Celebrating Valentine’s Day Year Round

A few years back our my husband and I committed to celebrating Valentine’s Day year round. Meaning, we took all the fun and thoughtfulness shown on February 14th and carried those actions into our daily routines. This has significantly helped our relationship and our children seeing their parents in a healthy, loving and joy-filled relationship.

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Think about it – showing your significant other that you love him or her is a lovely thing. Why does it have to happen only once a year? Many couples are discovering the art of daily demonstrations of affection, love, and respect. It doesn’t mean you have to go all-out every day; few have the resources for that! But there are things you can do each day to affirm and nourish your relationship.

The key is making these gestures habitual.

Simple ways to start celebrating Valentine’s Day year-round

1. Say “Thank You”

Expressing gratitude is so important in a relationship, even if it’s just a friendship. Thanking your significant other also benefits you, because it opens your eyes to the many ways in which that person augments your life. The more you practice saying “Thank you,” the more you’ll see what the other person does for you. And that will make you happy.

2. Do His/Her Job

Does your mate always take out the garbage? Cook breakfast? Vacuum? Mow the lawn? You probably are aware of what he or she contributes since you’re now taking the time to say “thank you.” So volunteer to do that job yourself one day. Then you might leave a note that says something like, “Don’t worry about doing ____; I’ve taken care of it. Love you!”  This shows your mate that you do notice what he or she does every day, and it’s a load off of their shoulders, too.

3. Gifts

Little things can mean a lot, especially if you make a regular habit of giving them. Obviously, you don’t need to give a gift every day; it starts to lose meaning at that point. But maybe once a month a little gift for no particular reason may be just the thing your partner needs to feel fantastic. When you give a thoughtful gift at some other time in the year, your partner knows you’re not giving because you’re “supposed” to according to the calendar. They know you’re doing it because you want to.

4. Love Notes

Leave a note somewhere that your significant other will find it when you’re not around. Again, you don’t have to do this every day; once a week would be great. If you want to keep him or her guessing, do it on a different day of the week each time.

5. Make Something

Create something special for your love. Surprise him or her with a homemade collage of romantic pictures of both of you, or put together a simple necklace. The key here is to do something that is meaningful and fits the other person’s tastes and personality. It’s also a good idea to make something that signifies or illustrates your relationship, or something unique about your relationship.

The spirit Valentine’s Day – showing love to others – need not be a once-a-year thing. Use this February 14th as the kick-off to a year-round celebration of those you love.