Valentine’s Day is fast approaching. While some people will celebrate February 14 with their significant other, others will spend it with their gals, and some may even choose to spend it alone.
For those who are having a night in by yourself, bundle up and pass the time doing what your favorite thing is anyway: binge-watching your newest Netflix obsession. For the gals kicking it with their squad, mix up some fruity red and pink drinks (if you’re of age, of course). And for those who will be celebrating it with their SO, switch it up this year. Don’t just go to dinner at the nicest place that’s going to be full of all the same kind of people.
Tailor your celebration to you, to your relationship and to the things that make your relationship yours.
Not sure how to spend the 14th? Here’s a list of unconventional things to do this V-Day.
1. Do something you’ve been talking about doing
Every couple has those ideas that we say we’re going to do and never actually do. Well, now’s your chance! Take this Valentine’s Day as the perfect opportunity to stop talking about doing it, and actually do whatever “it” is for you and your boo. Maybe you can decorate that room you’ve been talking about sprucing up for the last three months. Work on that puzzle that you bought together last month but just “haven’t had the time to get around to.” Or keep it simple and just BE together, with no outside distractions, just the two of you.
2. Recreate your favorite (or first) date
Think back to the time you and your SO had the best date. Was it your first one? Was it your most recent one? Was it that time you sat on the grass with a weaved basket at your feet filled with your favorite snacks? Instead of looking back on that date and thinking, “wow, that date was so great,” actually recreate it. Get the same tan, weaved basket, pack it up with the same chocolate-covered strawberries, wine, cheese and fruit salad you got from Whole Foods, and just go. If you and bae are way more low-key than that and spent date numero uno at the local street fair walking, talking and eating, take your relationship full circle, and go back.
3. Cook with your SO at home
Avoid long wait times at restaurants and make V-Day dinner at home with your boo. If you want to be more traditional, surprise them with dinner already made. Or, if you want to switch up the roles, make him cook you his special chicken marsala with a side of the strongest red wine in his pantry. Another option is if one person makes dinner and the other makes dessert. There’s a ton of romantic things to do in your own kitchen.
4. Weekend getaway
Unfortunately, Valentine’s Day 2018 falls smack in the middle of the week. Will you celebrate the weekend before? The weekend after? The day of? Or maybe not at all? For those of you that want to do something extra special – maybe it’s your first V-Day together – go all out. Take off the Monday before or the Friday after, and go to that beach you’ve both been dying to go to since you read in Travel + Leisure that there’s a super-secret beach an hour away from you. Take a trip to the historical city that you read about in the newspaper last month that peaked your love’s interest. Weekend trips don’t have to be pricey, especially if they’re within driving distance.
5. Visit three places around town for the first time
Even if you don’t think Gainesville has a ton to explore, there will always be things you haven’t done and still want to do. Use Valentine’s Day as an excuse to do those things. Go to that museum you read about the other day, like the Matheson Museum, or check out the downtown farmer’s market, which happens every Wednesday from 4 to 7 pm.
6. Spa day
Some people need a day at the spa at least once a month. A dip in the Jacuzzi, a 60-minute massage, 30 minutes in the sauna, a facial. Most spas offer couples’ treatments, so if that’s something you and your SO would be interested in, try it! Who knows? Maybe it’ll become a routine activity for the two of you to do together.
7. Skating
Some people are fortunate (or unfortunate) enough to live in a city where they experience all four seasons. For those who live in a city that offers outdoor ice skating in winter, take advantage of that and go with your boo. If you don’t live in a city where that’s possible, try going to an indoor ice skating rink or try roller skating. Skating is a great date idea because it calls for a lot of hand-holding and holding onto each other.
So, this Valentine’s Day, don’t just go to dinner at the fanciest restaurant in town — explore a new place in town or do something you’ve been wanting to try for a long time.