How to Celebrate Valentine’s Day as an Adult

Valentine’s Day is not just for youngsters! I’ve put together ideas for celebrating Valentine’s Day as an adult. Everyone can get in on the holiday – singles, couples, and married folk too!

My husband and I have been married for 33 years. As you might have guessed, we give each other cards for Valentine’s Day. There are no more romantic candlelight dinners or bouquets of lilies for us. About twenty years into our marriage, we became more practical and stopped spending money on Valentine’s Day. I wish we didn’t. More on that later.

I tried looking up the origins of Valentine’s Day, but it wasn’t obvious. There are multiple Saint Valentines and different societies that lay claim to the origin of Valentine’s Day. From what I can deduce, Rome recognized the first St. Valentine. He was known to marry couples secretly when marriage was banned. (The Roman army wanted single men in their ranks, so they banned marriage.) I don’t know if I surmised this correctly. However, I believe I am close enough.

Chaucer Wrote the First Valentine’s Day Poem

In his work “Parliament of Foules,” the English poet Geoffrey Chaucer links a tradition of courtly love with celebrating St. Valentine’s feast day. This association didn’t exist until after his poem received widespread attention. The poem refers to February 14 as the day birds (and humans) come together to find a mate. When Chaucer wrote, “For this was sent on Seynt Valentyne’s day / Whan every foul cometh there to choose his mate,” he may have invented the holiday we know today. An interesting article with more info on Valentine’s Day history can be found here: https://www.history.com/news/6-surprising-facts-about-st-valentine.

Americans Send 145 million Cards on February 14 Each Year.

According to Hallmark, a whopping 145 million Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged every February 14 (and that’s not even including all those kids’ valentines exchanged in classrooms!). That is unbelievable. It is wild how many people celebrate Valentine’s Day. Or is it? When I first looked up the statistics, I was shocked. Then, I thought about it.

Who doesn’t love a card? I think it is great that so many people celebrate this holiday. Why? Because the Day celebrates LOVE! We have way too many sad holidays. This one is fun. You can act silly and genuinely brighten up someone’s Day. Why not try a few unconventional ways to celebrate the holiday this year?

I view it as a day to celebrate friends, children, neighbors, spouses, fiancees- anyone you know. Or even people you don’t know. You could leave a card for your mailman or buy a candy bar for the cashier at the grocery store. It’s the perfect Day to be kind to someone, whether your husband or a stranger.

Celebrating Valentine’s Day With Friends

Why not invite your friends to your house for a potluck? Ask everyone to wear red and bring something red to pass. You could bring red velvet cupcakes, stuffed cherry tomatoes, or pasta with meat sauce. Maybe bring your favorite meal made in a red serving dish. And don’t forget all the red fruit – grapes, cherries, strawberries, apples, and watermelon. A big fruit platter would be delicious. You’ll also need to serve red drinks—Red Wine, Red Punch, Red Bull, Cranberry Juice with mixers, etc. You get the picture!

Play a game while together. You can each write down on paper your best Valentine’s Day fail. Fold it up and place it in a bowl with everyone else’s. Have each friend pick one piece of paper from the bowl and try to match the fail with the correct person. Trust me, lots of laughs will be shared!

Going Out For a Romantic Meal With Your Steady?

Don’t just eat food; learn something. Ask your date what they love the most about their job, where they live, and their upbringing. Follow it up with what their dream job and house are and what experiences they would love to repeat with their own family. You will learn lots about your significant other and likely not run out of conversation your whole meal. Make sure you take your turn to share as well.

For the 25 Years Plus Married Folk

Couples married over twenty-five years tend to fall into a rut and typically just exchange cards. However, it’s not because your spouse no longer loves you; it’s because so much life has passed between you, and the wooing phase is gone. Who would like to get some of that back? I think we all should. Because, as I said earlier, it’s important to celebrate love!

Think back to some of the sweet things you used to do for each other when you first got married. Make a list of everything you can remember and pick a few to do for your spouse this Valentine’s Day.

Write your spouse a note instead of buying them a card. Dig deep into your memory bank. What was your spouse’s favorite meal when you first got married? Can you make it for them now? What is his/her favorite music? Put it on during dinner. Maybe even (dare I say) dance to it?

If you only take one of my suggestions, I’m sure it will be well received. Everyone loves (and needs) to be reminded their spouse loves them. actions do speak louder than words. What are your plans for Valentine’s Day – please comment below. Are you planning on taking any of my suggestions?