Valentine’s Day in the United States can get repetitive. It is typical to buy your Valentine a box of chocolates or flowers. If you’re like me and would like to shake things up, then this is the article for you.
The first interesting thing you could do with your partner would be to make spoons with each other. It’s typically a Welsh tradition where you create a wooden lovespoon for your lover as a token of your affection. You can also buy a kit for it on amazon for about $35. This gives you the spoon as well as scrapers to customize it.
Last year, I purchased my partner an onion because there is a Scottish poem called “Valentine” by Carol Ann Duffy that talks about giving your lover an onion. It worked out well for me.
If you want to go down the funnier route, you can purchase a two person sweater. You can purchase custom made ones on Etsy for a little more than $50. It might not be the most practical gift, but it sure is funny if you want to put a smile on your partner’s face.
While we’re talking about funny gifts, you could give your partner clothes with your face on it. You could also get custom made underwear for $10-20 on Etsy.
If you want to get something that is more jewelry-related, then consider getting your partner a fish hook bracelet. The story behind them is that they were made by the wives of fishermen to give to their husbands for good luck. If you’re crafty, then they should not be too difficult to make, but if that’s not your thing, the cheapest one you can buy is around $21 on Amazon. You can buy higher quality bracelets and they get increasingly expensive.
An idea for an activity that I do not see talked much would be finishing a house project. Seeing something through to completion gives you a satisfying feeling that you can not get anywhere else. Now, getting to share that feeling with a significant other is what turns this into a good idea.
Another appealing, although not very well-known date idea, would be having a staycation for Valentine’s Day. Sometimes, all you need to do is put on a movie and chill in your pajamas. Bonus points if it’s cold or rainy outside.
If all of this seems like too much, you can always go back to the tried and true method of buying chocolate. In my research, I discovered that chocolate is significant for Valentine’s Day in many different cultures. It is not always romantic, but often it is at the very least seen as a friendly gesture.
Whatever you go with, just remember that Valentine’s Day is meant to be enjoyed. Valentine’s Day in American culture is supposed to be a happy celebration of love (or corporate greed, depending on who you ask). Either way, you should do your best to enjoy Valentine’s Day, or at the very least the discount candy that is available on Feb. 15.
