Monday, February 8, 2016

Valentine's Day Plans - The Finishing Touches

     This is the third and final post in my Valentine's Day series.  So far, we have found some terrific knitting and crocheting projects to make for our loved ones.  If you don't knit or crochet, or you opted to skip the homemade project, it may be time to go shopping.  I also offered some meal alternatives to turn your Valentine evening into a stay at home date.  With Valentine's Day being only a week away, it's time to start pulling the entire plan together. 

     If you've taken my advice, you have a plan for a lovely meal at home that won't make you a slave to the kitchen.  Now it's time to make it special.  A candlelit dinner at the dining room table is lovely.  Personally, I am opting for the fireside picnic with finger foods.  However you plan to enjoy your dinner, you want to consider the lighting.  Candles are a wonderful option.  Tealights are inexpensive and easy to set around the house.  As an added bonus, they can help warm up a room on a chilly night.  Just be sure to only have them lit in the room you are occupying so that there's no risk of a fire breaking out while you aren't looking.  If you plan to light candles in the bedroom, make an excuse to go do so right before retiring there for the evening.  If candles aren't your thing, you can pull out some strands of white Christmas lights and string them creatively around the room.  It won't take a lot to give the room a romantic glow. 

    The weather forecast in my area is cold.  Seeing as I'm in North Carolina (not the coldest area of the country by a long shot), I expect that a lot of people are planning their Valentine's Day around some pretty chilly temperatures.  Hopefully you are lucky enough to have a fireplace or wood burning stove at your disposal.  Very romantic and definitely a way to set the mood for a cozy night at home together.  Perhaps you can move your sofa to sit right in front of the fireplace.  Romantic, warm, and an added bonus of keeping distractions out of sight.

     Don't forget the music.  Usually I opt for Pandora via my Roku device.  In this case, I don't want the distraction of the television screen, so I will use some good, old fashioned CD's.  My choice is either traditional classical or Enigma, but this is an area where you are going to have to go with what you and your loved one enjoy.

     If a cozy fire, romantic music, a quiet meal, and a nice bottle of wine isn't enough to keep you entertained for the evening, you might consider a movie or a game.  There's always a romantic movie, or a hundred of them, available on Netflix, Amazon, and Vudu.  Or a simple internet search will turn up lots of romantic board games or card games to play.  This is an evening to do exactly what you and your loved one enjoy. 

     I like to find a silly game for laughing and having fun.  My personal favorite is RoboJam for the PS2.  (Yes, this is a game designed for young children.)  It's silly and entertaining - especially after a bottle of wine.  Like I said, you need to choose what you enjoy doing.  Anything that has my husband and I relaxed and laughing together tends to be a big hit. 

     Did you notice that I didn't mention much in the way of presents?  Valentine's is a day of being with the person you love.  If shopping for expensive presents is your thing, then please, enjoy doing that.  We choose to put some simple flowers on the table, and indulge in a decadent dessert.  The most important thing is to make this a special day that you and your sweetheart will enjoy together.  Everything else is just marketing. 

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