I know that when it comes to Valentine’s Day, a lot of people feel that it’s a “commercial holiday” and not one that is about true love. But personally, I say that how you feel about Valentine’s Day depends on your perspective. I think it’s a fun celebration and one that can bring couples together – I know for a fact that The Gamer Bloke and I always manage to have fun on Valentine’s Day. We treat it as just another day but with a few added extras involved.

 

There’s a common misconception that Valentine’s Day is simply about showing your partner that you care about them, and a lot of people dislike this concept as they feel that love should be shared all year around when actually that is not what Valentine’s Day is about. It’s about celebrating the love that you share with your partner and actually taking the time to show them how much you care – it’s a day for making more effort, which is something that I think makes Valentine’s Day amazing.

 

Keen to show your partner how much you care this Valentine’s Day and have the most amazing day? Below are some of my favourite tips and ideas for doing that…

 

Find that perfect card

 

Buying a Valentine’s Day card isn’t about finding the largest card that you can see, it’s about picking a card that is cute, quirky and has a link to your relationship. Look for something that you know will make your partner smile – something that has meaning.

 

For instance, The Gamer Bloke and I always used to joke mouthing ‘Olive Juice’ as it looks like you’re saying ‘I love you’. Anyhow, a couple of years ago, I found the perfect Valentine’s Card that has two olives on it and ‘Olive Juice’ written on it. The Gamer Bloke loved it because it had a personal link to our relationship to it.

 

Choose a cute gift

 

When it comes to giving a Valentine’s Day gift, it can get pretty difficult when you’ve been together for a while as you’ve already done all the cliches, and need to start getting a little more creating and sourcing gifts that you know will be a big hit.

 

When it comes to gift giving, I personally love finding personalised options, as I think that these add an extra layer to the gift, and show how much time and thought has gone into them. Surprisingly, personalised gifts don’t have to be too expensive – I recently found out that Card Factory also sells a selection of personalised gifts, and they’re really lovely. They’re affordable in addition to being really cute and quirky.

 

It’s the little things

 

I also feel that in addition to treating your partner to a cute card and a little gift, it’s essential that you think about how else you can make the day special for you both. Personally, I love planning fun activities to do – things that perhaps you wouldn’t normally make time for. One year, we planned a fancy meal out, which was fun, but I prefer beach walks and salty chips, road trips to faraway cities, movie marathons, or board game days. Valentine’s Day is just another day, but it’s also the perfect excuse to spend some one-on-one time together.

 

One year, The Gamer Bloke surprised me with breakfast in bed and a homemade three-course meal. It was a lovely day because we had the chance to spend lots of time together, having a laugh and celebrating how we wanted to.

 

There you have it, a few tips and ideas for how you can plan the perfect Valentine’s Day celebration.