Every year on the 14th February, card companies, florists, and restaurants make a fortune. Why? Because a nice card, a nice bunch of flowers, and a nice dinner seem to be what most couples have in mind. It’s great to feel loved, but this traditional Valentine’s scenario is a little too plain, a little dull, and more than a little cheesy.
Get creative, and read on to find out how you can make Valentine’s Day more unique and memorable.
The Cards
Buying each other a romantic-looking card for Valentine’s Day is usually a given; it’s so obvious that we don’t even think about it; we just do it. The card is supposed to say “I love you”, but it ends up being thrown away within a year or two just like every other birthday card or Christmas card. More to the point, how can a ready-printed card with a ready-printed message actually convey your own personal feelings for your partner? The simple answer is that it can’t. Not really.
Instead, do something a little more creative and unique, or do something completely out-of-the-ordinary. If you and your partner are artistically inclined, draw a sketch or a caricature of each other. Alternatively, go and find one of those town artists who will draw a portrait of the two of you. You will have something to treasure forever, and it certainly won’t end up in the trash this time next year.
If you are wordier, write each other a love letter, or simply leave Post-It notes for each other around the house. Perhaps these could contain clues and directions to the whereabouts of the gifts you bought each other, or maybe they simply state all the reasons you love each other.
The Gifts
Unless you or your partner genuinely adores flowers, skip the trip to the florist. Flowers are pretty, but they are ridiculously expensive and die within days. Steer clear of the chocolate aisle too; you can eat chocolate on any day; don’t let a heart-shaped box tempt you.
The best gift for Valentine’s Day is an experience gift. The great thing about experience gifts is that they result in the two of you spending quality time together, doing something new and exciting. There are literally hundreds of these in existence and you can’t go wrong.
How about a couple’s trip to the spa or a couple’s cookery class? Wine and champagne tastings are popular, as are flying lessons and driving courses. For something more extreme, try bungee-jumping, skydiving, or trekking. Search the web, and you’re sure to find something that interests both of you.
The Date
Your experience gift is unlikely to be dated for the 14th February, so you’ll need to think of a fabulously different way to spend the day. Remember; don’t get sucked into the generic “dinner and movie” thing. All the mainstream places will be packed anyway and the two of you will hardly have space to breathe.
Instead of doing what everyone else is doing, make a list of things you have never done or always wanted to do in your local area. Then see how many of these things you can squeeze into one day. You adventure might lead you to taking hilarious pictures in a photo booth, painting plates, playing laser tag, touring a local factory, or going up in that hot-air balloon you never had the courage for.
Stuck for food? Try this: get your entrée, main course, and dessert at three different restaurants!
Alternatively, stay at home. You can spend the day pampering each other (an at-home spa day), baking romantic treats to share, or cooking exotic Valentine-themed meals.
The key to a creative and fun Valentine’s Day is to do something that you have never done before and that no-one else is doing. Don’t get stuck waiting 90 minutes for a table at the most popular restaurant; this will probably stress both of you out and kill the romantic spark of the evening.
Do something exciting, something unique, and something personal to both of you. And most of all, have a wonderful, happy, and loving Valentine’s Day.
