Valentine’s Day presents an opportunity for families to do things a little differently. Instead of standard treats, spend the day doing things that Valentine’s Day meant for your loved one.
Start a New Tradition
Even though most people go out for dinners and movies. Why not do something special and create a new tradition. One of my favorite Valentine’s Day traditions began as soon as I heard the words, “Happy Valentine’s Day, the day before.” I promptly raced over to my computer and began doing research on all the Valentine’s Day traditions I could think of. I had so many wonderful ideas, but often my enthusiasm could not be contained, so I had to make a list and decide on one that would work for us. One tradition that I helped create was a costume party. We wanted our little ones to feel special and know they were getting to be a part of something important.
Valentine’s Day Poses Dangerous Consequences
Cast your heart on this day and you’ll find that you’ll want to do it every day, no matter what. This holiday can be particularly dangerous because children are so excited about it. My eight-year-old daughter decided she personalized her yearbook cover and Brownie, her personal cheerleader, loved it. Using a marker, she added her name, and it read “I’m Asnic Acid incarnate.” After she read it, she promptly burst into tears.
Another result was an eight-year-old boy who could not decide what he wanted for sure. Knowing that on Valentine’s Day, he’d get the opportunity to make a decision from a pool of twenty other boys (all straight). He however, wanted not only any decision but to name the new valentine. As luck would have it, the girl whose name he had chosen lifted him up on his lap and, with a giant mug of chocolate, his decision was forged.
Celebrating Valentine’s Day with Black Magic
Another tradition we created is to create a black magic Valentine. In the end of the party, we take a different bottle of wine from a couple of different couples. When it’s Valentine’s Day, we find a valentine and break out the valentine treats. Then, after we have the valentine, we run around the kitchen looking for new things to say. Okay, I rationalize that I don’t need to think of the new items to show, but come on, c’mon.
Valentine’s Day Out
Another idea that works extremely well is to take your valentine out to dinner. We usually find a nice senior citizen dining out and we grab something delicious. During the meal, we slip in some jokes and we usually get a couple laughing. Then we get going with the valentine activity. One idea we have done is to have her open her own fortune cookie. After we have the valentine, we take another draft from the mill and put it in a whole other bottle. We take out some slips of paper and write funny things on them. After she is opening her cookie, she does not open it and we leave the contents for her. That sets up the mood for the night to come.
Valentine’s Day Comes Again
Here’s a fun little Valentine’s Day tradition that we use each February 14th. What this does is let your valentine know that you are working on a day that you can do. It could be a new tradition by celebrating Valentine’s Day separately or it can be something fun by doing the old traditions with a pajama party in the family. As far as children are concerned, the best Valentine’s Day is one where they get to go to a sleepover at a friend’s house who’s just finished watching the movie (Cheers!).