Alone for Valentine’s Day?
Yet there is no nothing to prevent you from making Valentine’s Day special for yourself, regardless of your current status. Just be a little creative and think outside the box, and you can likely think of a number of different ways you can make Cupid’s arrow spin in just the right direction. Depending on what you choose, you might cheer the lives of others who are spending the holiday alone and find themselves caught in a similar predicament as yourself.
Consider some of these ideas. Don’t be afraid to mix and match concepts either. You can customize any plan to fit your individual style and present circumstances.
1. Call some single friends and plan a fun lunch, dinner, or after-meal event. You can either ignore the Valentine’s theme altogether or make it the centerpiece of conversation as you share some of your best and worst experiences in dating and romance.
2. Eager to meet some new people? You could throw your own Valentine’s Day celebration and publicize it around your office, your neighborhood, the place where you shop or take classes, or your apartment building. You don’t have to have the shindig at your place; you may be able to find a public meeting place and then ask attendees to chip in $5-10 each either to pay for the space or cover the cost of refreshments.
3. Make Valentine’s the day or night you do something you’ve always wanted to do – start a class (maybe ballroom dancing?), go off on a little two- or three- day adventure, take a friend to a restaurant you’ve wanted to try, or perhaps even allow yourself to attend a single’s event.
4. Having trouble getting up the nerve to ask a special someone out for the first time? Strategically plan a small get-together with people that someone might like too and then slip your special person an invitation as well. This takes the pressure off making Cupid’s Day your first date while helping break the ice – and nerves – between you.
5. Want to earn a little money while celebrating the day? Kits from many crafts and gourmet as well as candy stores let you create your own delectable Valentine themed chocolates and other candies that you can sell for a tidy profit among friends, coworkers, and family. Several small gourmet or novelty candy companies have actually started in this fashion, with repeat business at other holidays.
6. Check around your community to see if you could help put together a fun party at a retirement home, elderly daycare, or even a homeless shelter. A few balloons, a few dozen cookies, and a collection of good music to play can turn someone else’s day around while also cheering yours. What could possibly be more loving?
7. Don’t really want to make a big deal about Valentine’s Day but have a family member or friend with children making it tough to go out for dinner? Think about volunteering to sit with the kids so they can go out.
