Valentine's Day Celebrations for Everyone
We love all things Valentine’s Day, and while Eloise is always trying to make it fun and festive for the whole family, Dinah tries to spoil herself, her girlfriends and whoever she is dating at the time. This year, dinner out isn’t really an option and neither is exchanging Valentine’s at school, so we have pulled together ideas for at-home celebrations, ways to show your love from a distance, and activities to get everyone in the spirit.
Family Celebrations
Dress It Up!
We love festive holiday dressing and especially accessorizing! I got these fun and super inexpensive earrings on Amazon, but I’m also coveting this more expensive version from The Tiny Tassel and this gorgeous Lele Sadoughi headband. For a cozy night at home with the kids, what’s cuter than heart pj’s (they even have matching for mom). For older kids and teens, some cute pink tie-dye and furry slippers are perfect for a stay at home holiday. You could even do your own tie-dye with the family and add some heart stamps at the end.
Valentine’s Day Decorations and Crafts
My kids love to decorate their rooms for the holidays, so I love to find crafts that double as room decor and these sweet heart shaped wreaths from Lolly Jane would be very cute on their doors. I also found very cute crafts to make heart garlands and to decorate votive candles for your Valentine’s table here. Since we won’t be having classroom gift exchanges this year, I thought it would be fun to have the girls make Valentine’s to mail to family and friends. I think the paper airplanes would be perfect for friends and the confetti hearts for family, plus who wouldn’t want to play with shaving cream for the marble hearts craft! That would be especially good for little ones who love to do more tactile projects and then mom and dad could help cut the hearts out after.
Festive Food -Dinner as a Fun Activity
Sometimes, being stuck at home for a holiday and trying to find a food that everyone likes can seem impossible, and nothing ruins a festive mood faster than someone crying because they don’t like the dinner that you worked on for three hours (this has happened at out house more than once). I’ve learned that having a dinner activity where everyone can personalize what they eat entertains all ages of guests and makes it certain that everyone will be able to find something they like.
We’ve had great success with Greek Mezze Platters (inspired by my friend Shelby), where we grilled chicken, make or buy naan, hummus and tzatziki sauce, and then buy yummy cheese, nuts, veggies, and marinated artichoke hearts. We do something similar with summer rolls-I’ll grill or bake chicken, then have rice noodles, shredded veggies and peanut sauce for dipping. The kids love to pick their own veggies and then try to roll everything up tightly and dip it. Fondue is also a classic Valentine’s Day dinner which you can do with cheese and/or chocolate and you can buy kits or make your own. Half Baked Harvest has a yummy looking cheese fondue recipe, but I’m also never ashamed to buy the pre-made one at the grocery store. And what kid doesn’t like to dip stuff in chocolate!
Couples and Singles Celebrations
Curl Up with a TV show or Movie
One of the best things about streaming services is their commitment to creating romantic content - the kind of lower-budget less flashy movies and shows that feature stars you really really like, but aren’t bringing the biggest crowds to the theater. My mood this time of year can range from more hopeful to more cynical, so I’ve pulled together some of my favorites series and films that focus on relationships along the entire spectrum.
Sweet and Funny Love Stories: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (Netflix); Love Life (HBOMax), Set It Up (Netflix), Always Be My Maybe (Netflix), Someone Great (Netflix); Love, Guaranteed (Netflix)
Cynical or Murdery Love Stories: LOVE (Netflix), High Fidelity (Hulu), You (Netflix), Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce (Netflix), The Duchess (Netflix),; Dollface (Hulu)
Sexy Love Stories: Normal People (Hulu); After & After We Collided (Netflix)
Share the Love with Friends
A few years ago I started sending out Valentine’s Day cards to a small group of girlfriends. I would rotate who I sent them to (sometimes doing just one group of friends, or a few that I felt especially needed some extra love that year) and I like to think it spread a lot of joy! My girlfriends are some of the most important relationships in my life, and this was a nice, small way to show my appreciation. I don’t think I have time to do it this year, but you never know - plus I’m obessed with these “secret message” cards from Paper Source that I found. I also have a friend in Boston who usually hosts a super fabulous Galentine’s Day dinner - we aren’t doing it this year, but for those, I would always slip in a lip or eye mask with my cards, which is easy to do in the mail!
Make Take Out Special
While I have embraced dinner to-go as a way to make an occasion a special one this year, Valentine’s Day is a good excuse to splurge on something extra fabulous. For my fellow Bostonians, I have been checking out the menus at Mooo…. and Uni, since steak and sushi are two things I don’t make myself. One of my other favorites for a special delivery is Goldbelly - you can order special treats from restaurants all over the country and recreate a special trip or visit a favorite local spot from your past. Whether you are on your own, or with a special someone it’s a very fun way to treat yourself!