Celebrating Valentine’s Day during a Pandemic
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As many know, Valentine’s Day is celebrated each year on February 14th. This day is used to spread love and appreciation to those important loved ones in your life. Valentine’s Day has been around for a long time but began to become wildly popular in the 17th century and is celebrated around the world in many countries. By the 18th century, it was common for friends, couples, and family members to exchange tokens of affection such as handwritten notes. By the 1900s, printed cards started to become more popular due to the advances in printing technology. This day began as a celebration for the life of St. Valentine who was killed. There are many stories regarding the reason for his death, however, all stories of St. Valentine involve him doing heroic acts to help others and acting as a romantic figure.
Valentine’s Day celebrations this year might look a little different than in prior years due to the current COVID-19 pandemic. Although Valentine’s Day is a fun holiday to get out and enjoy time with your partner, go on dates, or spend time with your loved ones or your children, we still need to be cautious of the current reality that we are in with COVID-19. We need to continue to be safe and social distance whenever possible. That is not to say that there are no additional ways to have fun this Valentine’s Day that does not involve going out into the community.
Some Ways to Celebrate Valentine’s Day While at Home:
This year, you could skip the crowds at restaurants, and make yourself a nice dinner at home for yourself or with a partner. There are many recipes that could be used to try something new or fun. You could also order carryout and enjoy your favorite restaurant from home. This allows you to stay home while also supporting local businesses!
If you are unable to get together with your loved ones this Valentine’s Day, you could try to have a facetime date! Find something in your home to eat and appreciate the company of your loved one over the phone. Although this is not always ideal, this is a fun way to still be able to have a celebration from home. You could also just call your partner, your family, or friends and tell them that you love and appreciate them.
Like any other year, flowers, chocolates, and cheesy cards are great gifts for those you love. You could send your partner or loved one a little something just to show you care!
For Kids:
Valentine’s day is not only for your partner, but also to spread love to anyone in your life such as your kids. There are many different things that you could do to celebrate with kids at home. You could have them choose their favorite meal and make that for them. You could even make the desired dish together to enjoy some fun quality time together. A fun idea would be to make heart-shaped food such as pancakes or pizza!
At dinner or one of your family meals, you could go around the table sharing what you appreciate about each other! This is something very simple that can brighten everyone’s day. This is something that does not take a lot of time or effort but could be very fun and engaging with everyone!
You could also create homemade cards with your loved ones. You could each make someone a card or picture and give it to them on this day. There are many printable worksheets that can guide you as you are making your artwork if you need a little guidance. This is a fun way to get crafty and have fun as a family! Not only could you make cards or pictures, but you could also find fun decorations to make and hang up around your house! This could be a fun way to stay festive while celebrating from your home.
In addition to writing cards or drawing pictures, there are many activities and games you could do to celebrate Valentine’s Day as a family as well. There are many ideas online for fun activities that can get the whole family involved. Even just spending time together and playing a board game could be fun for everyone!
There is no right way to celebrate Valentine’s Day. This day is just about spreading love and appreciation for those in your life. Whether that be a significant other or people in your family such as your children, there are many ways that you can celebrate! Make this day your own and just have fun. Although we are still in this pandemic, that does not mean we cannot still have fun while also staying home and staying safe!
Happy Valentine’s Day! – EVOLVE Family Services
Author: Samantha Potocnik
Samantha is an intern at EVOLVE and a student at the University of Wisconsin River Falls.
Resources:
Ochsner Health
History.com
Wees
