Valentine’s Day At Home

This year many of us will be celebrating Valentine’s Day at home, rather than making a reservation at our favorite restaurant or having a night out. Honestly, for us, spending Valentine’s Day at home isn’t a new thing. We don’t really like crowds or prix fixe menus, so we save our date night for another time. But, we still celebrate Valentine’s Day. Our celebrations look a little different year to year, but there are a few fun things you can do for a special Valentine’s Day at home.

7 Ideas for a Special Valentine’s Day at Home

Decorate Your Home to Make It Feel More Festive

I know not everyone is a fan of seasonal decorating, but I am! I love to decorate for Valentine’s Day to make the house feel a little more festive and special. Decorating for Valentine’s Day at home can be as simple as lighting a few candles and buying flowers, to hanging banners and switching to pink heart pillows. Personally, I like to decorate my mantle (which is now a bar cabinet off the kitchen) in pinks and reds. It’s a simple display, but it makes the house a little more festive. I will also decorate the table for dinner on Valentine’s Day with candlesticks and our nice glassware. 

Dress Up

The term “dress up” is totally subjective. For some that may mean a dress and heels, or a nicer top. For me, it means wearing pink and my over-the-knee heart socks. I want my outfit to be special and clearly for Valentine’s Day, but I also want to be comfortable. Wear whatever makes the occasion feel more special to you! The point is, if you pick your outfit for the day, it helps set the mood and attitude for celebrating at home.

Plan a Special At Home Dinner Menu

Planning a special dinner in advance helps Valentine’s Day at home feel more exciting and gives you a delicious meal to look forward to. This can be a recipe that you’ve found online or that has significant meaning in your relationship. It could also mean buying “fancier” ingredients for a dinner that you typically make. Why settle for regular steak when you could have filet mignon! I guarantee it’s still cheaper than any restaurant steak. Speaking of restaurants, you could of course still do takeout! Just remember that a lot of other people may be doing the same thing, or restaurants may by prix fixe, so plan ahead of time. Jesse and I love to cook a special “fancy” dinner for Valentine’s Day, or any special occasion, at home. And by Jesse and I, I mean Jesse cooks. I mostly drink wine and watch. Our go-to is usually filet mignon, with whipped potatoes and asparagus. One year, Jesse made an amazing dish with mussels in a white wine sauce.

Also, dinner doesn’t have to be a fancy “just the two of you” thing. For the past two years we’ve made homemade pizzas with the girls. Daniel Tiger (a character from a preschool cartoon) makes pizza with his family for “Love Day,” so that makes it special for them. After they go to bed we usually open a bottle of wine and have charcuterie.

Splurge on Dessert

The best thing about Valentine’s Day at home? You get as much dessert as you want! We go all out in the chocolate department. I usually make chocolate covered strawberries and Jesse makes these dark chocolate soufflés that are to die for! Plus, giving each other candy is a timeless Valentine’s tradition, so there’s usually some other dark chocolate, gummies and heart-shaped SweetTarts involved. I’ve seen a lot of fun Valentine’s “treat boards” floating around online and I may make one of those for all of us to enjoy.

Buy a New Game to Play

Jesse and I love playing board games for our weekly at home date nights, so it’s pretty common that we will play a game after the kids go to bed. Our favorites are Monopoly, Villainous, Lost Cities and Splendor. Actually, last year our gifts to each other for Valentine’s Day were new board games. Playing games together is a great way to connect and have a little fun without the distraction of a screen. 

Celebrate Valentine’s Day at Home All Day

Since I stay home with the girls, I usually go all out and celebrate Valentines from the moment they wake up. I like to make a special breakfast, like pink pancakes or heart-shaped French toast. We usually watch a Valentine’s Day themed episode of one of their shows. Our favorites are Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood – It’s Love Day and Pinkalicious and Peterrific – Pink Love. I also set aside time for the girls to make valentines. They usually make them for each other, Jesse and I on actual Valentine’s Day and we send out cards to grandparents a few days before. We read books about love and talk about things that we love. I cut PB&J’s into hearts. Then we make our pizzas and have lots of desserts. Jesse and I also buy the girls little gifts for Valentine’s Day, like a book or a small toy. Last year, Jesse brought home flowers for all of us and the girls got a real kick out of that. Since Valentine’s Day is on a Sunday this year, we will all be home together to celebrate!

Create a Tradition

My absolute favorite thing about any holiday is the opportunity to create a tradition and lasting memories with my family. I want my girls, and myself, to always have something to look forward to and be excited about when a holiday rolls around. It’s not that much additional work for me to put a little food coloring in the pancakes or cut sandwich shapes and it’s so worth it to see the kids’ faces. But traditions aren’t just for people with kids! A tradition could be watching a certain movie or eating a certain food. For a few years we watched The Fast and the Furious every Valentine’s Day. Not sure why, but it was fun! 

Spending Valentine’s Day at home doesn’t have to be boring or disappointing. With a little bit of planning, a fun attitude and a lot of chocolate, you can have just as nice of a time at home as you do going out. Maybe even more!