How to Celebrate Valentines when you are alone

How are you spending Valentine’s Day this year? Alone?, no matter, here is how you can celebrate Valentines when you are alone and still have a fantastic time. As much as I love the idea behind Valentines Day, I feel like over the years it has lost its appeal because now its over commercialised with companies pushing product in your face that I rarely celebrate it on the day if at all. I would much love show someone my love every day than just one day a year and even in the past when I have celebrated it, I loved it being low key. That is not to say I don’t like going to restaurants but would much rather spend it at home.

This year though Valentine’s Day is going to be extremely different for many people due to being in lockdown and people are wondering how they will spend the ‘special day’. If like me you will spend the day alone, here is how to celebrate Valentines when you are alone. You can make the day as special as you want it to be or maybe you want something lowkey but still something you can enjoy. Until a friend asked me what I was planning for Valentines I actually didn’t think much about it until then and gave me an idea for this post. So, however you choose to celebrate this day, I am sharing some tips for those who like me will be spending it alone.

How to Celebrate Valentines when you are alone

At the beginning of the first lockdown, many of us experienced what its like spending your birthday alone, having done it many times (by choice) it wasn’t unusual for me. I have also in the past talked about what it’s like being single on Valentine’s Day and shared some of the things I did on the day which I quite enjoyed. You see, Valentine’s Day is just like any other day and you can spend it however you like. It is a day dedicated to lovers but it didn’t say I couldn’t show that same love to myself and treat myself how I would treat a special lover.

When I was in primary school, we used to be obsessed with making Valentine’s Day cards heart shaped and writing either our parent’s names or some boy we fancied. It was cute back then but now I just find it tedious and would much rather skip the whole thing and just enjoy a nice meal at home with the people that I love. A lot of lovers this year will be spending valentines alone and for some this is unbearable and for others this is nothing new. The ideas I share in this post are for everyone whether you are in a relationship or not.

Dinner for One

I know and understand that eating is a social event and people would much rather eat with someone than alone and this boggles my mind. Every since I started solo travelling, I have had to learn how to eat by myself whether in a restaurant or throw myself a little picnic at the beach. The point is, eating alone is not the end of the world and it can be quite enjoyable. You can prepare a 3-course meal for yourself, add some candle lights and pour yourself your favourite drink and be happy.

I remember my trip to Brno, Czech Republic I went to a restaurant alone around Valentine’s Day and ordered a 3-meal course. The restaurant wasn’t busy so I attracted a lot of attention eating alone and truly digging into my food, the waitress asked me if I didn’t find it lonely eating alone. If she had asked me a few years prior, my answer would have been yes but 2 years into my solo trip, I actually looked forward to eating alone, at peace and enjoying my food.

Watch a romantic movie otherwise horror is great too

I am a romantic at heart and love nothing more than seeing my favourite characters get together in the end, we all cry a little but laugh a lot. The feel good movies are always the best when you are alone but I know for some people this might have a negative impact on them so I encourage you to watch a horror movie instead. Everyone functions differently, some want goodie movies and others want something to make them forget their predicament.

If neither horror or romantic movies are your cup of tea, there is always cartoons and thrillers. I always rotate between thrillers and my favourite cartoons especially when I don’t feel the need to watch romantic comedies. The point is, watch something that will make you happy and not make you wallow in self pity because that’s not good for anyone least of all you. Enjoy the joys that comes with being alone.

Call your other single friends

If you are down in the dumps its possible your single friend is too so why not pick up the phone and cheer each other up? I have a lot of really good friends who are single as well and we love nothing more than chatting up a storm every single time when we connect and its never boring. Sometimes I often wonder after so many years of friendship how we still have things to talk about and we still have momentum for each conversation.

These days technology is our friend, arrange date nights with your girls on zoom and eat together if that works for you all. Sometimes just watching the same movie and seeing each other’s reaction is also something you can do whilst connected on zoom and watching Netflix Party. There are so many things you can do when you connect with your friends even virtually.