Whether you’re celebrating together or apart, Valentine’s Day will certainly be different this year. That said, there’s no reason why you can’t go on a virtual date with your loved one or treat your partner to a romantic gift through the post. Here are some ideas to help you celebrate during lockdown in February 2021…
AT-HOME ACTIVITIES FOR TWO
If you live with your partner, it’s going to be so much easier to celebrate with them than if you live apart. But don’t worry there are other options for distanced dates below! My favourite kind of date is one where we’re doing an activity together, so I’m pleased to discover that there ate plenty of at-home options. Doesn’t online chocolate truffle making sound decadent? Via My Chocolate, you can get a truffle-making kit delivered and you can both learn to make truffles together via a webinar, and then enjoy scoffing the chocs, yum! There are plenty of online lessons on the Red Letter Days website, from French cuisine classis with Michel Roux Jr and cocktail-making masterclasses to online painting lessons.
LONG DISTANCE DATES
If you live apart from your loved one, don’t worry – you can still have a Valentine’s date online. Of course, you’re probably used to video calling each other so why not arrange an activity to enjoy while you chat? At Christmas I did an online escape room challenge with Bewilder Box as a distanced ‘Christmas party’ with my friends and it was so much fun. I recommend booking an online escape room where you both log into the virtual challenge from your respective homes and try to solve the mystery together. Or if you’re single, why not get a bunch of your friends together to do a 6- or 8-person escape room on Valentine’s Day instead? It’s such a fun activity to do together!
FOODIE DELIVERIES
For a real at-home Valentine’s treat, why not order an afternoon tea hamper for two? Instead of booking an afternoon tea in a fancy hotel, you can lay the table with your best crockery at home and unwrap a selections of mini cakes, quiches, scones and tea from a company like Piglet’s Pantry. If that’s not your kind of thing, how about a make-your-own pizza and popcorn box? Ingredients will be delivered to your door so that you can both make your own favourite pizzas and enjoy a film night on the sofa.
GIFTS BY POST
Again, if you live separately from your partner, you might want to surprise them with a gift – but how can you safely deliver it to them? Well, you can’t visit their home or garden during lockdown so the best idea is to arrange a gift delivery online. Rather than ordering flowers or food that will spoil or spill, my suggestion for a romantic gift is a house plant delivery. Plants and succulents such as this pretty pink plant gang from The Little Botanical will last considerably longer than a bunch of flowers – and it’s likely that they’ll still be growing (and going strong!) when you are eventually reunited with your loved one later in the year.
LIVESTREAM THEATRE SHOWS
This is something I’m doing myself this Valentine’s Day – I’ve booked a livestream show through my local theatre. My husband and I would usually treat each other to tickets for a show rather than exchanging gifts so I thought I would try to do the same thing this year. I found a range of livestream shows via my local theatre Ipswich Regent and I booked tickets for Gyles Brandreth Meets Joanna Lumley, which is taking place on Valentine’s day itself. You can find other livestream events on Valentine’s Day and beyond via the Fane website or through your local theatre, which helps to support them while they’re closed.
If you live apart from your loved one, you could always buy two tickets so that you can each watch the show from your own homes, while keeping FaceTime open for pre-show and interval chats. I’d recommend grabbing a couple of £2 Livestream tickets for The Covid Arms comedy club and posting the code to your loved one in their Valentine’s card. Then you can both watch the show on the 20th February together-but-apart, giving you both another fun date to look forward to.
DIGTIAL DANCING
I think there’s nothing more romantic than dancing with your partner so one of the things I most want to do for Valentine’s weekend is to take an online dance class with Strictly star Oti Mabuse. She and her husband have a special session planned to teach students how to waltz via via Zoom on Saturday 13th. Or on Sunday 14th, you can learn to Rumba with Aljaz and Janette from Strictly via DesignMyNight. My husband and I got the chance to dance at the Blackpool Tower Ballroom for Valentine’s Day many years ago (evidence below!) and I wish we had known how to waltz back then! Can you imagine anything more romantic than being whisked around a dance floor like a princess? Or is that just me??
What will you be doing this Valentine’s Day? I’d love to hear what distanced dates or at-home treats you’ve got planned so please leave me a comment below 🙂
PIN IT FOR LATER
Some items in this blog post have been gifted to me and the pink links indicate a gifted product, affiliate link or information source. All thoughts and opinions in this post are based on my own experience and I am not responsible for your experience 🙂
