Hot, Holy & Humorous

Valentine’s Day for the Rest of Us

Arrow & heart illustration

Two weeks ago, I posted ideas for what to get your hubby for Valentine’s Day, and last week, I tried to help out the hubbies with How to Shop for Lingerie. I have noticed that quite a bit is made of this holiday by married couples and marriage bloggers.

All that said, my husband and I don’t celebrate it much. We might give each other a card or a piece of candy, but that’s about it. My husband is not particularly romantic, and I don’t get particularly excited about holidays.

So what about this day of love and romance for those of us who aren’t quite as moved by it all? Here are some ideas.

Choose a different day to celebrate.

If Valentine’s Day strikes you as a contrived holiday conspiracy involving florists, candy makers, and Hallmark, then choose a different day to celebrate your special love with your mate. No one said you must celebrate on February 14 or else! The important thing is to honor your relationship with a little extra oomph.

We did this with my anniversary. My anniversary falls on one of those dates that ended up colliding with other family events and got lost in the shuffle. A few years back, my husband and I started celebrating on a different date that has personal meaning to us. Who cares that it isn’t the official day? It is special to us, and we express our wedding bliss on our chosen date.

Celebrate a different holiday altogether.

Paul Byerly of Generous Husband made me aware of the alternative celebration, concocted by men of course, of Steak & BJ Day (March 14, if you’re marking your calendar). But there are plenty of other holidays that are perfectly good times to bring out the romantic or sexy in your marriage. Here are a few suggestions:

  • January 21 – National Hugging Day. It’s for hugging whomever, but embracing your spouse is particularly nice.
  • March 16 – Lips Appreciation Day. What would be better on this holiday than to appreciate your mate’s lips and let him appreciate yours?
  • May 4 – Star Wars Day. I kept this small photo from a Twitter follower of Hot, Holy & Humorous because I absolutely love it! It just says love to me: Your hobby is my hobby. May the 4th be with you!
Yes, I want these.
  • June 22 – Wife Appreciation Day. Get your hubby to circle this day on the calendar and plan out how he can make you feel especially loved. (If he asks when Husband Appreciation Day is, tell him it was yesterday. Didn’t he notice all the nice stuff you did for him?)
  • July 14 – National Nude Day. I suggest staying home for this one, but make the most of it!
  • September 19 – International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Aaarrrghh! Grab your randy cap’n and make lust (that’s Piratese for “make love”).

Dare to be different.

If all the hoopla of chocolate, cards, flowers, sexy lingerie, etc. just isn’t your thing . . . do something different. You and your spouse get to define what is romantic and enjoyable to you.

While everyone else is at a restaurant cooing over candlelight, pack a picnic and go on a hike; cue up the DVD player for an Indiana Jones marathon; play a board game with your spouse; have a quickie in the closet. Whatever floats your boat. It’s your celebration, your day to celebrate the joy of having your mate in your life.

Make it fun for the kids.

If you are parents, you can make Valentine’s Day a family day. Help your children prepare the valentines that they will give their friends and schoolmates. Bake heart-shaped cookies together, and then distribute and/or eat them. Buy some treats or put together gift baskets to give to the older members of your church or to your neighbors and hand them out together. Tell your kids the story of St. Valentine, a priest who continued to wed couples after the emperor passed a law forbidding marriage ceremonies; it is in his honor that this holiday celebrating romantic love emerged.

Ignore it.

At your own peril, of course. My caveat: My husband and I largely ignoring Valentine’s Day is a mutual decision.

If you are married to someone who cares greatly about Valentine’s Day, and you don’t think you should celebrate . . . get over yourself. Stop reading this post and go shopping. Right. Now. If it’s important to your spouse today to receive a reminder of your love, why wouldn’t you do that? It’s a small investment with big returns, and more importantly it’s the principle of the “Golden Rule”: Treat your spouse the way you would want to be treated (see Matthew 7:12).

If you celebrators still need ideas, check out my post on what to get your husband for V-Day, or one of these great posts:

Now share how you non-celebrators find a way to express your appreciation for your spouse. What are your alternatives to the standard Valentine’s Day?

Sources: Holidays Calendar; Days of the Year

14 thoughts on “Valentine’s Day for the Rest of Us”

  1. I love the “Wife Appreciation Day”! 😛 Personally, I love holidays and celebrating for no reason or for just a little reason, so I’m always up for inventing a holiday if need be!

  2. Whilst I obviously welcome people celebrating Valentines Day (how could I not running romanceneverdies.com!) I prefer to practise its message during the rest of the year. We had a great day out on Sunday and will do something again this weekend. So long as you practise your love regularly who needs one particular date.

    Hope you have a great one J
    Grace

  3. We decided to switch up Feb 14th and March 14th. So today is BJ & steak day and we might celebrate Valentine’s on March 14th, or maybe we’ll just celebrate that day again. Hubby’s already happy today. *wink* Guess I should go get the steak out of the freezer so it can marinade…….

  4. On a cold winter night, how about the DVD of the “Fireplace” come candles and wine…. some coconut oil……

  5. My husband and I love celebrating every chance we get and we tried to make Valentine’s special this year: we did dinner out at our favorite pizza place and watched one of our favorite TV shows, and then over the weekend, I had planned a surprise getaway trip. Unfortunately it didn’t go as well as planned since I got really sick, but we did get to make use of our in-room Jacuzzi.

    However, I liked your suggestions, and I especially liked the “I love you. I know” rings. I’d like those too. When I purchased a wedding band for my husband, I had “Live, Love, and Prosper” engraved on the inside, a play on the “Live Long and Prosper” from Star Trek. Unfortunately it was the wrong size and I had to send it back and they never received it and I didn’t get a refund, but someday in the future, I’d like to have his band engraved or get a new band for him with that engraved.

  6. Pingback: Does He Just Want Sex for Valentine’s Day? | Hot, Holy & Humorous

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