It’s that time of year again, let’s figure out how to spend Valentine’s Day!
If January seems like the month of doom and gloom, February brings with it many anticipated reliefs. In Europe school kids have their winter holidays, we all enjoy the Pancake Day, and a lot of pink power can be expected on the most romantic day of the year: Valentine’s Day. Around about now many of you are thinking how to spend Valentine’s Day once more.
Well, I’m here to help you out with that. And since it’s me, I’m going one step further than the norm, as always. So, instead of focusing on Valentine’s Day being all about couples, I’d like to introduce the Finnish equivalent for it. The literal translation is Friends’ Day, and that’s what it’s all about too: friends of all forms, shapes and sizes ♥
For me Valentine’s was never about love and couples. Instead it’s about celebrating friendships, no matter if by that we mean our parents, friends or pets. Anyone and everyone is included in Friends’ Day.
But for clarity’s sake, let’s call it by its international name for now. But please note that being single doesn’t mean you couldn’t participate. Just check out this list, and you’ll quickly notice, we can all spend Valentine’s Day despite our relationship status or its lack thereof.
14 Fun But Simple Ways to Spend Valentine’s Day
I dunno where the idea started that Valentine’s Day should be spent in a restaurant with your significant other, having dinner in candle light, etc. Does this actually still happen? I remember crying in the restaurant one Valentine’s Day instead of lovingly staring at my bf. #realitycheck #datinganarcissist
Well, I like to do things a tad differently, and have gathered here a list of 14 alternative ways you could spend Valentine’s Day this time. These are all applicable for your significant other as well as a group of friends.
1. Create your own Valentine’s Day cards
The best way to start a Valentine’s Day is to send any and all of your loved ones a wee reminder of the fact that you love them. Greenvelope’s Valentine’s Day Collection has different designs for every taste, on top of which you can design your own Valentine’s Day greeting cards.
A card is such a small thing, but in the busy world that we live in — with many of us living far away from friends and family — a simple card can make all the difference for someone ♥
2. Organize a surprise road trip
Who doesn’t love a road trip? Even better if it’s a surprise! Imagine spending a wonderful day together driving to explore the surrounding areas, maybe a castle in the nearby countryside.
Discover Cars is just the option for you if you want to make this Valentine’s Day stand out from the crowd. And to ensure that it really is a splendid day, check out my IGTV for 5 Easy Tips for the Perfect Road Trip. This is how I would choose to spend Valentine’s Day.
3. Spend Valentine’s Day in and have a slumber party
What we choose to do on Valentine’s Day can depend on what day it falls on. In case it just happend to be a weekend, it is your ultimate excuse to spend a lazy one in, dress in your comfiest pajamas, over-order on the pizza and have the sappiest movie marathon ever.
I know for certain that both, men and women would like to spend Valentine’s Day for once without having to worry about what to wear. Here’s your cue, just do it!
Read also: Slow Life & How to Achieve It – 6 Tips to Success
4. Send them chocolate with a personalized message
I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but the best chocolate in the world does NOT come from Belgium or Switzerland. Oh no! The best chocolate comes from the land of the Santa Claus, FINLAND!
Fazer Chocolates have a loong history (over 200 years) in quality chocolate-making. And now you can send a chocolate tablet to your loved one(s) with a personalized message on the wrapper!
Click your way to the Fazer Store, and get designing! I sent one of these last year and I have never seen a man unwrap a chocolate bar so carefully ♥
5. Book a handicrafts workshop
One of the most memorable ways to spend Valentine’s Day is to make it an active one. The activities don’t need to be complex or expensive, something simple like a floral workshop or a handicrafts workshop will do.
Many of my friends have loved the courses where you make your own bouquets at the florist, but I opted for something different: I went and made my own bag with PIHKA collection! I’m not a DIY person, so the thrill of seeing the final product, which is also practical, was the best feeling ever.
Just imagine: spending the day in your favourite company and getting something self-made and functional out of it as well.
6. Spend Valentine’s Day in a Drink & Draw event
Have you ever heard of these? If not, now is your time to educate yourself! Drink & Draw events are exactly what it says on the bottle: you go to an event with your own drinks, where you are provided with drawing pad and pencils.
Plus a model! This model can often be anything from men to women, from clothed to naked, and you are given different time frames to draw them in different positions. I know this may sound a bit icky for some but this is actually one of the most therapeutic events I’ve ever participated in.
You become so focused on the drawing process that the model themselves becomes a completely insignificant factor. And oh my, how much fun it is to compare everybody’s creations afterwards.
7. Take a tourist tour in your own city
It’s a shame how we rarely tend to pay much attention to the city we live in. When I lived in London, I wouldn’t have visited any big tourist attractions if my parents and friends hadn’t visited me.
Even in smaller towns there’s always something worth seeing. For example, castle ruins, decorative churches with high profile graves, buildings with ghost stories attached, museums, gardens, beaches, you name it.
Last Summer I took the Hop-On tourist bus here in Tallinn, and even after 4 years of living here there was still so much interesting stuff I learned on that drive.
8. Go to a wine tasting
This can sometimes be on the more expensive side of a way to spend Valentine’s Day, but nonetheless super fun! No matter if you know anything about wine or not, these events are always so cozy and who knows, you might make new acquaintances there too.
9. Cook a theme dinner
Cooking can be soo romantic, or just hilariously fun. Depends whether you’re the cooking kind or leaning more towards order-ins.
Read also: Confessions of a Hopeless Kitchen Disaster
For me, cooking is a chore, a meal prep that needs to be taken care of every Sunday. But to gather together with a significant other or a friend or two to cook something relating to the day’s theme is an activity I will participate in gladly.
The theme for Valentine’s Day could be cooking with a lot of red vegetables, like peppers and beetroot, or trying to make everything you cook heart-shaped. Go wild, and have fun with this one!
10. Go watch a stand-up show
I mean, if you and your significant other / friends are friends of laughter, could there be any better way to spend Valentine’s Day than going to see a stand-up show?!
For example, where I live, they organize these ‘True Dating Stories‘ events where, in addition to comedians, also the audience can get up on the stage and tell their best (or worst) stories. The atmosphere in those events is always super intimate and warm, and we can all relate. Regardless of our current relationship status.
11. Spend Valentine’s Day in an escape room
Have you ever been? Then, here is your cue! If you’ve been feeling stressed or just down lately, an escape room will dust all the cobwebs off your mind.
This is an hour of intense cooperation, laughter, panic, light bulb moments, and thrill. Forget about boring dinner dates, spend Valentine’s Day differently this time. I promise, you won’t regret this one.
12. Do some charity work
There’s a lot of lonely people on this over-populated planet of ours. It shouldn’t be too difficult to find a charity through which you and your partner(s in crime) can bring a bit of joy to, for example, the lonely elderly in your area.
And if people aren’t really your thing, find your way to an animal shelter; walk the dogs, brush a horse, feed the cats and help clean the terrariums. If you’re single this Valentine’s Day, animals are the ones with whom you can count on unconditional love ;)
13. Spend Valentine’s Day at the shooting range
Yep, it sounds extreme, but hear me out! Going to a shooting range with a professional showing you the ropes may seem like one of the most outlandish ideas to spend Valentine’s Day.
But honestly, it’s so much fun! Even I — who can’t hit a target from 2 meters away — loved going to the shooting range! And hey, not everyone likes sappy, romantic shite, so this one’s for you guys ;)
In all seriousness, though, I am NOT pro-guns. Quite the opposite: there’s absolutely no sense for a private individual to have a gun. I come from a country where hunting is a popular hobby, and thus guns are just tools, not objects of any sort of admiration.
14. Book a last minute trip
I know there are those who cannot stand all the fuss over this one pink day, so for you I’ve got an idea that I myself have considered many a time! Booking extemporé flights to any destination.
Particularly in Europe this is such an easy thing to do, no Visas to worry about, just toss some clothes in a bag, drive to the airport and hop on the plane. This year it’s even better because Valentine’s Day is on a Friday: long weekend, here we come! And when you save on the flights you can splurge at the destination ;)
Conclusion
I myself haven’t quite settled on any plans yet, I like a surprise element. It all depends pretty much on who I end up spending the day with: colleagues, a surprise Tinder date, a friend or two. We shall have to wait and see. One thing’s for sure: we’ll sure find something to do from the list above!
I’d absolutely love to hear how you plan to spend Valentine’s Day / Friends’ Day this year. Or are you still at the planning stage like me? Comment below! ♥
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