Valentine's Day Alternatives for the Too-Tired-to-Celebrate

In this article:
Have Good Food, Will Watch Anything
Treat Yourself!
Delegate, Delegate, Delegate
Write a Love Letter
Cook an "Interesting" Meal Together
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If you're finding the lace and late-night expectations to celebrate Valentine's Day daunting, here are some great ways to validate a couple's togetherness once they've launched their "real life" journey.

What has happened to Valentine's Day? I seem to remember—though it may be from a previous life—it being a day when my husband and I would go to dinner, maybe even a late movie. And let's not forget . . . there were gifts! My favorite: the biggest chocolate-covered strawberries you could imagine from a well-known local chocolate store.

Nowadays, however, the holiday seems to come and go without fanfare (or strawberries). First, I'm too tired to celebrate. Second, just the sight of the latest trend in Valentine's Day attire in the window of Victoria's Secret puts me in a panic to get on the treadmill that I neither own nor have time to use.

I would like to propose some new Valentine's Day traditions for couples who are too tired to make it through a late-night movie, too frazzled to remember to water the bouquet that might arrive, and/or too uncomfortable at this point in their lives to don a see-through pair of thong underwear.

Have Good Food, Will Watch Anything

Go with your spouse to the movie rental store and split up. Each of you can pick out whatever movie you would like to see, but you must agree that you will each willingly watch each other's selection together. Order your favorite meal via take-out. Curl up in front of your movies—better yet, in front of your movies and in bed, and enjoy an evening filled with food and storylines that have nothing to do with Barney or Spaghettios.

Treat Yourself!

I truly believe that at some point, you have to stop waiting for others to fulfill your every desire. If you've been waiting for years for the "little blue box" (and I think you all know to which "little blue box" I'm referring), start saving to buy yourself the most inexpensive thing you can find in that store, have it wrapped, and "surprise" yourself! It's so important to remind yourself how important you are to you.

I informed my husband last week that this year for the big V-Day, he would be giving me the gift of highlights. We live in Chicago, it's going to be grey for the next two months, and darn it, I need some brightness in my hair, if nowhere else! Drop some subtle—or not so subtle—hints to your husband as to gifts you would truly appreciate: a manicure, a massage, or maybe even a cleaning service, which leads me to my next suggestion . . .