Valentine’s Day is an easy holiday to throw together. Christmas takes weeks and even months to prepare for, and hosting Thanksgiving dinner is an “all-hands-on-deck” occasion. But Valentine’s Day can be pulled together in minutes. Since having children, my husband and I choose to forego the romantic crowded restaurants and celebrate Valentine’s Day as a family. If you have a few minutes, here are a few quick ideas that I use to show my family the love.
The Heart “Attack”:
We’ve done this several ways, but the idea is the same:
- I cut out tons of hearts from red and pink construction paper.
- The goal is to write a reason you love that family member on every heart.
- When the kids were little, my hubby and I would each grab a stack and get to work.
- We “attack” them in different ways each year. The first time we snuck into their rooms while they were asleep and placed the hearts all over the bed and floor. We have taped them to the outside of their bedroom door. We’ve even “attacked” dad’s truck cab so he found all the reasons we love him as he headed out the door to work.
- When the kids were younger, we would ask them why they loved each member of the family and we would scribe for them.
- Now that they are older, they are responsible for their own stack of hearts.
I don’t know about you, but anything handwritten from my little tribe makes my heart go to pieces.
The Food:
Our family tradition is to start each holiday with theme pancakes. For Valentine’s Day, we also try to do a special or unique dinner. The main course fluctuates, but it is still something out of the ordinary. We have some picky eaters at home, so typically we make them a heart-shaped pizza or spaghetti. I will also make crab legs and lobster tail for the diners with a more advanced palate {aka my husband and me!].
The star of the Valentine’s dinner at home has to be the fondue dessert. We do a typical chocolate fondue and let the kids dip anything their hearts desire. Our favorites are Rice Krispies and pretzels.
The Music:
After the kids get home from school, we crank the music. Instead of romantic love songs, we create playlists of songs that mention the words “love” and “heart”. The kids think it is hilarious and it exposes them to some artists and genres that they might not always hear on the radio. Some of our favorites are:
- Love Shack-The B-52’s
- All You Need Is Love-The Beatles
- Crazy Little Thing Called Love- Queen
- This Love- Maroon 5
- Could You Be Loved- Bob Marley
- My Love- Justin Timberlake
- Where is the Love- Black Eyed Peas
- Can’t Help Falling in Love- Elvis Presley
- All 4 Love- Color Me Badd
A quick google search will produce hundreds of song choices. We start the music playing while the kids go through their school valentine’s and try to keep the theme music on through dinner. It literally costs us $0 and takes seconds. My kids think this is the best part.
Family Time:
We wrap up the festivities with some family time. We usually let the kids pick between a game or a movie. We are a pretty competitive family and so most often times we end up playing Uno now. When the kids were little, we would all curl up on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and a movie.
And there you have it. For a few minutes of prep work, you can make this Valentine’s Day extra sweet for your little sweethearts!
What ways do you show the love on Valentine’s Day?
