
