The image of the love of 2 women and 1 male who is jealous of each other.
If you were a public relations professional Valentine’s Day may be a poser.
How do you couch it in the 21st century without being all about gifts, flowers, and restaurant dinners for two? Because these days, not everyone is chasing romance.
Instead, people are celebrating love as a concept. And that could mean many different things to different people.
Some choose to express this with family, friends, friends with benefits or even themselves. As the world changes, particularly post-pandemic, so too has love’s universe been shaped by identity and relationship dynamics that were well outside anyone’s frame of reference as little as a decade ago.
These days, people are customising Valentine’s Day like they would, say, a phone’s set of apps.
Not quite traditional romance
Flowers are a standard, non-negotiable component of romance. However, couples these days also use Valentine’s Day to tell their own stories.
First date revisits rank at the top of the list; doing the same that you did when first meeting. A reenactment of sorts. This could mean cooking dinner together, creating a time capsule of pictures and moments together, a long walk or a picnic. It’s about creating a moment and a together-experience rather than following up the flowers with a staple social expectation.
Loving yourself
If you’re single, it does not have to mean tissues and tears on Valentine’s Day.
Instead, self-love is as important these days as coupling up on loveday is.
Take a trip, go on an adventure by yourself, visit an art gallery or go and feed the ducks at the lock park’s pond for some time-out.
Whatever it is, doing you and celebrating you on Valentine’s Day, a measure of self-love can only enhance your own well-being.
Galentines, Palentines and so on
Celebrating platonic love between friends on Valentine’s Day is growing. A Galentine’s Day celebration sees women share flowers, gifts, enjoy breakfasts or lunches together and celebrate friendships.
Panentine’s Day is a similar concept, but not necessarily even platonic love-inspired. It celebrates all kinds of friendships and has a greater emphasis on fun, games nights, themed parties, group dinners and ilk.
Celebrating family love
This does not always mean only real family, but also chosen family. Whether it’s planning a meal with your brother or sister, extended family members, the folks or friends that are like family.
All the above, counts too. Saying it with flowers, kind words of appreciation, and together activities like a family movie night or crafting together.
Celebrating Valentine’s Day with family can take many shapes, and celebrating the love we share for family can be as satisfying and exhilarating as any other shape of observation.
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Different combinations for today’s lovers
There are many different combinations and aspects of love.
In relationships that are non-traditional, where more than two is not a crowd, Valentine’s Day can have as much meaning and romantic kick as in any other relationship.
This includes polyamorous, ethically non-monogamous and throuple relationships. Here, multiple-partner relationships could see a Valentine’s Day weekend celebration where each person can feel valued across a longer period, for example. Group dinners, shared experiences and personalised gifting can make all the difference. This would also include a broader inclusion of metamours, or partners of partners, for example.
Throuples, simply a broader commitment than coupling up, would likely celebrate in a more traditional manner. Intimate dinners, romance and shared activities. It’s all about bonding and sharing the love, after all.
Random acts of kindness
Showing love to a stranger or to someone in need is a kind way to spend Valentine’s Day. It’s also something that can slot in with any other form of celebration, and it’s possibly one of the most important aspects of loving fellow human beings.
There’s nothing romantic about this in the traditional sense, but volunteering somewhere, even appreciating your child’s teachers at school, or randomly paying for someone’s groceries at the supermarket, can make a massive difference in someone else’s day.
Creating random human connections through kindness is one of the most powerful things we can do as people, and the feelings it evokes within ourselves are a gift of self-love, too.
Mindfulness on Cupid’s birthday
Mental and emotional wellness should always be at the top of anyone’s agenda, and why not on Valentine’s Day too?
How about a digital detox on V-Day? A massage? A meditative reflection on love, life, the universe and everything. Some quiet time that feeds emotional health.
Visit nature, go stargazing or simply breathe in some fresh air. Meditate on your relationships and the meaning of true love among partners, friends, and humanity.
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