If you’re anything like me, then you’re probably not looking forward to Valentine’s Day and its trademark overwhelming abuse of the colors red and pink. I’m not excited about the expectations or the over-the-top celebrations even though I love my partner very much. If you feel the same, here are some less annoying ways to create a memorable experience with your partner on this commercial holiday of love.
- Sip and paint. If you’re not interested in going out to hang around other couples or single people and paint, you can go shopping for art supplies or have them delivered to you. Crack open your favorite bottle of wine, set up a studio at home, select a piece of art to recreate, and channel your inner Van Gogh.
- Take a private dance lesson. Look for a studio offering dance classes and book a private session for February 14. You and your partner can learn a new dance and reveal the true extent of your uncoordination to each other. You get to connect intimately and spend time together away from the public eye. If that isn’t romance, I don’t know what is.
- Cook an elaborate meal together. Instead of going out to a fancy restaurant and ordering the most expensive thing on the menu, why not bring the restaurant home to you? Pretend like you’re trained chefs, and cook up a special recipe that takes hours and technique to make. You can make each other’s favorite meals and just have a really great time working together.
- Have a picnic. Go to your back yard, rooftop, local park, the beach, or anywhere you can just lay down a blanket and have a chill day or evening without a lot of people hanging around. Pack your favorite snacks and tell each other stories as you watch the sunset. You can even play games to make the experience more lively and animated. Forget about the craziness happening all around you and just focus on each other.
- Go on a shopping spree. I don’t know about you, but shopping brings me great joy. Consider going on a shopping spree around town with your lover in tow. You can try on ridiculous things you’ll never actually buy. Make some silly purchases for the heck of it. Pick out gifts for each other and give them to yourselves on the spot.
- Find a DIY project to tackle. Have you been thinking about building a shelf or redecorating a part of your house? Valentine’s Day is the perfect opportunity to get around to it. So fold your sleeves, get your tools out, do your best Bob the Builder impression. At worst, you’ll make a huge mess, laugh, and bond with your partner. At best, you’ll end up making something nice.
- Stream a fitness class and workout together. While other lovers are out there having dinners and drowning each other in chocolate and roses, you can both stay home and get your sweat on. Look for an online fitness program that you can stream, do the routines and see who’s the fitter partner. The loser gets to do the dishes.
- Light candles and watch bad movies. Order in your favorite takeouts, light some yummy-smelling candles, sign in to your Netflix account and have a bad movie marathon. You’re not allowed to watch romantic comedies or any emotional drama, only scary or horrible films that you can criticize and laugh at. If you’re more of a TV person, binging sitcoms is allowed.
- Get dressed and have a photoshoot. Style each other to look extra fancy or ridiculous, whichever floats your both. Create different setups, take photographs of each other, then use the self-timer function to take pictures together. Act like you’re a real creative director or photographer and give each other directions. Tell your partner how to pose. Use Instagram or Pinterest to find ideas. You can frame your favorite pictures from the shoot or share them all over social media.
- Try your hands at mixology. This is hands down one of my favorite activities to do and you’ll probably enjoy it too. All you need is to buy a cocktail set if you don’t already own one, then pick up various kinds of mixers and alcohol and pretend you’re a bartender. You can Google and follow cocktail recipes or come up with creations of your own. Just throw things together and see what works. This is how signature cocktails are born.
