Valentine’s Day–the day of love. Nothing is worse than spending it without your significant other. My heart goes out to all of the people in long-distance relationships, as I am one of them. I am lucky to still be with my high school sweetheart, but unfortunately, we attend different colleges and are now 4 hours apart. Long-distance relationships are difficult, but you can still successfully celebrate Valentine’s Day with your partner, even when you’re far apart. Here are some virtual date ideas for those spending Valentine’s Day apart.
Dinner Date
This is one of my favorites! Host your own virtual dinner dates, and coordinate a meal or two for you and your partner to cook. Feeling a bit lazy? Decide on a restaurant and order your favorite meals from it. If you choose to cook, find a recipe that you both enjoy and FaceTime each other. You can cook the meal at the same time, that way, it feels as if you’re together. Light a candle, eat your meals together over FaceTime, and share some laughs together.
Watch a Movie Together
I personally love watching movies with my significant other, but it’s just not the same when you’re apart. Luckily, these days, we have great technology at our fingertips. Teleparty is a website that allows you to have a watch party online. You can watch a movie at the same time as your partner, and it also has a live chat feature on the screen while it plays so you can chat about the movie together.
Write What You Love About Each Other
This one is for all of my fellow “words of affirmation” girls! For this date, you and your partner will write down a list of what you love about each other. Over FaceTime, take turns saying what you love about one another and elaborate on it. Another alternative to this would be taking 30 minutes to write a love letter to one another before reading them aloud. This is a perfect and low-effort date idea that could potentially rekindle some piece of your relationship
Paint Together
Grab your painting supplies and get creative. For this date, FaceTime your partner, pour a glass of wine and paint. If you need a prompted idea, you can paint something that reminds you of each other. After a designated time of painting, share with each other what you created. Next time you see one another, gift your paintings and hang it up as a little reminder of them.
Plan a Valentine’s Day Celebration Off-Season
It may feel like your celebration of Valentine’s day is inevitably going to have to be spent apart, and if you want to wait until you see each other next for a real celebration, there’s no shame in that! However, you can still use this Valentine’s Day to plan out your in-person Valentine’s date together. Pick a restaurant you want to go to, choose an activity you can do together, etc. It’s hard to be apart from your person, and in some cases, it is better to wait until you’re together to truly celebrate.
Long-distance sucks. Spending Valentine’s Day without your partner is never fun, but it’s the little things that can make it so much easier. While you may be apart physically, there’s nothing to stop you from being together emotionally.