Valentine’s Day is a pretty big deal around here. As wedding officiants in the business of telling love stories, Valentine’s Day is kind of our holiday.
Lots of people want to get married on Valentine’s Day and even more get engaged. And would you believe that founder and owner of Young Hip & Married, Shawn Miller’s, birthday also happens to be on Valentine’s Day? It’s like he was born for this job!
But as much as we love February 14th, we don’t want it to be the one big romantic day of the year. We believe every day should be filled with love.
We want you to make every day Valentine’s Day.
Make every day Valentine’s Day…but not like that
Now, we don’t mean you have to buy a box of candy hearts that taste like chalk and give them to your partner every single day. We’re not saying you need to make fancy dinner reservations or bring home fresh flowers every night.
But we are saying if the only time of the year you think about flowers is Valentine’s Day, there might be a problem.
Valentine’s Day is about celebrating love. Yes, it may have been commercialized and created by a greeting card company. But at its core, Valentine’s is about telling the people you love just how much you love them.
So why are we waiting for an arbitrary date on a calendar to tell us when to do that?
Why aren’t we telling and showing our loved ones how much they mean to us every single day of the year?
7 ways to celebrate Valentine’s every day of the year
Celebrating Valentine’s every day doesn’t have to be expensive or time-consuming. Here are some easy ways to live the real mission of February 14th all year long.
1. Say I love you
Let’s start with an easy one. A great way to show your partner you love them is to say it out loud. Say “I love you” every day, a few times a day. Go ahead and seal it with a kiss.
2. Do your partner a favour
A loving gesture doesn’t always have to be something expensive or grandiose. Simply doing your partner a favour or taking one small task off their plate can be a great way to show your love.
You could let them sleep in while you get the kids ready for school, warm up their coffee before they get to the kitchen or even just put toothpaste on their toothbrush for them. Empty the dishwasher for them when it was their turn and they’ll know it’s true love!
3. Surprise your partner
A bouquet of flowers on Valentine’s Day? Expected. A bouquet of flowers on a random Tuesday? Such a thoughtful surprise!
Surprises are such a great way to show our love because they say, “For no reason other than I love you, I thought about you and wanted to do something to make you happy.” Plan a little surprise for your partner, such as buying their favourite chocolate bar when you stop to get gas.
4. Send them a message, just because
Remember those early days of dating when you used to send each other cute messages and you were constantly checking your phone? If you’ve been in a relationship for a while, you probably haven’t texted like that in a while. So in the spirit of Valentine’s Day, why not send a cute message?
Your message can be flirty, sweet, silly or maybe a little R-rated. Even a simple “I was just thinking about you. Hope you’re having a great day!” can put a huge smile on your partner’s face.
5. Give them a gift
While we’re sure your partner wouldn’t mind if you came home every day with a designer watch, new car or tickets to a Beyonce concert, a gift doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, a gift can even be free!
Give your partner the gift of a home cooked meal – brush up on a new recipe and serve a fancy cocktail to impress them. Gift them with a foot massage or at-home spa day. Or even gift them with an afternoon to themselves while you take the kids out.
6. Let your partner choose
If you always command the remote or the take-out menus, give your partner a chance to call the shots. And even if you always agree on what you’ll watch and where you’ll order from, the V-day thing to do would be to totally give into your partner’s whims every now and then.
Burgers and Bollywood? Sushi and something suspenseful? Korean fried chicken with that K-drama they’ve been telling you about? Give it a try!
7. Tell your partner why you love and appreciate them
It’s one thing to say I love you. It’s another to say why. Tell your partner often not only that you love them, but exactly why you love them. What is it about them that you most admire? How have they changed your life? What are you excited about in your future together?
You can say these sweet sentiments to your partner out loud or write them down. There’s nothing better than a love letter or handwritten card!
There are countless ways to celebrate your partner and how much you love them every single day. Don’t wait until chocolate prices soar and dinner reservations are impossible to get just to celebrate Valentine’s Day.