A Fresh Valentine Day 2022
The Day is approaching
Valentine Day 2022 is here, just beyond the corner. Pink hearts and red “I love you”s are literally everywhere, you can’t go in a supermarket without seeing some heart-shaped chocolate box. It’s an unnecessary temptation during my weekly quest for groceries, as well. And I know, for some of you, the thought of going out to an expensive restaurant, which will probably be more expensive, together with dozens of other couples and on a Monday night even, is anxiety-inducing.
The cheesy nicknames on the cards, the flower shops overflowing with roses, the advertising on tv (and that romantic ad that keeps following you on YouTube): all the never-changing clichés of Valentine Day are almost making you reconsider not being single.
Honestly, I think the only Valentine Day my own husband gave me roses for (three roses, if you want to get roses, they need to be either on an odd number or by the dozen) was the very first one. We did roses, dinner, cinema. I don’t remember where we went to eat, I don’t remember the movie! The only reason why I do remember which movie we saw in our third Valentine together is because we’ve been trying to understand what the heck was happening in it for the last 14 years. Have anyone of you understood what the heck was Cloverfield about, exactly? I’d be grateful for your comments. But I’m going off a tangent here!
What I mean is: I know exactly where you’re coming from and I’m here to rescue you! (cue epic music theme)
Fresh Ideas for your Valentine Day 2022!
First things first, you don’t need to go out to a restaurant. You don’t need to go out at all if you don’t want to. This Valentine Day 2022 can be just as amazing spent at home!
Cooking together could be a fantastic moment to share together, maybe preparing your favourite meals from your favourite movie/series/anime! A couple of years ago I gave a shot at preparing Katsudon (yeah, I was on a Yuri on Ice!-binge-watching spree), and it came out amazing! If you don’t want to prepare the whole meal, you could bake something: making cakes and cupcakes can be a fun way to spend time together without the expectation to be perfect! You can be dressed in your best home apparel and enjoy the process (and the results!). You could gift each other silly aprons and make it a nice habit in your relationship!
Cooking might not be what you want to spend this Valentine Day 2022 doing (you know, we cooked enough for Valentine Day 2021, at least here in Italy). It might not be your forte. Or you are the Head Chef in Charge of your kitchen and you don’t like anyone in there. Or you just don’t want to be preparing the meals for once: I got you!
Instead of a simple dinner out, you could look for hotels where to spend the night ordering room service for dinner and snacks. A nice change of air, you’re still not responsible for cooking, but you’ll avoid having all the other people around you. You can still watch your favourite show together and have a ton of fun, in privacy and without worrying about who will tidy everything up!
There are some lovely hotels that have rooms with mini-SPAs inside: imagine tasting your drink of choice while you have a wonderful whirlpool bath together with your better or sarcastic other(s), without the hassle to clean it up afterwards. It might be a little more expensive, but it could be a good splurge for once in a while!
Surely going to work on Tuesday will be sooo different!
If you want to do some activity together, an Escape Room could be a great idea. You’ll have to work together to solve the mysteries and get out of the room in one hour: then you can catch dinner or lunch somewhere less busy, or get some takeaway and back home to relax and unwind after a fun evening!
Or, if you can, you could take half a day off and treat yourself to a visit to your favourite museum, maybe taking the time, on a Monday afternoon, to get your fill of art without too many people bothering you around!
If you have children, the classic advice would be hiring a babysitter, or enlisting a family member, freeing night for yourself… but no one says that you can’t plan for a Valentine Day 2022 – Family Edition! You can make it special even for the little halfling that makes your life unpredictable and fun!
And if I’m not a person this celebration is traditionally aimed at?
Last but not least, let’s not forget that, even if you’re single, or aro/ace, or you just hate Valentine Day, it doesn’t mean that you can take the occasion to celebrate the people that make your life better and more enjoyable. Let’s follow the example in The Office and have a Galentine Day (February 13th): take the occasion to celebrate the truly meaningful relationships of our lives. Love has no hierarchy, just infinite forms!
What? What are my plans for this Valentine Day 2022?
I’m cooking something warm and cosy. We’re getting dessert and I proposed a movie night in to my husband but he MIGHT have a quest or a mission to complete with his guild on “Guild Wars 2”. I mean, I’m a nerd, I married a gamer, I knew it could happen. So we’ll enjoy our dinner, we’ll watch one or two of the new episodes of The Legend of Vox Machina, then he’ll be playing video games and I’ll be playing the piano and we’ll be just as happy.
This Valentine Day 2022 doesn’t need to be perfect, it just needs to be yours!
Don’t forget that you can always contact me for any question, and that, if you’d like to take advantage of the holiday to propose… I can help with that as well! Just click on the reassuring blue button!
Photo Credit:
Picture 1: Sara Lorenzoni Fotografia
Picture 2: La Corte Dei Papi
