Valentine’s Day is a holiday society has a love/hate relationship with. On one hand, it’s a great opportunity to celebrate your significant other, friends and family and remind them that you love them. It’s also a day that many people look forward to because of receiving sweet, meaningful gifts from the people they care about.
However, for those who are single, asexual or aromantic or are separated from their loved ones, the holiday can be more of a challenge. That doesn’t have to be the case, though — there are plenty of fun ways to celebrate that aren’t centered on romantic relationships or being with loved ones. For those of you who have significant others, a lot of these can make good dates, too.
Get outside
Weather allowing, getting some fresh air and vitamin D while connecting with nature can be a great way to boost your mood and refresh your mind. There’s tons of activities you could do outdoors; you could hike, take a walk through a garden, or have a picnic. Some great spots to visit are J. C. Raulston Arboretum, Lake Johnson park, William B. Umstead State Park and Dorothea Dix Park.
Have a game night
If you have nothing to do on Valentine’s Day, grab a board game to whisk your boredom away. Board games are a great way to have some fun while socializing with friends, family or other members of your community. There are also a ton of fun card games and video games.
If you’re all alone, no sweat — there are card and video games that work just fine with one person. Unfortunately, the NC State library isn’t lending out board games right now due to COVID-19 concerns, but you can grab a variety of video game equipment. You can also find a deck of cards for cheap at a local dollar store and do an internet search for different games that can accommodate one player or multiple players.
Support a local charity
What better way to celebrate a holiday based on love than by showing love to others? There are several organizations in the triangle that support people who deserve to be shown love on Valentine’s Day. Some of the organizations you could support include the LGBT Center of Raleigh, the Raleigh Women’s Center, Food Not Bombs and the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants.
Grab a festive treat
If you’re in need of a pick-me-up, or if you just want to treat yourself, grab a festive dessert. Insomnia Cookies and Krispy Kreme are both offering Valentine’s themed treats and deals and The Cupcake Shoppe on Glenwood Avenue has cupcakes that look absolutely delicious.
Cuddle some kittens
Nothing boosts serotonin like cute animals, and there are plenty of places in the Triangle where you can cuddle them. You can visit kittens at Cause for Paws, a thrift store/animal shelter, while you shop to support a good cause. Purr Cup Cafe and Cat Tales Cat Cafe are two great cafes to grab a bite to eat and hang out with some cats. The best part is, all of these locations offer kitten adoption — If you meet a cat that you just can’t live without, you have the chance to adopt them and become their friend fur-ever.
Be your own valentine
Many people think of Valentine’s Day as a day where you express love for a significant other, but it can — and should — also be a day where you show love to yourself. Write a letter to yourself and discuss the qualities you like in yourself and the things you appreciate in life. Or, take some time to do some self-care, whatever that may look like for you. Don’t be afraid to go the extra mile and buy yourself flowers and chocolate. Why shouldn’t you be your own valentine? You’re deserving of the holiday, whether you’re in a relationship or not.
Go ice skating
Ice skating is one of those classic date activities, but it doesn’t have to be romantic. Grab some friends, or just yourself, and head to an ice skating rink to test out your skills. With the Winter Olympics underway, it’s the perfect time to unleash your inner figure skater. Some ice rinks close to campus are Polar Ice House of Cary and Polar IcePlex in Raleigh.
Perform random acts of kindness
Have you ever had someone do something nice for you that made your day better, even if it was just something small? Well, now you can use Valentine’s Day as an excuse to pay it forward and make someone else’s day better. The Random Acts of Kindness foundation has suggestions of simple things you can do to improve the world we live in.
Grab a heart-shaped pizza, your favorite dessert and watch a movie
Sometimes, the best way to celebrate and take care of yourself is to treat yourself to a night in where all you have to do is eat some good food, watch a movie and sit on the couch in your pajamas. If this sounds like a fun way to spend your Valentine’s Day, Papa Johns and Pizza Hut usually offer heart-shaped pizzas for Valentine’s Day and Aldi has sold take-home heart-shaped pizzas in the past as well. If you need movie recommendations, check out Technician’s recent article on the picks for the 94th Oscars.
Be impulsive, do something you’ve always wanted to do but were never brave enough to do
Life is too short to spend it regretting the things we didn’t do. If there’s a tattoo or piercing you’ve always wanted to get, use Valentine’s Day as motivation to get it. If you’ve been thinking about dyeing your hair, do it. If there’s someone in your life who you’ve been wanting to spend more time with, reach out to them. If you’re interested in someone in your class, say “hi” and ask them out.
Whatever you do, just try to do something that makes you smile and say, “I can’t believe I just did that!” Triple Moon Tattoo and Phoenix Tattoo offer tattoos and Hillsborough St Tattoo and Body Piercing and Conspiracy Ink offer both tattoos and body piercings. Sam and Bill’s Hair Designs offers hair coloring. If you want more temporary alternatives, stores like Inkbox sell quality and realistic temporary tattoos, you can find fake piercings for cheap on Amazon, and companies like Lime Crime and Overtone make good semi-permanent hair dye and coloring conditioners.
So if you’re single or alone this Valentine’s Day, that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate. Valentine’s isn’t just about candy valentines and flowers anymore — it’s about showing love toward yourself and the people you care about.
