« Has ‘Being Green’ Lost Steam? (Podcast) | Home | Stop Being a Doormat! Lessons From An Expert (Podcast) »
5 Ways To Make Valentine’s Day Last All Year Long!
By Todd | February 14, 2008
Have you ever stopped and noticed the full spectrum of life events symbolized in the greeting card aisle?
Birthdays, deaths, baby announcements, mourning, get well, graduation, weddings, recover soon, feel better, here’s some money, and on and on…
This aisle is like a microcosm of the complete range of things that happen to us as human beings!
And so many of us have been searching for the right semblence of words (as expressed by Hallmark) to expose our most worthy emotion -LOVE- to those we care about most!
Yes, this is the day where we take someone special to someplace special and give them something special. Sometimes I think Valentine’s Day is a limiting holiday, but I guess if everyday were this “special” we wouldn’t have a very healthy perspective on things.
With this said, here are 5 easy recommendations for keeping the Valentine’s Day spirit alive, at least to some degree, during the ensuing 364 days:
1. Make V-day a quarterly event
OK, so it’s not reasonable to have Valentine’s Day every day…but what about once every three months? This seems like better spacing to me, and I recommend putting on your calendar one day a quarter where you outwardly express your emotions to those you care about. Funnily enough, the unexpected V-days are usually more fulfilling then the annual one.
2. Start celebrating the day before, or continue to day after
Give your present, chocolate, flowers, card, etc…to your mate the day before Valentine’s Day. OR, surprise them with the real gift the day after. Why? For one it will be as a nice surprise. Second, by getting all the mechanical stuff out of the way you make room for more genuine enjoyment on the actual holiday. In essence, you make this a two-day celebration and I am sure you won’t get any complaints!
3. Do something really, really, really personal
At some point during the last year, chances are you have made a mental note of something specific your loved one really desires. Everyone gives candy and flowers…but remembering something specific shows that you listen, and that you care. This is an excellent opportunity to really impress your mate!
4. Listen to music; have a dance
Do you and your mate have a song? If so, play it at some point during the day and dance to it. This sounds corny, but music has an uncanny ability to generate emotions within us that words often can not. If you don’t have a song, then this is a perfect time to suggest one or think of a meaningful tune together!
5. Have alone time
Our lives are SO hectic, I know. Let Valentine’s Day be a time where you and your loved one separate from the rest of the world and can just “be”. Even if it’s just for an hour: take a drive in the car, got for a walk and hold hands, sit at the kitchen table and really pay attention to them. All of us take things for granted, especially the people in our lives. Make a firm commitment to appreciate them today. That’s the best advice I can give.
HAPPY VALENTINE’S Day everyone 
Picture Above: Art By Wicks
Subscribe Free
| |||
|
Topics: Relationships |
Todd these are great reminders on how we can make someone feel special.
I particularly like the third point “Do something really, really, really personal”. It helps show how much you care by paying attention.
Posted by: ZHereford on February 14th, 2008 at 1:21 pmMay I suggest #6: move to South Korea! I’m an English teacher and my Korean students told me that there is some romantic celebration attached to the 14th day of every single month (although in April it’s “Black Day” which is actually when all single people get to celebrate together and eat black noodles!).
Posted by: Amanda on February 14th, 2008 at 7:18 pmTodd, this was a great post. I love your point of view on Valentine’s! Have a great one! (If you haven’t had yours already)…
Much love
Posted by: Alex Kay on February 15th, 2008 at 7:18 pmAlex
Todd,
Some great ideas. I like the idea of celebrating Valentines quarterly.
Best wishes,
Posted by: eric on February 17th, 2008 at 2:59 amEric
The best suggestion has to be item number two. I don’t think I can afford to celebrate V-Day for more than that! And I’m not just talking about money here. But celebrating before, during and a day after sounds pretty nifty and makes the event more special. Besides, everyone in the mall carries flowers on the 14th! To have one before or after seems pretty special!
Posted by: Jen, writer MembershipMillionaire.com on February 19th, 2008 at 4:09 amThanks all for the wonderful comments….I hope you took my advice and are still celebrating valentines day!!
Posted by: Todd on February 24th, 2008 at 2:52 pmTodd
10 points Todd for imagination. It’s nice to do things a little different like spread the lurve…. over a few days. I like that. And little bit of “real listening” wouldn’t go astray either. We all need more of that.
Hope yours was special!
Kim
Posted by: Kim on February 26th, 2008 at 9:25 pm