If you always find yourself scratching your head about what to get your partner for Valentine’s Day, you are not alone. There are endless gifting options for the gal in your life, while it is a pain to think about what to get men. My husband and I agreed a long time back that we would not celebrate Valentine’s Day – mainly because we don’t believe in its commercial focus, but also because we classify ourselves as lazy. We focus on other significant days.
But if you feel like you still would like to celebrate your love in a special way for Valentine’s, here are some possible No-Presents ideas you may want to explore!
1. Walking Down Memory Lane
Agree with each other to make a list of special places to dine in, or go to reminisce or enjoy special memories in your life together. First date restaurant? The nightclub you both loved to dance in, or an evening drive to all your favourite dessert spots together? Take photos of this little adventure, it’ll be something nice to contrast and compare with in the future. Some of these places might be gone in the future, so it’s also worthwhile capturing them on film.
2. Make a Playlist to Enjoy Together
If you still feel you need to give something to your other halves, why not a fun music playlist? Agree with each other that you will create a music playlist filled with tunes for each other, from music you both love dancing to, to blasts from the pasts you two will get a kick out of. Plan to have a fun and meaningful night together with this music, open a bottle of bubbly or get your favourite snacks and treats. Bonus? You will both have a smashing playlist to enjoy forever!
3. The BFF Date
A Valentine’s date can be so cliché and boring! Why not agree to a chilled out Valentine’s dinner with your best friends or favourite couples, so you can all celebrate your partnerships together? The best of friends also support, cherish and nourish your marriages – and have gone through life events together – so this can also be a day to celebrate the love of families we choose. Ask everyone to go around the table with their favourite or funniest memories of your love or marriage, and you’ve got a heartfelt, but also fun, night out.
4. Make Vouchers For Each Other
This is one both of you will appreciate as parents, friends, lovers and partners! After a nice meal or movie together, set a special time to make around 10 (or more) ‘vouchers’ for each other to be used within a year. You can suggest or request for specific vouchers for yourself, the main thing is honesty, reflection and fun!
How about ‘A one-hour back massage’ or ‘A day off from mama duties!’ for a tired mummy, ‘Sexy time’ and ‘More sexy time’ for dads out there, or ‘Discussion dates’ for a time in the future when more serious or weighty troubleshooting conversation is required or desired. You can spend a fair amount of time talking about what you both would actually like or need, and have fun going into disclaimers or the fine print about voucher redemptions!
5. The Five-Year Goals
Some of the most meaningful outings with my husband have been when we make it a point to have discussion dates, where the point of the date is actually deeper conversation. We allow ourselves certain treats, such as wine or desserts, but the goal of the session is actually to tackle specific topics about our relationship or family. There is no meal or movie to distract from the task at hand.
If you are a lucky couple and without any issue or disputes troubling you, you could have very meaningful discussions based on more general or fun topics. Recently, my husband and I had our 10th anniversary and we chose to ask each other what we would like to see, have, eat or do in the next five years. I learned some things about his hopes for the next few years that took me by pleasant surprise! I also have a good idea now about what to get for his birthday, a definite bonus to have. Other conversation topics can range from fun ones like ‘Movies or series we want to watch in the coming year‘ (which will be handy for those nights deciding what to watch) to the more contemplative ‘How can we improve our well-being together?’
These ideas can be used on other occasions and are meaningful and do not cost the world. However you choose to spend Valentine’s Day, have a meaningful one with your loved one, #makchicmumsquad!
By Laych Koh