Little celebrations gain new importance in lockdown. They interrupt the banality of the routine at home. Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and you can be sure that it’ll be the opportunity to throw a love party for your household. Typically, Valentine’s Day in the UK is synonymous with a fancy night out at a restaurant, followed by a heart-shaped box of chocolate and a bunch of roses. Yet, this year, the lockdown changes everything. Sure, you could still plan for chocolate and flowers, but why not seize the opportunity to do something original and unexpected?
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Here are 14 ideas to spice up things on your lockdown Valentine’s Day
#1. Make it a family night
If you used to plan an evening without the kids, lockdown Valentine’s Day 2021 is going to be a different kettle of fish. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make it work all together. Ultimately, when you think about it, Valentine’s Day is a celebration of love. What’s stopping you from marking the day as a family rather than a couple? Keeping kids involved can bring a new dimension to the usual romantic evening. But different doesn’t mean bad. You could organise a board game evening together, with a lot of seasonal snacks. Let’s be realistic: you could share the heart-shaped box of chocolate with the kids too!
#2. Embrace Asian Valentine’s celebrations
You’d be surprised to know that what you find normal for Valentine’s Day is not the same for everyone around the globe. In Asian countries, for instance, women don’t receive anything on Valentine’s Day.Instead, they are the ones who do the giving to the men. Japanese, South Korean, and Chinese couples celebrate men on the 14th of February. Japanese women give shop-bought Giri-choco to male friends, including colleagues and relatives. They reserve the homemade honmei-chocolate for their partners. How about taking inspiration from this lovely custom?
#3. A unique design
Handmade gifts are sweet and meaningful. But they are often stored in a drawer or inside a memory box. Not many couples keep their Valentine’s gifts in plain sight. But you could add a stylish twist to the typical handmade object with a new gift idea. Timeless designs that are prepared by experienced artisans can be a lovely addition to your interior decor.
#4. Sew your Valentine’s Day lingerie
Can there be Valentine’s Day without red lingerie? While not all couples take the splurge on sexy underwear every year, most admit that they would have at some point bought lingerie for their partners. Staying at home could change your priorities when it comes to underwear: comfort comes first. But, you can still make it a thoughtful present by making the underwear yourself. You can find plenty of simple sewing patterns online that are ideal for knickers, t-shirt bras, and boxers. Pick a red and stretchy jersey, and ta-da!
#5. Have a karaoke night
What’s your favourite song? Every couple has a meaningful song that is linked to many memories. Is it the first time you danced together? Your first kiss? It doesn’t matter what it is. Every time you hear it, it brings back all the memories. But rather than listening to it with a glass of wine, you could make it part of a karaoke night. Sing your heart off to your favourite song. Why not create a playlist of some of the most beautiful love songs?
#6. Prepare matching outfits
There’s something deeply appealing about matching outfits. In a lot of cultures, couples match outfits to show they belong together. You could seize the opportunity to source cute matching clothes or try to match your own if you’re confident with a sewing machine. If you’re looking for inspiration, take a look at this lovely collection of outfit ideas from this American couple who has created a wardrobe full of twin outfits over the course of several decades. There’s a lot of work and love in their creations.
#7. Turn the lounge into a home cinema
Are you the kind of person who loves romantic classics from the 1950s or do you prefer modern romantic comedies? If you are a Netflix user, you can even discover some of the most feel-good love stories in South-Korean series, or K-dramas for short. You could turn the lounge into an improvised home cinema, using a projector with your smartphone to complete the illusion. Turn the light off, sit back, and relax. This is your romantic night in.
#8. Write a heartfelt poem
Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Sugar is sweet,
And so are you.
Dive into a new world of romance by writing your own poem. Creating a good poem may not be an easy task, but it can be a fun challenge. Your partner is unlikely to blame you for cheesy lines. But they will be touched by the gesture.
#9. Leave cute messages around the house
Do you love a good puzzle or a treasure hunt? Escape rooms and online escape games have become hugely popular during the pandemic. So, you could put your knowledge of escape rooms to good use by creating a fun treasure map around the house. Hide a Valentine’s Day present and use a small clue system to guide your partner throughout the house.
#10. Have a colour-coded dinner
What are the colours of Valentine’s Day? Most people favour red as the colour of love. And you could make red the theme of your Valentine’s Day dinner. How about throwing together a red meal? You could start with homemade beetroot-cured salmon. Add some horseradish cream mixed with a little beetroot juice. Next dish could be a tomato-based risotto, for example. And conclude with a baked velvet chocolate cake or a fresh strawberry tart.
#11. Give them a world
If you love video games, you are probably familiar with Minecraft. You can find a creative mode in Minecraft, which lets you build up your own world. Make it Valentine’s Day themed with heart-shaped buildings and other romantic touches. It’s a nice way of proposing if you haven’t yet done it. And even if you have, it’s always a nice remember. You could hide messages carved inside the landscape.
#12. Build a fort in the lounge
Everyone needs a little playfulness in life. Valentine’s Day can often be stressful as partners try to look their best in fancy – and often uncomfortable – clothes. Most couples approach the day with high expectations, often misguided by the over mediatization of romance in films. They feel pressure to go big with balloons, music, and expensive jewellery to make it count. But how about going small with a home-built pillow fort in your lounge? It’s a fun and cosy place where you can relax and focus on being in love. Just chat and enjoy the moment.
#13. Fill a box with sweet notes
It’s a day of love. But every couple can experience stressful days from time to time. So, rather than making lockdown Valentine’s Day the happiest day of the year, you could create a present that will be useful on the stressful days. Write sweet little notes that you can collect in a box, to be opened every time one of you needs a mood booster.
#14. If you haven’t already, propose
This one is especially for women in a heterosexual relationship. More and more women are taking the initiative and proposing to their boyfriend. It can be a romantic and meaningful gesture that is very touching for your partner.
In conclusion; a lockdown Valentine’s Day will, of course, be different. But it doesn’t mean it can’t be just as romantic and filled with love as it should. On the contrary, you can embrace the lockdown situation to inject some new creative and fun ideas into your couple and family life.