Are you dreading Valentine’s Day this year since you don’t have a partner? Not sure how you’ll handle this particular Hallmark holiday of love? Don’t worry, many of us have carved a path to celebrate this day in our own way and there are plenty of great options. Pick one or two that you can enjoy and let this holiday pass with some joy and love in your heart. Let’s explore how you can celebrate Valentine’s Day on your own.
Buy or make yourself a keepsake
There’s something liberating about not having to fuss about and find the perfect gift for your partner. I celebrated not having to do that by having these mugs made on my first solo Valentine’s and they’re still kicking around 12 years later. The idea was that I could enjoy them on my own and also once I coupled up again. They often make me smile as I use them throughout the year now.
Be like Miley Cyrus and buy yourself flowers
If you haven’t had a listen to Miley Cyrus’ new hit, Flowers, then you definitely should. The message is clear. You can buy yourself flowers. Watch it here.
I imagine that there will be women around the world that put this on repeat on Valentine’s Day and dance in their living rooms. Celebrating their autonomy.
Phone a friend
Ok, maybe we can do better than that today. If your friends don’t all live in the same town so that you can get together physically, then you can organize a Zoom call with your best girlfriends and celebrate together. Dress up, bring some bubbly and it’ll be just like you are all together. This will take your mind off of it all and likely serve up some good belly laughs.
Galentine’s Day
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the all too wonderful alternative, Galentine’s Day. If you haven’t heard of this before, it could be because it’s a relatively new phenomenon. It started on the show, Parks and Recreation, Season 2/Episode 16 where Leslie Knope throws a party for her girlfriends to celebrate on February 13th. It first aired in 2010 and it put a great, inclusive twist on this old holiday.
Put it in its rightful place
While I am well aware that there is a deep history around this holiday and some staunch defenders of it, in North America today it really is just a Hallmark holiday. A way for retailers to sell lots of chocolates, flowers and fancy dinners. You are welcome to opt out entirely. It makes sense when you look at it this way.
Take yourself out for a wonderful evening
One of my worst dates ever was on Valentine’s Day. My partner at the time decided to pitch a fit in the middle of a restaurant filled with our friends and colleagues and walked out on me. It was so embarrassing but it taught me a great lesson. It would be much more enjoyable to dine alone than to dine with someone like that. We should all feel completely ok to enjoy a meal out on our own – top it off with a great movie at the theater and you’ve built your own date night. I don’t know about you, but I’m often my own best company. If you try it, you might find that you’re the same.
Stay home with a rom com and a big bowl of popcorn
Sometimes curling up in your comfiest lounge wear in front of a great movie is all you’ll need to pass the evening. You can pick your favorite candy and popcorn that you won’t have to share and there are so many great romantic movies to pick from. You could grab a classic like Casablanca or something more current and lighter/funnier. These are some of my favorites.
- Breakfast at Tiffany’s
- How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
- When Harry Met Sally
- Much Ado about Nothing
- My Best Friend’s Wedding
- 40 Year Old Virgin
- You’ve Got Mail
- Sleepless in Seattle
Vanity Fair posted a good list in 2022 that you can find here.
Celebrate with your kids
Little ones like any reason to celebrate. You can build some great traditions around this holiday. One that we particularly enjoyed was the Valentine’s tree. I wanted to make sure that my little one knew how many people loved him the first Valentine’s Day after the separation. So we cut a few pussy willows from the yard, I cut some hearts out of construction paper, and we wrote all the people that we could come up with together on the hearts then put them up on the tree to enjoy. It was a simple activity that reinforced all the love that we had in our lives.
Give gifts of love
You can put together little gifts for your colleagues or classmates or friends/neighbors. It’s always a pick-me-up when I give surprise little gifts to others. You can find affordable trinkets at the dollar store, bake cookies, tuck a few chocolates in there and voila!
Share your love with those in need
Volunteering your time on Valentine’s Day would be a wonderful way to put love out in the world while filling your heart and soul at the same time. You could work at a soup kitchen, visit the elderly, really anything that would help others would be a great spend of your time. If you are able to fill your pockets with little chocolates to dole out while you’re there, you will light up many of those that really need a lift. The bonus is that it’s a great reminder of all that we have to be grateful for.
Gratitude for those that love you and have loved you and will love you
Speaking of gratitude, rather than feeling bad about not having a romantic partner on this particular holiday, you can spend some time feeling gratitude for all those that you have loved and that you will love. That’s a grateful stance and also a hopeful one.
I hope that this gives you some ideas for how to survive this romantic holiday on your own terms this year. There is always much to celebrate and so much to share.
Much Love, Debbie
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