reimagined Valentine's Day

Try This for a Reimagined Valentine’s Day

reimagined Valentine's Day

Credit: Photo by Ylanite Koppens

Valentine’s Day is traditionally a day when people buy cut flowers, boxed chocolates and a variety of gifts to give to their special someone. It’s also a day when trying to get into your favorite restaurant will be next to impossible without a reservation far in advance. While the sentiment behind it all may be nice, it’s not the greenest of holidays. In fact, it’s become way too commercialized. Fortunately, we’ve got a few ideas for a reimagined Valentine’s Day.

Following these steps will mean you’ll be able to enjoy Valentine’s Day, focus on the person you want to spend it with, spend less money and lower your environmental impact in the process. Try it and see.

Have a Picnic at Home Instead of Eating Out

In all honesty, it’s time to ditch your Valentine’s Day dinner reservation. Instead of eating out, have a picnic at home. I’m not talking about eating outside, especially if it’s cold where you live. I mean have a picnic in the comfort of your own home, maybe in the living room or in front of the fireplace. The whole point is to make it a cozy, personalized experience for you and your loved one.

Better yet, if you happen to work from home, you’ll be able to start your Valentine’s Day preps early. Then, as soon as you’re done with work, you can get your romantic evening going.

As far as your meal, you’ll be able to use your own dishes, glasses and silverware, so no single-use plastic. You’ll also be able to make exactly what you want to eat, whether it be a full meal, a variety of snacks or dessert and wine at the end of the night. I suggest buying organic and treating yourselves to something special. You can make a new recipe or go with a favorite you don’t often get to enjoy.

An added bonus of having a picnic at home is you will have no long commute, no vehicle emissions and no traffic. Plus, you won’t have to deal with long lines, crowded restaurants and a costly meal. It’s the perfect reimagined Valentine’s Day meal…simple and 100% tailormade.

Make Your Gifts From Scratch

If you must give a gift this Valentine’s Day, make it from scratch. You can repurpose or upcycle gifts from items you have around the house. The sentiment remains the same as if you bought the gift from a store, but you’ll save money and reduce waste. Plus, your loved one will probably appreciate the time and effort you put into making something unique just for them.

A few gift ideas include:

  • A homemade card filled with personalized sentiments
  • A heart wreath made from old puzzle pieces
  • Beauty and spa treatments (facial scrubs, bath bombs, masks, lip balm, etc.)
  • A certificate for an experience (future game night, evening walk, massage and more)
  • A painting you made yourself
  • A photo collage showing meaningful moments
  • A date night jar filled with ideas of things to do on your next date night
  • Baked cookies or your loved one’s favorite dessert

If you do choose to buy flowers, buy potted ones. The good thing about potted flowers and plants is they last longer and can be planted in your garden when you’re ready to do so.

Unplug to Really Be in the Moment

Valentine’s Day should be about celebrating with the one you love. If you don’t have a “loved one” to celebrate with, then spend the evening with friends or family. But, regardless of who you are with, one of the simplest things you can do to make your Valentine’s Day better is to unplug. There are numerous biofriendly reasons to unplug more often and one of the best ones is so you can really be in the moment.

Think about it…if you’re going to celebrate with someone special, they deserve to have your undivided attention. Turning your phone off, or putting it to the side, and really engaging in face-to-face conversation shows a person you truly care. It shows them they are worth your time.

You can even extend this into your evening. Rather than sitting in front of the TV to watch a movie, you can play a game or make a few DIY spa treatments you can use together. The options are limitless, but the key is to stay unplugged. This way your loved one enjoys quality time with you!

Spread the Love

For those who don’t have a particular person they are planning to spend the day with, spread the love and celebrate with friends. Making gifts or food, unplugging so you can really be in the moment and doing a little staycation (rather than going out) can be done with anyone and on any day! The point is to celebrate with those you love and be eco-friendly in the process.

You can also spread the love by doing random acts of kindness throughout the day. Smile at someone in passing. Hold the door open for someone. Lend a helping hand. Bring homemade Valentine’s cards to a local nursing home or shelter. Whatever you can do to bring a smile to someone’s face this Valentine’s Day is well worth it.

Make Reimagined Valentine’s Day the Norm

No matter what tradition you have in place for Valentine’s Day, you can reimagine Valentine’s Day into something new. Make it less commercial and more personal. Have the day be focused on you and your loved one rather than on “buying stuff”. It may be a minimalistic concept, but Valentine’s Day can be reimagined into anything you want.

We’d love to hear what you and your loved one do on Valentine’s Day that’s eco-friendly and a little outside “the norm”.

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