What’s a foolproof way to have a stress-free date on Valentine’s Day?
STAY HOME!
Going out on a fancy date on Valentine’s Day is stressful. You have to have it together way in advance so you can get the reservation you want. If you have kids, you have to arrange childcare. Then when the time comes, you have to rush home from work and get dressed up to schlep to wherever you made your dinner reservation back at Christmastime.
Then when you arrive at your Valentine’s Day date destination, it’s rarely an enjoyable experience. Restaurants are overcrowded on Valentine’s Day. Even the chilliest places get amped up for the big day. And this includes the waitstaff, who is often at its wit’s end by the time you show up at 6:00 pm (no shade – I would have stormed out by 5:00 pm). Add to this “magical” and “romantic” atmosphere that the menu is reduced to a prix fixe that is about double what you would spend any other night of the year and you’ll want to get out of there pronto. Which is good, because the restaurant doesn’t want you to dilly dally.
It is easier, cheaper, and much less stressful to just have your Valentine’s Day date at home. Want a stress-free Valentine’s Day date? Follow these tips for Cupid’s bliss!
The food
Keep the food low key, but slightly out of the ordinary. If you do this, it still feels special, but it doesn’t cause undue stress. This is the whole point of staying home on Valentine’s Day. If you have a conflict over the dinner hour (one of you is scheduled to work late, your kid has a basketball game, it’s your turn to help your dad get to bed), don’t be afraid to pivot. Make a nice breakfast that you can enjoy together before the kids wake up or plan to meet back at home for lunch. If you’re sticking with dinner, you can choose to order takeout or make your meal yourself.
Should you decide to go the takeout route, you don’t need to make it fancy. Steak doesn’t travel well anyway. Just pick a place that is maybe slightly nicer than normal or just something you don’t get once a month. If all else fails, Domino’s makes heart-shaped pizzas on Valentine’s Day.
Don’t go crazy if you choose to make a homemade meal on Valentine’s Day. If you both love steak but your kids won’t touch it, then by all means make steak. But don’t think you need a multicourse meal. The meal is more about quality time than fancy food – don’t forget this important point. I think I’m going to make pork chops this year. No particular reason, these lemon butter pork chops from How Sweet Eats just look good to me.
The drink
Go a little special with your beverage for your at-home Valentine’s Day date. Special doesn’t mean expensive and it doesn’t mean alcoholic either. Just have something to drink with your Valentine’s Day dinner that you wouldn’t normally have on a weeknight.
You can pop a bottle of champagne or uncork a bottle of the good wine you keep for when you invite your boss to your house. Another option would be to make a fun cocktail or mocktail. I had a delicious cocktail recently on one of our rare date nights that involved chai-infused bourbon, honey, and lemon that I’ve been wanting to re-create. That could easily be made into a mocktail if you nix the bourbon and do like iced chai tea with honey and lemon. Yum!
The fun
Don’t force yourself to do something romantic during your at-home Valentine’s Day date. Think about what you and your partner most like to do and do that. Dial up the Netflix and find a movie that appeals to both your tastes. Bust out that dusty Monopoly box and get cut-throat. Slap on your headsets and go head-to-head playing a video game. Whatever sounds like fun to you and your partner is the perfect thing to do to make your stress-free Valentine’s Day date a success.
The present
Everyone’s expectations around presents on Valentine’s Day are different. You can exchange large gifts with your partner or you can simply swap cards. And don’t feel like you have to get the sappy card. My husband typically goes to the store and finds the most ridiculous picture on the front of a card and gets that one. It can have a Valentine’s Day sentiment, but it often doesn’t. I once got a card with a cow with its tongue out with Happy Birthday crossed out and Happy Valentine’s Day handwritten in its place. I truly never know what I’m going to get, and that’s part of the fun. Other than the card, we keep it pretty minimal with the presents on Valentine’s Day, if we decide to even exchange gifts at all. This works for us, but you do what works for you!
If you’re stuck, everyone is happy with a little chocolate in my experience. You can opt for a classic red heart-shaped box of chocolates that you can pick up at the grocery store. Another option is to find a local chocolatier and make your own box based on your partner’s preferences. If your partner doesn’t have a sweet tooth, then please abandon the chocolate idea and go in the savory direction. I know my husband would love to receive a bundle of beef jerky on Valentine’s Day.
Most importantly, don’t put too much pressure on Valentine’s Day. It’s just one day of the year. You have 365 other days this year (thank you, leap year) to show your spouse how much you love him or her.