Valentine’s Day is around the corner, and celebration planning is in full swing. Whether you’re celebrating with a partner or spending some time with yourself, going for a “Galentine’s Day” brunch with friends or giving a little extra love to your family, Valentine’s Day is an opportunity to spend your time showing the important people in your life that you love them. Cute Valentine’s Day ideas are traditionally marketed towards couples, but we believe this day is a reason to show your love in many different ways.
So, we’re going through Valentine’s Day ideas for every type of love, giving you gift and celebration suggestions that will allow you to love in whatever way with your favourite, most beloved people beside you.
Self-Love
Taking “treat yourself” to a whole new level, self-love is an important aspect of Valentine’s Day no matter who you’re celebrating with. You can show yourself love in so many small forms that will make celebrating this special day fill your heart with joy. Doing little things for your mind and body, like showing yourself love in the form of patience, self-care, gratitude, and movement seem like small steps, but those thoughtful moments make a difference in how your day plays out.
Better yet, do something extra special for yourself like taking yourself out for dinner, trying a new hike, or experiencing a new outing. We love Loga’s Corner for a solo date, a Parkdale hidden gem serving up some of the best momos we’ve ever had. Who says you can’t take yourself on a date?
Pet Love
Pets are a massive part of our customers’ lives (and ours), and we think they deserve some extra Valentine’s Day love just as much as any human does. Spending time with your pets could easily fall into the self-love category of cute Valentine’s Day ideas, but we think your furry friends deserve their own special spot in your hearts and celebrations. Valentine’s Day gift ideas aren’t reserved for just the love interests in your life – consider getting your furry family members a token of love through new toys, or one of Made You Look’s custom engraved tags! We’ve even seen people get matching engraved sets for themselves and their pets, and the options are endless for how to spend your quality time on this special day, although snuggles are probably preferred.
Partner Plans
Valentine’s Day was built around the notion of couples celebrating together, so partner plans are the most common way to celebrate for those who are in relationships. Spending time together doesn’t have to be anything extravagant. We like to reimagine traditional Valentine’s Day plans, and suggest getting creative with dates, searching for Valentine’s Day craft ideas to work on together, or experiencing something new altogether. Spending your energy on creativity or getting out of your comfort zone is a way that couples can connect, so save the dinner dates for another day and try something you’ve never done! When it comes to couple gifts, the classic go-to flowers and chocolates will always do the trick, but you can think outside the (jewellery) box and consider heart-shaped jewellery or a sentimental piece that your loved one can wear to remember your love all year round.
For a new and exciting activity to try in the city, check out the new giant maze at Evergreen Brick Works! It spans over 14,000 square feet and stands 7 feet tall, the largest structure of its kind made in Canada.
Valentine’s Day with Friends
Friends are the people who are always going to be in your corner and are deserving of some extra love on special holidays. Galentine’s Day is a popular Valentine’s rebrand for those celebrating while single, and has taken off into a fun way for friend groups to find reasons to celebrate Valentine’s Day and their love for each other. You could get creative and throw a party where everyone brings a “love” themed drink, or have everyone dress up as their celebrity crush, but there are so many ways to celebrate together that being single on this holiday really isn’t a bad thing.
When it comes to gifts, you can go simple with their favourite candies or a hand-written letter about what you love about them. We often see besties come into our store to get friendship bracelets with the new and quickly growing trend of permanent bracelets, a twist on the classic sign of shared friendship with an elevated edge.
Family Fun
Family love is a special kind, and finding ways to communicate that through celebrations and acts of love can be tricky when the holiday is traditionally centered around romantic love. Whether it’s planning a game night, cooking a meal together, or simply sending a text to the family group chat wishing everyone a happy and love-filled day, don’t forget to include your family in your thoughts, and let them know you love them.
We love a game night at Snakes and Lattes, the perfect place for a family get-together of all ages.
Valentine’s Day is about more than just couples and sappy Rom Coms, because love extends further than romance and dating. It is a day to celebrate all kinds of love, and to be reminded of the love that you have in your life. No matter who you’re shopping for (yes, it can include yourself), we invite you to visit us in store at 1388 Queen Street West to do some Valentine’s Day gift perusing, and share with us what type of love you’re celebrating this year!
Happy Valentine’s Day,
With lots of love from the Made You Look Team