4 New Valentine’s Day Traditions to Try This Year

posted on February 13, 2017 | by Chelsea Becker

With so much focus on gifting flowers & chocolate, and the pressure to have a date or exciting plans, we can easily forget what Valentine’s Day is really about—celebrating love. To bring back the meaning of this holiday, I wanted to start a new tradition each year to honor love while simultaneously switching things up. Whether you’re single, taken, or things are complicated, here are a few ways to turn V-day into a new yearly tradition:

1. Volunteer.

Since Valentine’s Day is technically all about love, share that spirit with those less fortunate. Cook meals and hand them out to homeless people in your city, volunteer at a food shelter, visit a hospital, whatever feels good to you. Keep up with it each year and eventually, you might organize something as big as a V-day beach clean-up.

2. Take a trip.

February is dreary for most of us, so it’s the perfect time to get away. Also, since it’s technically “off-season” in a lot of the world, it’s a budget-friendly time to travel. Make it an annual girl’s trip or one you spend with your significant other—or even solo!

3. Learn something new.

Consider making February 14th a day where you learn to do something new each year. Whether that’s a cooking class that you attend alone, painting with a group, or learning a new physical skill (like rock climbing or surfing) with your partner, dedicating the holiday to a new experience will make it more memorable.

4. Host a party.

Don’t worry about arguing with friends about who will throw the annual 4th of July party and claim Valentine’s Day as yours. Invite friends and family over each year and celebrate all your relationships and friendships. It’s the perfect time of year to get people together since there isn’t much going on. While weddings and engagement parties focus on one couple’s love story, make this party’s theme about celebrating everyone’s love!

This year, my boyfriend and I are learning a new hiking trail. Are you excited to start anything new?

3 Comments

Allison Says

Hiking sounds like a great Valentine’s day plan! I think my boyfriend and I are going to try to cook a new recipe together tomorrow night. Nothing exciting, but we both love staying home and cooking together, so it’s perfect for us.

Carrie Wilmont Says

I love your idea of dedicating the day to trying something new together! Valentine’s Day can be very overrated and boring, doing the same thing over and over, so the idea of making each year different is definitely appealing. I’m always looking for tips to improve my relationship so I really appreciate this post! You should check out Wendy Brown’s website, http://whylovesucceeds.com/. A friend of mine introduced me to it and it looks like she has a new book out called “The Six Passions of the Red-Hot Lover”. I’m finding it to be a great resource. Thanks again for your post!

Leigh V. Mealon Says

I absolutely love the idea of starting a new Valentine’s Day tradition! It’s such a wonderful way to create lasting memories with your loved one. I came across an interesting article at https://finance.yahoo.com/news/edubirdie-empowers-students-innovative-academic-131718816.html and it reminded me of how important it is to express our feelings and thoughts in various ways. Just like crafting a heartfelt essay, starting a tradition allows us to put thought and effort into something meaningful, strengthening our bonds in unique ways. Here’s to new traditions and expressing our love in both words and actions

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