12 Unique Valentine’s Dates
Image: Flickr/Bunches and Bits (Karina)
Next week we celebrate a holiday that makes Hallmark smile and many people cringe: Valentine’s Day. So many emotions are tied up into that one day, so here’s a quick quiz to see which category you fall into:
What’s your view of Valentine’s Day?
a. It’s a great excuse to have a romantic date with the one I love.
b. It’s a slick marketing trick by the flower, chocolate, and card industry.
c. It’s another opportunity for my expectations to be dashed when my loved one doesn’t deliver.
d. It’s just another day.
No matter what your perspective on Valentine’s Day, we can all agree that whether it’s a semi-national holiday, an anniversary, or “just another date,” sometimes we get stuck in a romantic rut when it comes to dating creatively. Either we fall into the same routine (dinner and a movie, dinner and a movie, dinner and a movie) or we skip dating all together because we’re too tired (or broke) to come up with something new. So whether you are a hopeless romantic and can’t wait to go out next Thursday or you are rebelliously avoiding Thursday like the plague, here are some suggestions for changing (and spicing?) things up the next time you venture out with your love.
Cheap Dates
I should probably call this category “Inexpensive Dates” but I couldn’t resist, although I don’t suggest calling your date “cheap.”
1. Spa date at home. Use up all those Bath and Body Works bubble bath products taking up space under your bathroom sink!
2. Watch some crazy videos on youtube. I love news bloopers, this Jimmy Kimmel skit, and Bill Cosby.
3. Go to Barnes and Noble, find the travel section, and plan an exotic trip you’d like to take together. Dream big. Ooo and ahhh over all the sights you’d see on your vacation. Oh, and if you have a little money to spend, get some drinks at the Starbucks in B & N. (Thanks to Camille for this idea and several others listed here. She has some great date suggestions!)
Dinner Dates
If you are a die-hard dinner date kind of person, then here are a few suggestions to change things up.
1. Go out for breakfast instead.
2. Try a different cuisine—Indian, Thai, Vietnamese.
3. Start with dessert first! (I LOVE this one.)
Active Dates
1. Go on a bike ride. Even better…rent a tandem bike.
2. Go rock climbing and reflect on how your love is rock solid. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist the cheese.)
3. Picnic and a walk/hike. I’m a simple girl and love this one. And who says your Valentine’s date needs to be at night?
Movie Date
And if you’re a die-hard movie lover, try these variations:
1. Watch a foreign film.
2. Build an adult fort and snuggle in for a good movie.
3. Watch the first movie you went to together and relive that first date.
Here’s to a memorable, creative date, whether it occurs on February 14th or not!