DIY Romance: Making Memories Beyond the Hallmark Hype

Friends- tomorrow is Valentine’s Day- that weird holiday that was so weighted before kids and so not post-kids! I see you, momma–you still have to buy those juice boxes for the 2nd grade party tomorrow because you forgot you’re the Room Parent. You have to sit down and have the kids write 25 names on all those fiddly little cards. Maybe you need to order something for your spouse besides that travel coffee mug which, let’s face it, you just bought him or her so they stop stealing yours! Oh wait, that’s just my to-do list. But maybe yours looks something like this, too?

Leading up to Valentine’s this year, I found myself thinking about some of my favorite Valentine’s memories–

There was the year that hygge was big, and I moved furniture around and made a den of blankets and pillows and strung fairy lights around. The toddlers, spouse, and I lazed around in blankets, listened to music, and ate snacks.
There was the year my boyfriend-now-husband and I spent in England while I was in grad school, and on a student loan budget, I scraped together a four-course meal, in the communal dorm kitchen no less, that spelled L-O-V-E (I couldn’t tell you what all the courses were but I know O was for oysters.)
And if you want to go really far back…there was the time my high school girlfriends and I broke the system and got to go to the Valentine’s Day dance as sophomores (usually reserved for juniors and seniors) because we volunteered to sell sodas for an hour. None of us had dates but you bet we still did the whole deal–long satiny dresses, corsages (from our parents), photo sesh, and the after party, which was hanging out at Friendly’s eating fried food and ice cream. Was this the OG Galentine’s Day? It was 1998, so maybe.

So thanks for walking down memory lane with me but–why am I talking about this? Because what I noticed is that none of the memories that stand out involve expensive meals, a gajillion roses, or jewelry. Some of them don’t even involve romance. The Valentine’s Days I truly remember were simple. They were about love, whatever form that may take. They all involved a little creativity, but not extravagance. So if everything isn’t done or perfect or if you are just now learning from this letter that tomorrow is the day–honestly, you’re fine. Just tell them that you love them. Tell all of them. And often.

What are your favorite Valentine’s memories? Tell us in the group!